Are You Influenced by Advertising?

 

be part and parcel of – included in something else or connected with it

GE food – genetically engineered food

 

It goes without saying that all of us are influenced by adverts, commercials, brochures, bright pictures, sample sales and free gifts that are used to advertise goods, service and I'd say a certain way of life. In fact advertising has become part and parcel of our everyday life. Advertisements are all around us not just on TV, radio and in the press, but also at sports grounds, in shop windows, and on posters, carrier bags, badges, T-shirts, trams and buses and even hot air balloons. Whether we like it or not, advertising is a powerful force, and all countries have different ways of persuading people to buy something. Nevertheless, they have much in common.

If you don't mind, I'm going to dwell upon some of the gags they use and tell you how they influence personally me.

To begin with, I'd like to say that advertising often uses the language and pictures to make us believe that we should be ashamed of ourselves for not buying a certain product for our families or ourselves. They play on our feelings, emotions, and especially our wish to be up-to date and knowledgeable.

Frankly speaking I can only tell one shampoo from the other by the effect it produces on my hair. It sometimes leaves it silky, manageable, shiny or heavy, greasy or dull. But I'm flattered to hear that I'm buying the one that is "scientifically developed" or "has been scientifically approved by experts" and is "a revolution in scalp skin care".

The numerous ads exploit our wish to be as good as others. They challenge us to "keep up to date", "keep up with the neighbours", or even "keep one jump ahead". The message is to buy the product if you don't want to be left behind. I must tell you that it's very tempting to buy a TV set of the new millennium or a coffee maker that every other family in all European countries uses. But here an average Russian consumer inevitably faces two problems: what's to be done with a previous one that is in perfect working order and. secondly, how to earn as much money as every other European family. I find those ads humiliating and try to ignore the information about weekends on Hawaii's cottages, Italian kitchens and posh cars.

The third trick they use is to say: be attractive. Pictures of sexy women and strapping young fellows are often used to draw attention to a product, and the suggestion is that we will be desirable and socially successful if we use it. That's ridiculous! An untidy woman is repulsive and vulgar no matter whether she uses a brand famous new French perfume or not. In my opinion a man smoking "Camel" on a high mountain cliff doesn't look romantic and brave. It's totally absurd to climb that high so that to inhale nicotine instead of fresh mountain air.

Besides, he pollutes the global atmosphere and risks cancer.

However, there are some ads which I find very instructive. These ads persuade us to do things well. The idea is that you must buy the product if you want to do your job properly. Many soap powders are sold through the idea that they "wash whiter than white", "remove stains" and so on. That's how I discovered "Tide" and "Ariel" washing powders. It would have cost me a pretty penny to buy and try dozens of others.

The ads which I really like and approve of are those that tell us to be responsible or act responsibly. These are adverts for health foods, environmentally friendly products, and even charities. They really appeal to the caring side of human nature. They aim to make us feel guilty if we ignore the appeal. I do want my children and grandchildren to live on a healthy green planet without polluted forests or harmful wastes from nuclear plants and reactors. In this concern I'd like to mention the growing anxiety of Americans about GE food. For years they had been bombarded with ads full of fresh red-ripe tomatoes, green spotless apples and mouthwatering straw berries. Most of them turned out to be genetically engineered. Genetically engineered food is the one whose genes have been manipulated to resist destruction and develop desirable characteristics. It makes up about 60 to 70 percent of the stock in your grocery store. So those tomatoes, for example, may well have had fish genes inserted so that they will resist frost. Now people become more and more aware of what they are eating and now Europe's seven largest grocery chains have committed their store brands to go "GE" free and Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia require labeling of all genetically modified foods.

To finish with, I'd like to say that I'm not entirely influenced by adverts like "millions of satisfied users" I don't believe that it is possible to become special by using a spray the pop-stars use, or become a VIP by driving a posh Rolls Roy's car. I remember Robert Burns' epigram about a flea that still remained a flea after spending a day with a king. I'm not going to seek "unique experience", tasting new Fanta or Cola. LIFE itself is a unique experience and it doesn't need any advertising.

 

 

Ex. 28. Comment on the following statements. Do you agree or not?

Advertising has become part of our life.

Advertising influences everyone.

None of advertisements tries to make us believe that we should buy a certain product.

Ads persuade us to be as good as others.

All advertisements are ridiculous.

Commercials can't be instructive.

Adverts for health foods are nonsense.

Life itself needs advertising.

 

 

FINAL DISCUSSION

 

1. To be successful a product must appeal to everybody or at least to the majority of people. Give

your pros and cons.

2. Does advertising manipulate us into buying things we don’t want?

3. Give two examples of recent purchases where the specific purchase situation influenced your

purchase decision. Briefly explain how your decision was affected.

4. Give an example of recent purchase in which you used extensive problem solving. What

sources of information did you use in making the decision?

5. Can television commercials cause unhealthy levels of family conflicts? Give your reason.

7. Does advertising influence children’s values? In what way?

8. Your boss says to you: “We don’t need to use an advertising agency. The cost too much and

we can do that stuff ourselves anyway.” What arguments can you develop to support the use

of an agency?

9. Does advertising influence children’s values? In what way?

10. "You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.” Norman Douglas.

11. "Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to

get money from it." Stephen Leacock.

12. "The best ad is a good product." Alan H. Meyer

13. "Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on

advertising, and they wouldn't have to advertise it.” Will Rogers.

 

 

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FINAL QUESTIONNAIRE

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1. What is advertising?

2. How can advertising be defined?

3. What is the art of advertising?

4. What understanding does advertising require?

5. What are the two first objectives of advertising?

6. What are the third and the fourth objectives of advertising?

7. Who is most advertising carried out by?

8. What is called consumer advertising?

9. Does advertising need careful planning? Why?

10. What are the advantages of advertising?

11. What are the disadvantages of advertising?

 

12. What factors should be considered when determining the most effective advertising media to

use?

13. What advertising media do you know?

14. What is the most effective method of advertising?

15. Why must advertisements on television be catchy, clear and precise?

16. Why is it cheaper to advertise in a local newspaper than a national one?

17. What market is advertising in magazines aimed at?

18. Where is outdoor advertising commonly used?

19. What is the aim of outdoor advertising?

20. What is the advantage of promoting goods through the Internet?

 

21. What are the two main groups the advertising business is composed of?

22. Give the definition of the advertisers.

23. What are the functions of an advertising agency?

24. In what way does the media participate in advertising process?

25. What professional people usually assist both advertisers and agencies in the preparation of

advertising materials?

26. Who are the majority of people in advertising employed by?

27. What factors influence the variety of the advertising people employed by the company?

28. Who is often directly involved in advertising decisions?

29. What is more common for large companies: to employ outside agencies or to have a separate

advertising department for planning an advertising campaign?

30. Who heads an advertising department in large companies?

 

31. What problems are still being argued in terms of advertising aimed at children?

32. Why is any advertising to a 6-year-old considered unfair and misleading?

33. Why can’t children decide for themselves whether to consume advertised products or not?

34. Who should be responsible for what the kids see and what they don’t?