Advertising conversation questions


 * advertising /ˈædvərtaɪzɪŋ/
 * advertisement
 * BrE: /ədˈvɜːrtɪsmənt/, advert, ad
 * Ame: /ˌædvərˈtaɪzmənt/, ad

Advertisements

 * What is advertising?
 * Is the purpose of advertisements to give information about products, or is their purpose only to project an image?
 * How truthful do you think advertisements are?
 * Some people complain that adverts stimulate an excessively consumerist society. What do you think?
 * What do you think is the most effective way of advertising something - on TV, the cinema, radio, internet, newspapers or something else?
 * What do you understand to be the difference between the English words "advertising" and "propaganda"?

Adverts and you

 * What do you like about advertisements?
 * Do you think that advertising should be regarded as an art form?
 * What advertisements are popular at the moment?
 * Can you think of an advertisement which you particularly dislike at the moment?
 * What is the funniest advert you can remember?
 * What car advertisements can you remember? What sort of things do they usually tell you about their products?
 * What telephone company advertisements can you remember? What do they tell you about their products?
 * Do you feel that you personally are affected by adverts? Do you ever remember the ad but forget what was being advertised?
 * How frequently do you buy an article in a shop because you remember the advert?
 * Have you ever not bought a product because you were irritated by the advert?
 * What do you imagine it would be like to work in the advertising industry?
 * Have you ever paid for an advertisement or started an advertising campaign?
 * What don't you like about advertisements?

TV and adverts

 * Do you (or does someone else in your family) channel surf during adverts? How does the rest of the family respond?
 * What do you actually DO when the TV commercials come? Do you watch them?  What is the maximum number of things you have managed to do during a commercial break?
 * How is washing powder usually advertised?
 * Is there (or should there be) a limit on the number of advertisements which can be shown? What would be the effect of such a limit?
 * Sometimes people say, "The adverts are better than the programmes". What do you think about this?
 * What do you think of the idea of "product placement" advertisements - the inclusion of particular branded products in films and soap operas?
 * How much more effective do you think an advertisement is if it features a celebrity?

Adverts and the internet

 * How often do you click on advertisements on web pages or Google search?
 * It is sometimes claimed that the web is the future of advertising. What do you think?
 * How would you define "spam"?
 * How much spam email do you get? Have you ever responded to a spam email?

Adverts and society

 * Advertising for alcohol and tobacco is now severely limited - do the adverts, or their prohibition, have much impact either way?
 * Are there any other things which shouldn't be advertised?
 * In many countries lightly dressed women frequently feature in advertisements. What do you think of this practice?
 * Should there be any special controls on adverts specifically directed at children? (For instance adverts directed at children under 12 are banned in Sweden.)
 * What moral responsibility, if any, do advertisers have to use "normal looking" people in their advertisements?
 * Some charities sometimes use shocking images of starving children or abused animals in their advertisements. What do you think of this practice?

Activity
This is a simple activity, which does not need any materials. Time: depending on class and group size, between 1 and 2 hours.

Talk with the students about commercials or use the questions above.


 * Where do you encounter advertisements?
 * Why do companies advertise?
 * What do you think of advertisements?
 * Why do you think they are good or bad?
 * What is a slogan? Do you know any?

Make a (radio) commercial
Work in groups


 * Come up with your own company with a good name
 * Think of a product you want to advertise
 * Think about why people should buy your product
 * Come up with a catchy slogan
 * Do the commercial live, in front of class

Pronunciation

 * campaign: /kæmˈpeɪn/
 * propaganda: /ˌprɒpəˈɡændə/
 * prohibition: /ˌprəʊɪˈbɪʃən, ˌprəʊəˈbɪʃən/