NOTION: PLACES AND FORMS OF POWER

KEY ISSUE: To what extent does advertising influence people?

MISSION 1: Read the following text and point out the important periods in the development of advertising.

History of Advertising

It is difficult to imagine how advertising worked before television, the radio and the Internet, but, in fact, it goes back to ancient Greece where people wrote “For Sale” on the sides of their houses if they wanted to move. In the Middle Ages merchants hung wooden signs in front of their stores to show people what they were selling.

The invention of the printing press in the 1440s had a big effect on advertising. Flyers and posters could be made very cheaply and by 1600 newspaper ads were common. After the Civil War in 1865, advertising agencies became popular in America. First they only sold space in newspapers and magazines but later on they also wrote and produced their own ads.

The invention of the radio in the 1920s and television in the 1940s revolutionized advertising. Companies could now inform millions of people about their products over the airwaves. More recently the Internet and e-mail have led to the development of new advertising strategies.

PERIOD OF TIME WHAT? Use?signs in front of houses

The Middle Ages To sell products1440's Invention of the printing press

newspapers Newspaper adsAdvertising agencies Space in

magazinesInvention of the radio + television

Nowadays

MISSION 2: In the previous text and statements from the following exercises find the words which mean:

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a person who buys productsto completely change the way people do something or think about somethingaim, object of an actiona company that designs ads for other companiesa piece of paper with information on it about things that people want to sell (also leaflet, handout)a person who buys and sells thingsnotice, poster with information on itto pay forpeople buy things and use them for a short time and then throw them away and buy something new

MISSION 3: Which of these statements reflects the advantages/disadvantages of advertising?

Advantages Disadvantages

It’s quite true about the saying – there’s no second chance at making a good first impression. Regardless online or offline, if they don’t catch your attention within seconds, advertisements are considered failed. To really stand out of the crowd, advertising agencies know that ads have to be out of the box (= creative, original), something that makes you laugh, talks about it or at least makes you look twice. 2

MISSION 4: Try to explain the idea of the following advertisements. Do you find them convincing? Do they catch your eye (= _____________________) ? Which one do you prefer? Why?

Ad N°1

Ad N°2

Ad N°3

Ad N°4

Ad N°5

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