📺 The World of Advertising

Interactive Reading Comprehension Exercise

Mehdi Ben Barka High School - BTS 1st Year

📖 Reading Text

The world of advertising is vast and it's a dog-eat-dog world. Each company competing against each other for a piece of the market. Trying to stand out and reel you in with their eye-catching packaging or creative bus stop billboard. Brand awareness is particularly important and if your company has an excellent reputation, they say you don't need to advertise too much.

What do you think of when you hear the word Mercedes, The North Face, or how about Ryanair? I am guessing mostly positive things come to mind. Of course, these companies are well-known, their marketing budget is massive in comparison with a language school in Oujda for example. These smaller companies cannot afford to advertise on TV, pay a film company to place their product into a scene, or have a celebrity endorse their product or service. They have to rely on the cheaper side of advertising like handing out flyers to pick up business, using a sandwich board or hanging a banner outside their school, office, or restaurant. And, let's not forget a very important thing in this digital age which is simply writing content for their website to boost SEO and their ranking.

Advertising is everywhere, we are like walking sandwich boards, yes even you with your nice new cut is advertising the hairdresser who cut your hair. If someone says 'Oh, I love your new hairdo! Where did you get it cut?' then that is the best type of advertising for anyone, and this is called word-of-mouth. That person will more than likely contact that hairdresser because of their work that you advertised. Great. We can also decide if we like something before buying by sampling, this type of advertising allows us to try, taste, or smell something before we decide if it's right for us. If our budget is high we might sponsor an event, person, or team. Imagine the exposure you would get seeing your advert on the hoarding of the world cup final.

Of course, starting a business is not easy, you need a name, logo, service or product, slogan, and more importantly decide on your target market and your USP. It's never been easier to set up a business nowadays, but to keep your head above water in a certain market is another thing. But who knows, sometimes you can get lucky and end up creating an advert or picture that goes viral and have everyone talking about it.

💭 Discussion Questions

  • Can you think of any jingles from advertisements?
  • If you had to start a business tomorrow, what market would you enter?
  • Do you often get junk mail?
  • What do you think about cold calling and door-to-door marketing, is it an effective way of advertising?
  • Do you have a favourite slogan or advert?

❓ Comprehension Questions

I. True or False Questions

1. In a dog-eat-dog world, companies cooperate to share the market equally.
2. Writing content for a website to boost SEO is an important advertising strategy in the digital age.

II. Answer in Your Own Words

1. What are some cheaper advertising methods that smaller companies might use?
2. What are some of the essential elements needed to start a business?
3. How can sampling help consumers make purchasing decisions?

III. What do the underlined words refer to?

1. "they" (paragraph 1, line 4):
2. "I" (paragraph 2, line 2):
3. "'s" (paragraph 2, line 7):
4. "you" (paragraph 3, line 1):

IV. Circle the Most Appropriate Explanation

1. "it's a dog-eat-dog world"
2. "eye-catching"
3. "SEO"
4. "USP"
5. "to keep your head above water"
6. "To go viral"

V. List All Types of Advertising

1. Check all types of advertising mentioned in the text:
2. Which advertising method(s) do you think is/are most effective and efficient?
3. Which types of ads can be banned?

📝 Answer Key

I. True/False Answers:

1. False - In a dog-eat-dog world, companies compete aggressively against each other, not cooperate.

2. True - The text explicitly mentions that writing content for websites to boost SEO is very important in the digital age.

II. Short Answer Sample Responses:

1. Smaller companies use cheaper methods like handing out flyers, using sandwich boards, hanging banners, and creating website content for SEO.

2. Essential elements include: a name, logo, service or product, slogan, target market, and USP (Unique Selling Point).

3. Sampling allows consumers to try, taste, or smell products before buying, helping them decide if the product is right for them.

III. Reference Answers:

1. "they" refers to companies with excellent reputations

2. "I" refers to the author/narrator

3. "'s" refers to "let's" (let us)

4. "you" refers to the reader/general public

IV. Multiple Choice Answers:

1. A - A very competitive environment

2. A - Something that grabs attention because it's visually attractive

3. C - Search Engine Optimization

4. A - Unique Selling Point

5. B - To survive a difficult financial or challenging situation

6. C - To become very popular or widely shared online in a short time

V. Advertising Types Mentioned:

TV advertising, Product placement, Celebrity endorsement, Flyers/Leaflets, Sandwich boards, Banners, Website content/SEO, Word-of-mouth, Sampling, Sponsorship, Billboard advertising

📚 Vocabulary Reference

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