EF -D AV Reading the News 1 -D AV EF -D AV Nguyễn Thị Cát Ngọc - Đỗ Thị Thu Phượng (Đồng chủ biên) Trịnh Minh Phương - Nguyễn Hồng Thúy - Trần Thị Thu Thương READING THE NEWS EF 1 NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI -D AV EF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................7 PREFACE TO THE READING THE NEWS SERIES ..........................................................8 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................9 NOTES TO USERS .................................................................................................................12 -D AV MEDIA LITERACY ................................................................................................................14 SECTION 1. NEWS AND FEATURES...............................................................................20 UNIT 1. Influencer Marketing ..........................................................................................22 UNIT 2. Climate Change....................................................................................................31 UNIT 3. Social Media and National Security ..................................................................38 UNIT 4. Higher Education and Finance ..........................................................................46 EF UNIT 5. Environmentalism ...............................................................................................53 UNIT 6. Pursuit of Music Career ......................................................................................61 SECTION 2. OPINION .........................................................................................................69 UNIT 7. Exploring the World ............................................................................................70 UNIT 8. E-Commerce ........................................................................................................79 UNIT 9. The Future of Foods ............................................................................................87 UNIT 10. Freedom of Information ...................................................................................94 UNIT 11. Vaccination .......................................................................................................103 UNIT 12. Public Opinions ...............................................................................................111 LIST OF REFERENCES ......................................................................................................119 -D AV EF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are appreciative of assorted sources of information and authors of the articles cited in Reading the News 1 coursebook. Without all of them, we would not have been able to compile the materials for this book. We are grateful to our English Faculty, Board of Education and Training, Board of Directors for facilitating the compilation of this coursebook. -D AV Our sincere thanks go to our English Faculty members, coordinators and students who have made substantive contribution to the meticulous compilation process. We also thank the editorial personnel, who was a great help for us in getting the manuscript in publishable form. EF Despite all the help we had, many errors and shortcomings may remain in the following pages; for these we alone are responsible. PREFACE TO THE READING THE NEWS SERIES As many language teachers and learners now realize, reading is not simply an important skill. It is also a critical basis for progress in language learning. Effective reading skill enhances students’ abilities to pay attention, remember new grammar and vocabulary, process ideas, and respond appropriately. As students develop their reading abilities, they feel more capable and confident in all aspects of language use. -D AV Students at different levels need different kinds of reading skills and strategies, but most eventually encounter the need for academic reading. More than merely enabling them to succeed in college lectures and discussions, effective academic reading allows students to build, synthesize and use knowledge in the target language. As a result, they can fully participate in the exchange of authentic ideas about relevant topics. Recent progress in language teaching and testing has provided many new instructional approaches and strategies that help students develop good academic reading skills. Reading the News incorporates these new ideas into a coherent, carefully sequenced approach that works well in classrooms. Authentic Language and Active Reading EF Each level of the series Reading the News comprises twelve units on specific topics which are accessible to students of all backgrounds. The articles selected are written in an interactive style that models the natural, authentic language as well as active reading. Key points are reinforced so that students can remember easier. The activities that accompany each unit are designed to guide the reading process. Students are encouraged to preview vocabulary, read with a clear purpose, extract main ideas, understand text organization, check comprehension, deal with unfamiliar words, link ideas, understand writer’s style, evaluate the text, react to the text, and write summary. The activities also help students develop critical thinking skills, including: • Activating prior knowledge • Guessing meaning from context • Predicting information • Organizing ideas • Discriminating between main ideas and details • Reconstructing and summarizing main ideas • Transferring knowledge from each topic to other areas INTRODUCTION READING THE NEWS 1 Reading the News 1 is the first coursebook in the series of Reading the News. The book is suitable for those who possess level B1-B2 in Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency, i.e. they can use the language independently and communicate without effort with native speakers. In English curriculum, the coursebook is primarily designed for sophomores who begin their ESP course at Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. It consists of 12 units based on topics of common interest in international studies. This book features authentic texts reflecting the recent trends of the world. The book is expected to help students enhance their ability to read the news in English effectively. -D AV READING EFFECTIVELY EF Everyone reads with some purposes in mind: for instance, to keep up with the news, to obtain specific information, or simply for pleasure. A reader’s purpose may also include the need to reproduce the content of the text in some way or other: in a discussion of the ideas it contains, for example; or in summarizing the text for a report or an examination. Effective reading means being able to read accurately and efficiently, understanding as much of a text as one needs in order to achieve one’s purpose. Not everybody can do this even in his or her own language. In a foreign language, the problems are of course greater, and comprehension failure is common. This may be a simple matter of not knowing a word, but it is equally likely to be due to a deficiency in one or more of a number of specific reading techniques. The exercises in this book can also help students develop these specific techniques. Extracting main ideas Sometimes it is difficult for a student to see what the main ideas of a passage are, or to distinguish between important and unimportant information. Students should be encouraged to read for the general sense rather than for the meaning of every word. Reading for specific information It is not always necessary to read the whole of a text, especially if one is looking for information which is needed for a specific purpose. Understanding text organization Students may sometimes have trouble in seeing how a passage is organized. They should have practice in recognizing how sentences are joined together to make paragraphs, how paragraphs are combined into text, and how this organization is signaled. Predicting Before reading a text, we usually subconsciously ask ourselves what we know about the subject matter. This makes it easier to see what information is new to us and what we 10 Reading the News 1 already know, as we read the passage. If we can transfer this skill to a foreign language, we can ensure that as we read we are not overloaded with too much new information. Checking comprehension Under certain circumstances (such as examinations) students may need to study a passage very closely in order to answer a question correctly, and exact understanding of points of detail may be crucial. Comprehension questions in each unit could train students in this kind of careful reading. Inferring A writer may decide to suggest something indirectly rather than state it directly. The reader is required to infer this information – which may be essential for correct understanding. Some students may need practice in seeing such implications. -D AV Dealing with unfamiliar words One of the commonest problems facing a student is simply not being able to understand a word or expression. But it is often possible to guess its general sense by looking for clues, whether in the context or in the form of the word itself. The exercise of explaining words and expressions as used in the article will help develop the techniques needed to make reasoned guesses about the meaning of new vocabulary. Linking ideas EF In any passage an idea may be expressed by a number of different words or expressions. It is necessary for students to see how different words are related to the same idea. Understanding complex sentences Some writers, consciously or unconsciously, use a complicated style in which it may be difficult, for example, to distinguish main clauses from subordinate clauses. Struggling with complex syntax can make it easy to lose sight of the general sense of the text. Students should learn how to “decode” long and complicated sentences. Understanding writer’s style An important part of the pleasure in reading is being able to appreciate why a writer chooses a certain word or expression and how he/she uses it. A number of stylistic devices and features are presented in this book. Evaluating the text A full understanding of a passage may depend on appreciating why it was written, or what purpose particular parts of the text serve. It may, for instance, be important to distinguish between a statement of fact and an expression of the writer’s opinion. Students are expected to develop the students’ more critical faculties. 11 Reading the News 1 Reacting to the text Sometimes a reader’s interpretation of a passage may be colored by his or her own views on the subject being dealt with. Students should learn how to separate what the writer says from what the reader thinks. Writing summaries The ability to write an accurate summary requires accurate comprehension of a passage, the ability to distinguish between essential and secondary information, and skill in composing clear, economical text. For students who need this technique (which is required, for instance, for the examination) special training is provided. ORGANIZATION OF UNITS Pre-reading tasks -D AV There are 12 units in the coursebook, each devoted to one article. The articles are graded in the order from News and Features to Opinion in different themes. Students are offered a variety of interesting activities in which they discuss the topic of the unit and exchange ideas about it. Reading focus Students are provided with a particular style of giving information in each article. They will learn how to recognize different types of information or different ways to present ideas. EF Understanding the article Students will read adapted articles on a variety of topics on specific themes from different newspapers. They will develop their reading skills and learn essential vocabulary and structures. They will also be able to discuss the ideas and issues in the articles. Vocabulary work Students will learn important new words and phrases which they can use when carrying out the tasks in the unit. A good dictionary will also help them to increase their vocabulary. Exam preparation tasks Students are equipped with specific skills and strategies to deal with the tasks they will encounter in their progress and final examinations of the course. Discussion prompts Students will build up their confidence in using English and improve their fluency through discussion activities. Extra reading Each unit has one extra reading with similar theme to offer students more sources to study. 12 Reading the News 1 NOTES TO USERS TO STUDENTS AND SELF-STUDY LEARNERS As you have read the introduction, the objective of this coursebook is to help students read effectively through tasks. It is also important that you should follow these distinct stages to make full use of this book. Stage 1. Preparation -D AV Before you come to each reading class, the following activities may help you approach the article better: • Do research on the topic of the unit by reading related information about it. You can also do the activities in Pre-reading tasks of each unit. • Make notes or create a mind-map about the topic. • Summarize your views/ feelings or findings by writing a review. • Make a small talk or presentation on what you have researched in class or with your peer. EF This process will help you to become familiar with the theme or the topic of the text. The second part of this Stage concerns vocabulary. Write a list of words related to the theme of the unit that you come across while you do research with their meaning in English. You can even create your own glossary about the topic for your reference. Stage 2. Task completion You can do each task in the unit and try to find your answer in the article. You can discuss your ideas, feelings and thoughts with your peer to get a proper answer for each question. Use the highlight pen to mark the clues in the article to help you answer the question. While you read the article, you should: • Try not to depend much on the dictionary. • Try to understand unfamiliar words using the context. You may also need to explain the words/expressions using your own words. • Read the article carefully to grasp the meaning the author wants to convey. 13 Reading the News 1 To do these, you need some reading skills that can only mastered through practice, namely, scanning, skimming, reading through title, reading through sub-title, and reading for details. Stage 3. Reflection In this stage, you can consolidate what you have learned by: • Add more words you have learned from the article into your own word list or glossary • Write a short note or give a small talk on your own or discussion with your peer about what you have read from the article TO THE TEACHER -D AV • Read more articles of the similar topic in order to have a more thorough understanding about it In teaching with Reading the News 1, teachers should remember that the aims of this book are to help students read effectively, express ideas about topics of the units and explore their self-study capacity. In order to meet these aims, teachers should also follow these stages: Stage 1: Preparation EF At this first stage, teachers should help students prepare for the article they are going to read by assigning them to do research at home, giving discussion questions beforehand or even asking them to make a presentation about the topic of the article. Stage 2: Task completion Teachers can guide students to do each task in the unit by giving some tips or skills to help them read faster and look for the information more efficiently. Some common skills are scanning and skimming, key words search, paraphrasing, predicting, determining author’s view or facts… Teachers should also facilitate students with ideas for the discussion or assign students to lead the discussion about the topic of the unit. Teachers should let students be centered in their discussion and encourage them to freely express their ideas. Stage 3: Reflection Teachers should wrap up the class and guide students to the next lesson’s preparation by assigning them with pre-reading or doing research tasks. More discussions or extra reading tasks can be given. Teachers can also provide students with more sources for reading and ask them to write a review or make notes on what they have read. 14 Reading the News 1 MEDIA LITERACY I. MEDIA Media is the term used to refer to different types of methods that provide us with important information and knowledge. Media has always been part of our society, especially in the digital world. Different Types of Media -D AV As time passed, people experienced different modes to update news. Based on the type of medium, their role may be different, but they all exist to communicate to the audience and affect their perceptions. In general, we can classify media in three main categories. Printed Media This type of news media used to be the only way of delivering information to the public. For the generations of the 80s and 90s, print media was the only media of entertainment. People relied on newspapers and magazines to learn everything, from recipes and entertainment news to important information about the country or the world. Print media includes: EF Newspapers – printed and distributed on a daily or weekly basis. They include news related to sports, politics, technology, science, local news, national news, international news, as well as entertainment news related to fashion, celebrities, and movies. Today’s parents grew up with this type of printed media. Magazines – printed on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. It contains information about finance, food, lifestyle, fashion, sports, etc. Books – focused on a particular topic or subject, giving the reader a chance to spread their knowledge about their favorite topic. Banners – used to advertise a company’s services and products, hung on easily-noticed sights to attract people’s attention. Billboards – huge advertisements created with the help of computers. Their goal is to attract people passing by. Brochures – a type of booklet that includes everything about one company – its products, services, terms and conditions, contact details, address, etc. Flyers – used mostly by small companies due to the low cost of advertising. They contain 15 Reading the News 1 the basic information about a company, their name, logo, service or product, and contact information, and they are distributed in public areas. Broadcasting Media Broadcasting media includes videos, audios, or written content that provides important or entertaining information shared by different methods: Television – in the past, there were a few channels sharing various types of content, whereas now we have hundreds of TV channels to choose from. Each channel delivers a different type of content, so you have a separate channel for news, drama, movies, sports, animation, nature, travel, politics, cartoon, and religion. -D AV Radio – uses radio waves to transmit entertaining, informative, and educative content to the public. Due to its high reach to the audience, radio is widely used for advertising products and services. Radio is one of the oldest means of entertainment, and today people often hear it to find out the weather and traffic while commuting. Movies – film, motion picture, screenplay, moving picture, or movie has world-wide reachability. It’s the best type of mass media to promote cultures and spread social awareness. Movies have always played a huge part in the entertainment world. Internet Media EF Nowadays, we are relying on the Internet to get the news a lot more often than traditional news sources. Websites provide information in the form of video, text, and audio. We can even choose the way we want to receive the news. Types of Internet media include: Social networks or websites – including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Quora, Reddit, Pinterest, etc. They are user-friendly and widely used by people around the world. Although we can find any news here, they may be misleading because of the lack of regulations on the content shared. Online newspaper sites are also sources of news where people can find information just in one click. Online forums – Virtual places where we can comment, message, or discuss a particular topic. Forums allow us to share knowledge with other people with the same interest. That’s why it’s regarded as the best platform to seek support and assistance. Podcast – a series of audios focused on a particular topic or theme. We can listen to them on a computer or a mobile phone. It’s a platform that allows anyone to share their knowledge and communicate with the world. To conclude, we use different types of media to find out news, learn new things, and entertain ourselves. With the advance in technology, we can choose the type of media we want to use, no matter the time or place. Thanks to the Internet, you can search for whatever you want just in one second, but choosing a reliable and authentic source of 16 Reading the News 1 information to learn and update news is of great importance for students. If you read news from the Internet, be skeptical and critical because who knows where the Internet can lead you to. The following part will guide you how to be skeptical when you read online. II. HOW TO BE SKEPTICAL ON THE INTERNET -D AV It’s important for you to recognize that every time you click on something, you’re creating a trail that brings information to yourself. The question students always ask is that should we trust everything we read online, especially the potential of the problems may arise when almost everyone can publish a blog or web page? For example, the “Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus from Extinction” site (https://zapatopi. net/treeoctopus/) looks reliable and seems to provide trust-worthy information about an endangered species of octopus dwells in the trees of the Pacific Northwest. However, you must be surprised to learn that no such animal as a tree octopus exists and you had fallen for an Internet hoax. These are three strategies to read critically on the Internet: Examining initial markers or superficial characteristic of a website that can help us make an initial judgment about its credibility. EF Many students were convinced of the site’s validity because of the numerous images (for example, the image that shows an octopus residing in the branches of pine tree in the abovementioned site), the large amount of text (which included scientific names), the professional-looking layout of the site, and numerous links to other sites about octopuses and endangered species (many of which lead to legitimate sites). However, none of these markers were guaranteed indicators of the validity of information on a site. These are some of the features of a web page that would give it credibility. First, students should look for information about the author or sponsoring organization of a website. Sites that prominently displayed contact information can be more reliable than those that do not. If can identify an author, we can learn through further research about any credentials the author might have. Identifying the author of a site may also help us in determining possible bias of that author or the author’s motive for publishing this information online. Another marker that we can look for is the timeliness of the site. Students can look for a note on the web page about when it was last updated, which will often appear near the top or bottom of a web page. A site that is rarely updated or posts no information about when it was last updated might be less trustworthy. More importantly, when we are looking for relevant and timely information online, sites that haven’t been updated for a long time might not be appropriate for our needs or may not even be correct anymore as more new information that has come to light since the site’s publication. 17 Reading the News 1 The next marker that students can follow when examining a site is to examine the content of the connected sites. A site seems more credible if the author provides links to source materials for the information, not links to other sites of interest. To examine a website, students can enter “link” into a Google search box. You can see other sites linked to the doubtful site which are personal blogs but no other scientific sites that discussed the endangered animal. This may make you to think twice before accepting the information. -D AV Finally, students can look at the overall layout and at any additional content on a website. The abundance of advertisements on a site could be a clue that the site’s author might be more interested in commercial gains than in distributing accurate information. A site with numerous grammatical errors or an amateurish appearance could also be suspected. However, some personal blogs or forums are physically formatted in a recognizable way; which may lure students to believe in the information founded in these sites. Students should be careful with such sites since they tend to be forums for personal opinion or supposition rather than sources of factual information. Students should keep in mind that many sites can look professional and polished, offer a lot of information and link to legitimate sites but still contain questionable information. Corroborating information (or confirming information) EF First, students can use their common sense to judge the information. For example, if something we encounter on the Internet sounds too good or too odd to be true, then it most likely is. If information we find online does not seem to match what we already know, it is also likely to be suspected. When reading something on a website, we should pause and think before accepting the information as the truth. However, our common knowledge sometimes is not strong enough to make judgment about what we are reading. In this case, the easy access to information provided by the Internet is a wonderful tool. For example, a Google search for the key word “tree octopus” allowed students to find other sites that exposed the truth about this fictional animal. Another link that students prefer to visit for information is Wikipedia because it’s quick and easy to read and understand. Given Wikipedia’s controversial history in academic circles, we encourage students to check what they find with more trusted encyclopedic sites such as Encarta (http://encarta.msn.com) or Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http:// www.britannica.com) to confirm the information. Determining author bias Along with helping students see the value of information, it’s also important to recognize the author behind the information. People publish on the Internet for many reasons, and not all of these are noble or unselfish. Recognizing whether authors have bias or a hidden agenda can be particularly challenging for students. Below are a series of questions the students could ask themselves about a site and its author: 18 Reading the News 1 • Who is the author? What do you learn from a Google search on him or her (or organization that sponsors the site)? • What do you think the author’s purpose in publishing this information is? Does the purpose seem legitimate or trustworthy? • Is the author trying to sell something? Is there a product attached to the information or commentary on the site? • Examine use of language in the website. Are any of the words used particularly hateful or provocative? Does the author (through his or her words) seem to be trying to incite you to a strong emotional reaction? • Does the content of the site seem to be largely opinion or do you see a fair amount of facts that you can corroborate? -D AV With asking yourselves these questions, you can understand the author’s intent and possible bias. Students should distinguish between facts and author’s bias to get exact information. III. HOW TO IDENTIFY FAKE NEWS With resources like Google at our fingertips, information isn’t hard to find. What is challenging is determining whether that information is credible and can be trusted. EF A Google search is often our first stop to gain a basic understanding of the main ideas about a topic, but since anyone with access to a computer can publish anything online, it is crucial that you evaluate the information you find, especially when completing a research paper, or looking for important information (like health, election, or financial information). There are some strategies that students can use to choose a reliable website to read and get information: • CURRENCY: How recently was this information published/posted/updated? Can you find a publication date? • RELEVANCE: Does the information relate to your topic? Who is the intended audience? How does this source compare to other sources you may have found on the topic? • AUTHORITY: Who wrote the information - are they an expert or knowledgeable in their field? (i.e. for health information, did a doctor or nurse write it? For science information, did a scientist or researcher write it?) • ACCURACY: Where does the information come from? Is it supported by evidence? Has it been reviewed or refereed? Can you verify the information in one or more other sources? 19 Reading the News 1 • PURPOSE: Why was it written? To sell something? To sway opinion? To educate? What is the point of view? IV. HOW TO IDENTIFY RED FLAGS OR UNRELIABLE WEBSITES Here are some tips to identify whether websites are credible enough to use for research or updating information. • Website does not look professionally designed • Lack of citations or links to verifiable information • No author/sponsoring organization is listed, either on the main page or in an ‘About Us’ section -D AV • The page’s purpose is to sell something (almost all .com) • There is a lot of advertising on the page • The publisher is promoting a specific point of view V. SUGGESTED SITES TO READ NEWS We suggest that you read news from the following sites in order to update information as well as to enlarge your background knowledge in English: EF • Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com • Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com • The Asia Times: https://asiatimes.com/ • The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/ • The Economist: http://www.economist.com/ • The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/ • The Japan Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/ • The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/ • The Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/news • The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ • VN Express: https://e.vnexpress.net/ SECTION 1. NEWS AND FEATURES 1. NEWS People primarily read the newspaper for … news! News can be a breaking story, where the facts are changing moment by moment, or it can involve a recent event in a longrunning story, where it is important for the reader to know the background. With hard news the most important factor is that it is read today – we rarely pick up yesterday’s newspapers to read about current news. -D AV Think about an article you have read in the newspaper recently. Why was it in the news? Was it a breaking or long-running story? How important and significant was it? UNDERSTANDING NEWS ARTICLES News stories answer the following questions: • What happened? • When did it happen? • Who was involved? EF • Where did it happen? • Why/How did it happen? Those questions are answered briefly in the first or second paragraph of the articles, as the purpose of the article is to elaborate on the answers. 2. FEATURES Feature articles are less “time-dependent”. In other words, they are not so tied to an exact moment in time, but address contemporary areas of interest to the reader. Before reading a feature, it is useful to ask yourself what you know about the subject. In doing so, you will do the following: • Predict vocabulary which may occur in the article; this can help reduce the “processing load” – the amount of new information you need to cover in order to understand the text. 21 Reading the News 1 • Think about how much you know about the background to the story. If you know very little, you will look for this information in the article. If you know a lot, you might skim over parts of the text which provide readers with this information. • Identify questions you want the text to answer; this will give you a “reason for reading” the text. UNDERSTANDING FEATURE ARTICLES 3. THE ARTICLES -D AV The purpose of a headline is to get the reader’s attention. A good headline should make the reader curious and provoke interest in the article. This section contains six main articles as follows: • Why consumers care about influencers, and why you should too? • Arctic animals’ movement patterns are shifting in different ways as the climate changes • Facebook plans to sue Thais over order to mute critics EF • UK university students wasted £1bn in a year on empty accommodation • Do ‘environmentally responsible’ products help the planet? Or do they just get us to buy more stuff? • Black, female and carving out their own path in country music 22 Reading the News 1 UNIT 1 Influencer Marketing PRE-READING TASKS 1. Read this excerpt from a blog about influencer marketing. Would you like to read for more information from this blog? Why or why not? What is influencer marketing? -D AV At a fundamental level, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. Influencer marketing works because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their following, and recommendations from them serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers. 2. Have you ever bought any products based on the review of an influencer? What are the differences between a mega and micro influencer? 3. What is your own experience of any influencers or any products they endorse? Share your experience with a partner 4. In your opinion, what kinds of product/service/activity would influencers often promote? Charity EF Beauty products Technical devices Supplement diet Fashion/clothing line Books/educational programs READING FOCUS Focus on the newspaper: INTRODUCING A TOPIC Sometimes articles introduce a new idea of a product. To do this, the writer must give detailed explanations. 1. Read the article as if it was the first time you had heard of influencers. Can you understand what an influencer job is after reading the article without your prior knowledge of the topic? a. Who are influencers and where do you find them? b. What makes influencers different from celebrities in product endorsement? c. When did influencer marketing begin? d. How can someone become an influencer? How do they stay in business? 2. Do you think the author did a good job explaining the effectiveness of influencers in marketing? What would you add? 23 Reading the News 1 Why Consumers Care About Influencers, and Why You Should Too? More than half of people globally have bought something in the past six months based on the recommendation of an online influencer. By Jason Falls February 10, 2021 What do you think of when you hear the word “pudding”? For most people, it probably brings up some childhood memory of after-school snacks. But one group of people who may have a very different answer is women who love their curly hair. Pantene Pro-V Curl Defining Pudding is a popular finishing-touch item in the brand’s Gold Series of hair care products. It helps curly hair stay moisturized, retaining its natural curl without frizzing. -D AV 1 According to several dozen product reviews I read, it also smells good and leaves hair shiny. The Curl Defining Pudding was often mentioned by influencers in Pantene’s Gold Series campaign in the early summer months of 2019. The Procter & Gamble brand chose 25 Black women who were Instagram influencers, with content centered on beauty, hair and lifestyle. Four of the influencers had a good number, but not millions of subscribers on YouTube. Each was engaged to place at least one sponsored post apiece on each channel. The goal was to drive awareness of Pantene’s Gold Series Collection, which includes the Curl Defining Pudding. EF 2 influencer effort based on their number of followers was more than 2.5 million people. The proof is indeed in the pudding. These numbers are strong, if not outstanding. More important for the brand, the main talking points and unique selling propositions were called out by each of the influencers. The specific products in the line, including the Curl Defining Pudding, were mentioned. The fact that the Gold Series was developed by a team of Black scientists was prominent in many of the posts. The influencer campaign did exactly what the brand team hoped to accomplish: create greater awareness of the Gold Series Collection within the intended target audience. 4 This was a Winfluence campaign, not just an influencer marketing one. It leveraged online influencers, but in a targeted manner with strategic purpose that moved the business forward. It wasn’t just buying sponsored posts on famous Instagrammers’ accounts and hoping people would think you were cool by association. Another factor that makes this a Winfluence campaign is its construction. 5 At the time of the campaign, the online influencers’ audiences ranged from ChiziDuru’s (@chiziduru) 122,000 Instagram followers to Lisa-Jean Francois’ (@lisaalamode) 36,000. (Duru also had 381,000 YouTube subscribers, which were enough to place her on both lists of Pantene Gold Series influencers — Instagram and YouTube.) In total, the potential reach of the 3 24 Reading the News 1 Even the largest advertiser in the world — Procter & Gamble — with its bleedingedge marketing approaches, didn’t spend marketing dollars on mega-influencers with millions of followers. It focused on mid-tier and even smaller influencers with engaged audiences who could persuade those fans to take action. Fish where the fish are So let’s take a look at why Procter & Gamble is investing their considerable resources in influence marketing online. They’re doing it because the internet is where consumers decide to buy products. People who buy hair care products don’t watch TV commercials, look for an ad in the Sunday paper or flip through magazines anymore. Instead, they’re looking for information online. And more than any other company in the world, P&G knows to fish where the fish are. -D AV 6 EF People don’t trust traditional media. And people demand trust. For several years now, the Edelman Trust Barometer has been the bible on understanding consumer trust. And the special report on brands may as well have been a big, flashing neon sign that said, “Consumers Trust Influencers!” In it, 63% of people said they trust influencers’ opinions of products “much more” than what brands say about themselves. And 58% — almost six out of ten consumers — confirmed they had bought a new product in the past six months because of an influencer’s recommendation. 7 Read that again. Not because of a recommendation from a family member, a friend or an online review. More than half of people globally have bought something in the past six months based on the recommendation of an online influencer. Consumers also confirm another assertion we’ve discussed: It’s not always about popularity. An influencer’s ability to connect with them in a meaningful way is a better indicator of persuasive success than how many followers they have or how famous they are. Edelman’s namesake president and CEO, Richard Edelman, told Ad Age while discussing the report, “Influencers matter. They’re credible.” 8 The indicators are there. So is the data. Consumers give a damn about influencers. Enlightened brands know this and give a damn about them, too. 9 25 Reading the News 1 UNDERSTANDING THE ARTICLE 1. Why do corporations like P&G hire influencers to promote their haircare product? Look and the list of reasons below. Skim the article and then check which ones are mentioned. a. As a way to tell the customers about the new product b. As a way of getting attention c. As a way to promote the company d. As a way of feeling popular e. As a way of connecting with potential customers 2. Can you add any more reasons to the list above? in any way? If so, why? -D AV 3. Has the article changed your viewpoint of influencers and influencer marketing VOCABULARY WORK 1. Guessing from context. Read the following words taken from the article from i to v, guess their meaning by circling the suitable answer A or B. i. Retain (para. 1) B. Continue to hold A. Balance between two B. Use something to maximum things advantage EF ii. Leverage (para. 5) A. Maintain iii. Bleeding-edge (para. 5) A. New, experimental B. Dangerous, unsafe iv. Assertion (para. 8) A. Confident statement of fact B. Belief v. Indicator (para. 8) A. Trend or fact to prove B. Trend or fact to measure the something level of something 2. Complete the sentences below with a word from Exercise 1. You may need to change to the plural form. a. …………………… are substances that change colour when they are added to acidic or alkaline solutions b. This book began with the ………………… that it is the optimists who get things done. c. Under the constitution, the provinces ……………………….. all the powers not delegated to the federal government. 26 Reading the News 1 d. You can ……………………….. private sector investment through loans. e. However, in many cases ……………………….. software is pushed out to help validate it and try out new features. EXAM PREPARATION TASKS 1. Words and phrases explanation Explain the following words and expressions, as used in the article. a. finishing-touch item b. drive awareness -D AV ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… c. The proof is indeed in the pudding ………………………………………………………………………………………… d. target audience ………………………………………………………………………………………… e. the bible on understanding consumer trust EF ………………………………………………………………………………………… f. give a damn about ………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Comprehension questions Read the article and answer the following questions. a. What kind of product does the author mention in the article? How does it differ from other similar products? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… b. What did P&G do to promote their new product? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… 27 Reading the News 1 c. What kind of influencers did P&G hire for their campaign? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… d. What did influencers do to increase sales? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… e. Was their ad campaign successful? Why or why not? ………………………………………………………………………………………… -D AV ………………………………………………………………………………………… f. What does the author mean by saying “fish where the fish are”? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… g. Why do customers trust influencers more than TV commercials or newspaper ads? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… EF h. Why does the author take P&G as an example of an enlightened brand? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… DISCUSSION PROMPTS 1. “Influencers make us feel individual”. How far do you agree with this statement? 2. How popular is influencer marketing in your country? 3. What kind of marketing strategies do you think will be popular on the Internet in the future? 28 Reading the News 1 EXTRA READING How Influencer Marketing Took Power, and What the Future Holds By Kay Van Antwerpen December 8, 2020 have to break through the noise. Arguably the most successful way to do this is to seamlessly integrate yourself into the social media experience alongside your users. Don’t intrude upon their experience — rather, become part of the experience. This new philosophy is the reason influencers have become essential. 6 In the last decade, the rise of social media rewrote marketing norms most of us had taken for granted. The relationship between advertising, brand development, and storytelling looks different today than it ever has before. 1 For those without an influencer budget, let’s get you up to speed: The most important function of a social media influencer is, essentially, to eliminate blatant advertising and invisibly bridge the gap between the advertiser and consumer. Ideal influencers are people who: 7 • Are already using and enthusiastic about your product. • Cast a wide social media net that EF While marketing teams used to gauge success in search impressions and website clicks, that’s not entirely the case anymore. Impressions are never bad, of course, but they fail to indicate how closely your ad campaigns are resonating with your audience. 2 The ideal influencer -D AV Image credit: Violeta Stoimenova | Getty Images includes your target audience/consumer demographics. • Are already capable of creating conversations about purchasing choices with your target. • Is capable of both creating conversation around your product, and influencing their followers to make a purchase based on perceived knowledge, authority, or position (whether or not there is tangible authority is irrelevant - these decisions are made based on style, branding, and popularity, not connoisseurship). Audience attention and engagement is the new goal. 3 Consumers are often unengaged with traditional advertising formats. Your ad campaign may appear in front of millions of people, but how many of them actually consciously internalized the message you were sending? 4 The present-day consumer is flooded with television commercials, billboards, and banner ads all grabbing for their attention. They’ve learned to subconsciously tune them out. To reach your audience, you 5 In old-school marketing terms, an influencer is a multiplier — a single person who is capable of returning multitudes of purchases to your company. 8 29 Reading the News 1 This may sound unusually risky to those steeped in old-school marketing tactics. To an extent, you are giving up some control over your online conversation by putting the power of your brand in the hands of an influencer. However, the trust built with consumers by having this sort of two-way relationship with a brand representative pays back in dividends. 9 There are also many, more traditional methods to gauge the efficiency of an influencer, including: 10 As an example, The Pasta Queen — a single chef — built a following of over a quarter-million followers in less than three and a half months. 14 In another instance, Dunkin Donuts (rebranded now as simply Dunkin) snagged Tik Tok superstar and self-proclaimed Dunkin Cold Brew junkie Charli D’Amelio. In addition to sponsoring the influencer, Dunkin renamed its cold brew “The Charli.” 15 As a result, Dunkin’s app downloads spiked 57 percent above the previous 90day average, and the app itself set a new record for active daily users. There was a 20 percent spike in cold brew sales on the first day, and a 45 percent spike on the second day. 16 Quality of content Rise or fall in page views Search engine rankings Improved reputation Consumer awareness. -D AV • • • • • Why TikTok is a path to the future EF Tik Tok isn’t part of the Facebook/ Google duopoly, so it’s often overlooked despite being the seventh largest social media platform in use with 800 million users. It’s a shame, because Tik Tok is exceedingly friendly to businesses — both small-time entrepreneurs and corporations alike. 11 What an uncertain economic future means for influencers Of course, there’s another elephant in the marketing room. Covid-19 has changed the way all businesses operate. Influencers are no exception. 17 Its user interface is almost perfect for storytelling and brand development. For starters, it removes the option to intrude on user experiences — there are no static banners, no forced pre-roll, no GIFS — everything is immersive. If you run a video ad, it will appear in a user’s feed alongside the other users they follow. Fortunately, influencer advertising seems to run on par with the rest of the advertising world. While there was an advertising downtick in early 2020 (businesses wanted to avoid appearing insensitive to the worldwide crisis, and were already seeing a boost in natural traffic during lockdown initiatives) the gears of advertising seem to be spinning as usual once again. Tik Tok is about how you tell your story and how you connect with your audience and community. The best storytellers with the best stories rise to the top. As its Global Business page tells marketing leaders: “don’t make ads, make Tik Toks.” If anything, the biggest hurdle to overcome is the change of spending priorities. Because many consumers have lost a fraction of their income, discretionary spending is down while they focus on groceries and other household necessities. 12 13 18 19 30 Reading the News 1 20 The problem here isn’t necessarily a lack of work for social media influencers, instead its a creative barrier. will likely push new ways to stay in communication with socially distanced friends. Instead of marketing to buyers with a wad of spending cash in their pocket, influencers now must find new angles to sell necessary products. Beauty representatives have to sell their makeup and hair products to people who primarily appear before clients through zoom calls, or work in pajamas. Tech influencers The point is, the need for advertising is there — it’s just that the problem marketing agents are solving has changed. We’re no longer selling to a world with discretionary income — we’re selling products based on necessity, self-care, and comfort during lockdown. 21 22 -D AV Extra Reading Tasks 1. Read the article and write some key points that you can grasp from the article. 2. Discuss the following questions with your partners: a. How have social media changed the way people do marketing nowadays? b. What is the function of a social media influencer? What should an ideal influencer do? c. What good and bad effects does the uncertain economic future have on EF influencers?
