📘 Part 3: Ads

This episode's vocabulary

To churn something out (ph. verb) - to produce large amounts of something quickly, usually something of low quality.

Billboard (noun) - a very large board on which advertisements are shown, especially at the side of a road.

Personal loan (noun) - money that you borrow from a bank or other financial organization for your personal, rather than business, use.

Tailored (adj.) - specially made for a particular purpose or situation.

Decline (noun) - when something becomes less in amount, importance, quality, or strength.

To personalise (verb) - to make something suitable for the needs of a particular person.

Mass advertising (noun) - advertising designed to reach large numbers of people, by using television, radio, newspapers, and the internet.

To harvest (verb) - to collect information about people, products, companies, etc. from the internet.

Preference (noun) - the fact that you like something or someone more than another thing or person.

Targeted (adj.) - directed at a particular group or activity.

Impact (noun) - the force or action of one object hitting another.

Severely (adverb)- very seriously.

Endorsement (noun) - the fact of a famous person appearing in an advertisement saying that they use and like a product.

Supplement (noun) - something that is added to something else in order to improve it or complete it; something extra.

Sparse (adj.) - small in numbers or amount, often spread over a large area.

Consumerism (noun) - the situation when too much attention is given to buying and owning things, often things that are not really necessary.

Explicit (adj.) - showing full details, without anything hidden.

To capitalize (verb) - to supply money to a business so that it can develop or operate as it should.

In-your-face (adj.) - used to describe something done in a forceful way that intends to shock people.

To cater to someone/something (phrasal verb) - to satisfy a need or to provide what is wanted or needed by a particular person or group.

In turn (idiom) - because of that.

Revenue (noun) - the income that a government or company receives regularly.

To profit (verb) - earn money, or benefit.

Align (verb) - to agree with or support another person, group, organization, or view.

Corporate (adj.) - relating to a large company.

To draw someone in (ph. verb) - to attract someone or something.

Rampant (adj.) - used to describe something bad that gets worse very quickly and in an uncontrolled way.

Questions and Answers

M: What are the most advertised products in your country?

R: If we're talking about traditional methods like on TV or on the street, then probably goods like the latest gadgets and all the smartphones that keep churning out. You see a lot of billboards for supermarkets too. Online, it's a different story. It tends to be services like personal loans or subscriptions to media companies. But then again, a lot of it is tailored by algorithm. So what do I know?

M: Which one is more effective? Newspaper advertising or online advertising?

R: Well, newspapers have been in decline for a while now, and almost everyone has access to the internet in some way. So it seems online has a wider audience. Moreover, it can be personalised more effectively than mass advertising campaigns like those you see in newspapers.

M: And what role does social media play in advertising?

R: Quite a significant one. If recent events tell us anything. Social media companies harvest our viewing information and personal preferences. And they sell this on to ad firms that engage in targeted advertising. Of course, if you're aware of it, then the impact can be severely reduced. Because you just switch off when these things come up. But most people are not like that.

M: What do you think of celebrity endorsements in advertising?

R: I think it would be better for everyone involved if celebrities just stayed in their lanes in this regard. Unless they have some specialist knowledge that gives them an insight. I mean, what does an actor actually know about skincare and dermatology? Probably not a lot. And it could make them look foolish if they get it wrong and sell something harmful. There are exceptions, though. I think Natalie Portman has a PhD in psychology, so if she talked about something connected to that, then I would be willing to listen because she has this expert knowledge.

M: Does advertising encourage us to buy things we don't need?

R: Well, the easy answer would be a hard yes, but it's more dependent on the product than the advertising. Everybody needs access to energy. So energy providers advertise to allow people to shop around and get a good deal. If its a product like the latest vitamin supplement that will give you your dream body based on sparse scientific evidence. Then it could send people down the path of mindless consumerism, I suppose.

M: And how do ads make people buy new products?

R: At the core adverts are awareness-raising mechanism, so they make people aware that there's something they could use in their lives. Effects of adverts make this connection explicit or even create one. Like capitalising on the fear of missing out. Others have more in-your-face methods like attention-grabbing strategies, like a catchy song or catering to a target audience in some sort of way. Though, it's... That's just awareness-raising again, isn't it? It's just more specialised.

M: What are the advantages of advertising?

R: For who? It attracts customers who might otherwise not happen upon products and in turn, generates more revenue for companies. It also allows advertising firms to profit from additional sales that can be linked to their efforts. And for customers, they have a greater awareness of the market. So which one are we talking about here?

M: How does marketing make people choose particular goods and brands?

R: I suppose, when I think about it, it comes down to how people and companies align with each other. For example, if you have a corporate image of being eco-friendly and socially responsible, you're more likely to draw in this kind of person. Compared to a company that engages in, I don't know, rampant capitalism and has a poor image. On the other hand, that second type of corporation probably produces things more cheaply and can find a market of people who are trying to live in that way.