CORSO DI LAUREA MAGISTRALE
(Specialistica)
LINGUA INGLESE
Prof. John Taylor
THE LANGUAGE OF CORPORATE
PRESENTATION AND ADVERTISING
A.A. 2009/2010
N.B.
( valido fino ed incluso marzo 2011)
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CONTENTS
Part 1 :
Page 2 : What is an advertisement ?
Page 3: Attention seeking devices.
Page 4: Tricks of the trade- To compare or not to compare.
Page 5: Hooks.
Part 2:
Page 6: material from Behind Business( book and CD-ROM).
2
Part 1 :
1.
What is an advertisement ?
Advertising is so familiar to modern readers that is may seem odd to
ask what an advertisement is. Although advertising is all around us –
perhaps because it is all around us – we don't often pause to think
about its nature as a form of discourse, as a system of language
that countless numbers of people come into contact with.
What do you think an advertisement is ?
Give some examples and some information on the origin of the word.
2.
We all recognise the advertising texts that appear in magazines and
newspapers and we also know radio and television presentations.
But should our classification be wider than that ?
Below are some examples of texts we might see around us on a daily
basis. Here the word text is used in its widest sense, including visual
artefacts as well as verbal language. Which of these would you call
advertisements and which not ?
Justify your inclusion or not with some explanation.







a university prospectus
a political manifesto
a film trailer
a speed limit road sign
a manufacturers label sewn on the outside of clothing
a shop name on a carrier bag
a poster in the grounds of a church, with “Jesus Lives”
written on it.
A T-shirt with a slogan.
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3.
ATTENTION-SEEKING DEVICES.
It is not difficult to see why advertisers want to make their texts
capture our attention. The whole aim of copywriters is to get us to
register their communication either for immediate action or to make
us favourable disposed to a product or service. But written
advertisements often have to compete with each other. So copywriters
have to find ways to “shout” at us from page or screen.
Look at the following ads in “Behind Business”and describe the
strategies used to catch the reader's attention.
( Behind Business ads page 24).
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE
4.
To compare or not to compare.
Advertisers tend not to make specific comparisons between their
product and others by naming and referring to their rivals. So for
example a washing powder manufacturer would be unlikely to say
“X washes whiter than Y”.
This construction is called comparative reference. It tells the reader
that they need to locate particular items in the text, and draw them
together for comparison on a specified basis. The basis in the example
of “X washes whiter than Y” is “whiteness”.
This lack of specific reference doesn't stop advertisers from employing
comparison. What they do is to leave out the comparative item while
keeping in the basis for comparison. So, “X washes whiter”.
We are not told 'then what', but as readers we tend to supply in
brackets ( then all its other rivals).
As well as constructing claims to comparative superiority,
comparative reference can also feature in expressions of superlative
excellence: for example, 'simply the best' still requires us to supply
the answer ' best of what ?'
Here are some words the frequently occur as the basis for comparison
in adverts. See if you can divide the words according to the type of
services or products they are normally attached to :
newer
crunchier
better
crispier healthier
nicer crumbliest less fattening smoother simpler
easier
more experienced
tastiest.
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5.
HOOKS.
Here are some Hooks from contemporary adverts. How do these
questions and statements play on the insecurities of the reader ?
Can you tell just from the hook whom the advert might be aimed at ?
Do you think different target groups – for example, men and women,
are presented with different “problems”?
Look at the hooks and their products and match them up, saying
whether they are for male or female.
Hooks:
Thinning hair
Not enough hours in the day
Want to lose 4cm of bust projection instantly?
Nothing put by for a rainy day ?
Could you work if you were disabled ?
Why are you shamed by your mistakes in English ?
Mum, when is Granny coming to live with us ?
Still shaving with soap and water ?
Age is a fact of life, but why look it ?
Your circumstances may have changed. Why should you ?
He trusts his mum to get him home, but who can she trust ?
Ever wanted a new you ?
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Products :
energy drink – minimiser'bra – savings scheme – language programme –
hair restorer – pension scheme – shaving gel
moisturiser – nursing home – automobile association(AA)
diet programme.
Part 2:
6. from BEHIND BUSINESS.
Portfolio. Chapter 2 page 28
On the CD-ROM you will find a set of advertisements run by Shell
International in National Geographic magazine:
Examine each ad. And write notes on the following:
-USP/message
-probable objective.
-target audience
-what language strategies are used ?
-does it meet the criteria of an advertisement ?
-do you think they are effective ?
Look at Chapter 4 on page 49:
Look at the Botonica ad.
Write an analysis of the label.
Think about these questions in your analysis:
-what is the label for ?
-how o the colours and language enforce the product?
-what is the purpose of the product ?
-who is it target at?
-why are the benefits and instructions on the back of the label?
7.
Look at Chapter 8 – page 83
It is entitled Press Releases and Trade Magazines.
Use your CD-ROM and listen to the spoken word.
Complete the activities under the headings Word Focus and Trade
Magazines on page 83.
Look at Chapter 2 page 21:
Comment on the visuals (HSBC and NatWest) from a cultural
point of view.
Your work must be handed in 10 days – 2 weeks before the date of
the oral exam to the CLEconomia (cle@uniurb.it).