Advertising refers to the act of creating public messages to promote a product or service. Below are some vocabulary terms related to advertising.
to advertise
To advertise means to give public information about something in order to make people want to buy it.
advertisement
An advertisement is a public announcement about something created to make people want to purchase it.
ad
American abbreviation for “advertisement.”
advert
British abbreviation for “advertisement.”
advertising
Advertising refers to the act of creating advertisements.
television advertising
Advertising done on television is called television advertising. The short videos advertising a product or service are called television commercials.
radio advertising
Advertising done on the radio is called radio advertising.
online advertising
Advertising done on the internet is called online advertising.
print advertising
Advertising done in magazines and newspapers is called print advertising. The advertisements are called magazine ads and newspaper ads.
outdoor advertising
Outdoor advertising is advertising that reaches consumers outside of their homes.
billboard
A billboard is a large outdoor sign usually located next to a busy road. Billboard advertising is a common form of outdoor advertising.
product placement
Product placement occurs when a company pays to have their product shown in a movie or television show.
to endorse
To endorse means to publicly recommend a product or service. People who endorse products are often famous people who are paid for their recommendations.
endorsement
Public approval or support of a product or service.
viral marketing
Viral marketing occurs when a company creates something and encourages people to pass the message to others, usually by using email or other forms of internet communication.
word-of-mouth advertising
Word-of-mouth advertising occurs when customers tell other people about a product (or service) because they like it.
advertising agency
An advertising agency is a company that creates advertisements for other businesses.
advertising budget
An advertising budget is the amount of money that a company has to spend on advertising.
advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a group of advertisements that have the same idea or theme.
brand
A brand is the name a company gives a product to differentiate it from competitor’s products.
brand awareness
Knowledge that a brand exists is called brand awareness. If a lot of people know about the existence of a brand, the brand has high brand awareness. If not many people know about the brand, the brand has low brand awareness.
brand image
Brand image refers to the ideas and beliefs that people have about a brand.
target audience
The target audience of an advertisement is the group of people that the ad was intended for.
slogan
A slogan is a short phrase a company creates to associate with a brand or product.
Tagline
Taglines are similar to slogans. They are both short phrases companies create to represent a brand or product. A tagline is different from a slogan because taglines are more permanent. Taglines are not associated with only one particular advertising campaign. They refer to an idea or message about the brand that doesn’t change.
Adverts Vocabulary
• prime time (noun) – the time at which a radio or television audience is expected to be at its highest.
• commercial break (noun) – the period between TV programmes when adverts are shown.
• product placement (noun) – when brands pay for their products to appear in TV shows or films.
• in-your-face (adjective) – something that is shocking, forceful, aggressive, annoying, and is difficult to
avoid or ignore.
• word of mouth (noun phrase) – information that is passed orally from person to person in an
informal manner, information that is transmitted without being written down.
• pop-up ad (noun) – a new window which opens in the browser when a particular webpage is visited
that displays an advert.
Task 1
Using the vocabulary words above, complete the following sentences (remember to use the
correct form of the word, e.g. verb conjugation or plural noun)
1. I don’t like those adverts for charities where they show starving babies; they’re a bit ___________
2. Delays to the next James Bond film as a result of the covid pandemic have caused problems with
the _________________ of Nokia’s new phone as it will be out of date by the time the film hits
cinemas.
3. Netflix doesn’t need to rely on advertising all its TV shows and movies because people usually
hear about them by _____________
4. The ultimate _______________ slot is during the commercial break of the Super Bowl.
5. Using an adblocker will prevent ___________________ opening when you visit websites.
6. Whenever there is a _____________________, British people always go to the kitchen to put the kettle
on to make a cup of tea.
Task 2 – Advertisement Discussion
Discuss how companies advertise the following products:
Toothpaste Cars Mobile Phones Shampoo Skin Cream.
Task 3
You are the manager of an advertising agency and recently you have been responsible for
advertising children’s toys. Your company took the decision to advertise a range of
popular toys on TV during the period before a popular national holiday.
NOTE – you do not work for the toy company, you are in advertising and the toy company
is using you for publicity.
But some parents are angry with you. They say you have deliberately exploited their
easily-led children with such persuasive advertising that they have demanded toys that the
parents cannot afford.
Prepare your case. Here are some of the things you might say:
• You do not force anybody to buy the products
• If the advertising is so bad, why let children watch TV at these times?
• You believe that your products are educational and necessary for the children’s intellectual
development
• You deny that your ads are over-persuasive
Now think of some more things you can say:
You are the parent of two young children, 7 and 6 years old. You are a devoted parent who
would move mountains to make your children happy, but you have a limited budget, and to
be honest, the recent advertising campaign to sell children’s toys has caused you
problems. Because the ads are so persuasive, your children are demanding toys you
cannot afford.
So you go to see the manager of the agency to argue the case of parents everywhere.
Here are some things you can say:
• You think it is scandalous that so much pressure is put on innocent children to be in with
the crowd
• You think that it is unfair that so much money is being made when parents such as you
are struggling
• You think the adverts should be later in the evening so adults can decide what to buy
without pressure from the children
• You want the manager to understand that children do not realise that their parents have
limited funds
Now think of some more things you can say:
Task 4 – Advertisement Vocabulary
Find the following vocabulary in the picture below:
Slogan Logo Brand Name Image Poster
Now answer each question about Coca
Cola as best as you can.
Who is the target audience of this product?
Can you describe their one of their previous advertising campaigns in your country?
What is the price range of their product in your country?
What do you think the total sales figures were for Coca Cola last year?
What do you usually see in the advert?
Task 5
Watch the following advert by Coca Cola
Make a note of the following:
1. What is good and bad about the advert?
2. What advertising techniques do they use
Task 6
Here are some of the techniques used in TV advertising. Can you think of a current or
recent TV ad that uses each technique?
TECHNIQUE HOW IT WORKS EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
testimonial get a well-known person to recommend
the product
humour make the customer laugh
comparison compare the product with a direct rival
emotional appeal appeal to basic instincts like physical
attraction or family love
health suggest the product will make you feel better,
live longer, etc.
esoteric make the ad bizarre and/or hard to
understand
special offers offer the customer free gifts or discounts
science mention test results, advanced technology, etc.
lifestyle associate the product with a particular way
of living
Task 7
CREATE AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
Now, it’s time to create your own advertising campaign for a product of your choice. All you have to do is follow
these steps.
STEP 1 CHOOSE A PRODUCT
You are going to compete with other agencies to advertise a new product for a company (the client). Choose a
product that will best allow your agency to demonstrate its creativity. Here are some ideas:
fast
food
perfume or
fragrance
soft
drink
women’s
clothes
gym
car
STEP 2 CREATE AN AD AGENCY
Advertising campaigns are usually created by a team of people, so form a group with some other students and
think of a name for your advertising agency. Most agencies use the names of the people who set them up such as
J Walter Thompson, McCann-Erickson, Young & Rubicam, Lowe Lintas & Partners. Write the name of your agency
STEP 3 PLAN THE CAMPAIGN
Follow the steps below.
1. Describe the product.
2. Think of a name for the product.
3. Invent a slogan.
4. Create a customer profile (age, sex, lifestyle, etc.).
5. Decide what product qualities to promote. What makes it different from its rivals?
6. Choose the best technique(s) for selling the product.
7. Design and produce a printed ad that will attract the customer’s attention.
8. Plan a TV or radio ad. Record it, if you are able to. Keep it short, and consider using music.
STEP 4 COMPETE FOR THE ACCOUNT
You now have to show your ad campaign to the client. Show your printed ad to friends or classmates, and play
them (or read aloud) your TV or radio ad. What do they think of your campaign? The best campaign gets the job!
GOOD LUCK!!!