Beware of ads! Unit Four

Debate  Do advertisements play a positive or negative role in our society?

Procedures  Step 1: 1 minute’s presentation of each side’s point.  Step 2: 8-10 minutes’ free debate, which begins with the cons’ questioning.  Step 3: 1 minutes’ final statement for each side.

Answers for reference  Pros:  Daily life needs advertisements because the main function of advertising is to disseminate information on commodities, services, culture, employment, student enrollment and even marriage.  Advertising itself is a business that has provided a great number of jobs.

 3. With advertisements, people save a lot of time in shopping, looking for jobs, etc.  4. Advertising is a process of artistic creation.  5. Without advertisements, newspapers, commercial radios and television companies could not survive.

Cons:  1. Fake advertising cheats consumers and, in some serious cases, threatens people’s lives.  2. Advertisements are not based on the quality of the goods, but on the principle that if one keeps talking about the same thing long enough, eventually people will pay attention to it.  3. Advertisements on TV are a nuisance 讨 厌的东西 : they interrupt television programs at a shocking frequency.

 4. Big companies make huge profits out of advertising.  5. Consumers have to pay more for the goods owing to the advertising expenses.

Advantages of advertising  1. informative  2. educational  3. recreational  4. inspiring  5. economy-promoting

Disadvantages of Advertising  It encourages people to buy things they don’t need, so it is a kind of waste of money;  It is often dishonest and people are often cheated;  It can make people unhappy when they can’t afford to buy things; it can create stupid dreams and fantasies;  It encourages children to buy food that may be harmful to their health;  People, esp. youngsters, will imitate unhealthy ads.

After-debate activity  You should vote in the best debater in the debate and some of you should comment on the whole debate.

Asking for clarification  What do you mean by… ?  What did you say just now?  Could you explain that again?  Could you explain what you just said?  Excuse me, I’m not very clear about …?

Clarifying  It means…  What I’m saying is… / All I’m saying is …  What I’m trying to say is…  What I wanted to say was…

How to be a good ads?

Guidelines for TV ads. Early product identification High repetition Novelty Visual and semantic image Music association Humor

Early product identification: the product is introduced early in the advertisement Discussion High repetition: the product name is repeated frequently throughout the advertisement

Novelty: something about the advert attracts you because it’s new and different Discussion Visual and semantic image: the advert uses both language and visual impact to convey the message and encourage you to buy the product

Music association: the background music reinforces and complements the product’s image Discussion Humor: The advertisement makes you laugh

Advertising Campaign Directions: Suppose you belong to an advertising agency. You have just received a project: Design an advertisement for one of the following products. Work with your group members to plan an advertising campaign. Try to appeal to the greatest number of people possible. Later, Each group shows their ad to the class. Which group has the best.

Bicycle  Lightweight aluminum 铝 frame  Folds easily  Easy to carry  Made in Taiwan

Laptop computer  Uses batteries or electric outlet  Weighs about 9 pounds (about 4 kilos)  On sale at 50% off

Running shoes  For running or jogging  Light and comfortable  Made in Korea

Steps: a. Decide on the advertising target. b. Determine the selling features of the product. c. Name the product. d. Create a catchy 容易记住 slogan for the product.

e. Decide on the kind of media to use. f. Create an advertisement for the product.

advertising agency 广告公司 Terms Related to Ads advertising agent 广告代理商 advertising cycle 广告周期 advertising claims 广告词 advertising campaign 广告宣传活 动

advertising budgets 广告预算 Terms Related to Ads attention getter 广告妙语 copywriter 广告撰稿人 flyer 广告传单 slogan 广告口号 spot announcement 插播广告