Lesson 13 — Activity 1: The Language of Ads
Completion requirements
Lesson 13 — Activity 1: The Language of Ads
How do you know if an ad is selling a truly superior product? One simple way is to read it carefully and see what it says about the product.
Advertisers choose their words very carefully. They cannot lie about the product, but they want to make it sound so great that people will buy it. If we are aware of the way advertisers use language, we will be able to make better choices about the products we buy.
Advertisers choose their words very carefully. They cannot lie about the product, but they want to make it sound so great that people will buy it. If we are aware of the way advertisers use language, we will be able to make better choices about the products we buy.
Product Names and Descriptions
Companies spend a lot of money to come up with product names and slogans. Slogans are catchy phrases used by advertisers. They want them to be easy for consumers to remember.
Some common techniques for naming products include the following:
Companies spend a lot of money to come up with product names and slogans. Slogans are catchy phrases used by advertisers. They want them to be easy for consumers to remember.
Some common techniques for naming products include the following:
- rhyme: "the quicker picker-upper," "the cheeser pleaser"
- alliteration or repetition of the beginning sounds of words: Minute Maid, Coca-Cola, Kit Kat
- word association or names that make us think of (usually) positive things: "Cheer," "Bon Ami" (means "Good Friend")
Product Claims
Besides using catchy names and slogans, advertisers sometimes try to tell us what makes their product the one we should buy. This technique is called unfinished comparisons. What we do not always know, though, is that many products are basically the same. The package and the name may be different, but the quality of the product may be very similar. (Sometimes, more than one brand is packaged in the same factory.)
Advertisers have to try very hard to make us believe that one product is actually superior to another when there is no proof that it is!
To sell a product that does not actually have any specific quality to make it better than the same product produced by a different company, advertisers may use various techniques.
Advertisers choose their language very carefully. Being aware of some of the techniques used in advertisements may help us to choose our purchases more carefully!