1) Which of these ads get your interest and grab your attention? Explain why.
2) What are they advertising?
3) Which ad do you think is the most effective? Why?
In pairs, answer the following questions.
1. In the New York Times ad, what exactly do you have to know?
2. What complicated place is the International Herald Tribune ad referring to?
3. Did the slogans in the ads make you want to read the rest of the text? Explain why/why not.
4. Which do you think are more effective: ads with longer slogans or ads with very short, one-sentence slogans?
A. Complete the following table using the products and brand names in the boxes.
| Product Tour operator, beer, newspaper, vermouth (alcoholic drink), coach company, chocolate, bank, magazine | Brand name The Independent, Greyhound USA, Cinzano, Thomas Cook, Barclays, Mars, TIME, Miller |
| Slogan | Product | Brand name |
| 1. It is, are you? | newspaper | The Independent |
| 2. Go faster. Go for less. | ||
| 3. Vibrant, rich, and extremely well-balanced | ||
| 4. Dont just book it, Thomas Cook it. | ||
| 5. Getting to the very top with the very best. | ||
| 6. A mars a day helps you work, rest and play. | ||
| 7. Get TIME, ahead of time. | ||
| 8. The champagne of bottled beer. |
B. Look at the slogans again and answer the questions.
1. Which slogans contain no nouns?
2. Which types of word are used to communicate most of the meaning instead?
C. Slogans use a variety of language devices. Complete the first column of the table using the language devices in the box. Then write the numbers corresponding to the examples in A in the first column of the table.
| Personal pronouns, comparisons, alliteration, word play, emphatic language, metaphor, rhyme, repetition |
| Language device | Definition | Example from A |
| alliteration | The use of the same sound or sounds, especially consonants, at the beginning of several words that are close together | 8 |
| The use of the same word more than once | ||
| The use of strong words to show importance | ||
| Playing with words which have more than one meaning (Note: In the example given here, we are reminded of the everyday meaning of the brand name.) | ||
| Words used to replace nouns. Words such as you, we and us suggest the audiences identification with the product, or having a certain experience through buying the product. | ||
| Repetition of the final sound of a word. | ||
| An expression that describes someone or something by referring to something else that is considered to possess similar characteristics. | ||
| Comparing two things (Note: In advertising, the second term of comparison is hardly ever stated; it is left to the audience to decide.) |
D. In advertising slogans, adjectives and verbs are generally used much more frequently than nouns. Look at top 20 adjectives and verbs used in advertising.
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| Adjectives | New, good/better/best, free, fresh, delicious, full, sure, clear, wonderful, special, crisp, fine, big, great, real, easy, bright, extra, safe, rich |
| Verbs | Make, get, give, have, see, buy, come, go, know, keep, look, need, love, use, feel, like, choose, take, start, taste |
Complete the following advertising slogans. There may be more than one answer.
Then identify what language devices from C are used in each slogan.
1) The Music We All love (Virgin Radio, radio station) personal pronouns
2) Gillette The Best a Man Can ______ (Gillette razors) .
3) Dreams are ______. Realities are ______. (Citi Bank) .
4) Nokia N series. See ______. Hear ______. Feel ______. (Nokia tel.) .
5) The ______ bed on earth is not on earth. (Iberia airline) .
6) ______ a step in your career (SDA Bocconi University) .
7) You and us. Because global capabilities really are a ______ deal (UBS Investment Bank) .
