Rett"' s Alligator Luggage
c::) Unbreakable case c::) Comes in many attractive
colors
c::) Easy to wheel around
c::) Everything you need to clean the house
c::) Pretty and color-coordinated c::) Easy to store when you' re done
A Think about answers to the following questions.
1 What kind of customers would buy the products above?
2 How would you advertise each product? Be creative!
B Discuss your answers with a partner.
A Skim the first paragraph of the passage on the next page. Make inferences to answer the following questions.
1 What do you think the main topic of the passage is?
a advertisements that no one liked b famous commercials and slogans c advertisements that caused problems
2 The two examples in the passage were mostly (positive I negative) experiences for the companies.
B Skim the remaining paragraphs. Make inferences to answer the following questions.
1 American Apparel was (happy I unhappy) about Nancy Upton winning the contest.
2 People felt bigger women were treated (well I badly) by the fashion industry.
3 Some people did not like the Chevrolet Tahoe because of its (price I size).
C Now read the entire passage carefully. Then answer the questions on page 132.
Take a walk down the street and count the number of advertisements you see. With so many brands and companies competing for your attention, advertisers have to work harder thanã ever One popular method of engaging consumers is by holding competitions where consumers come up with their own commercials or slogans. These have proven to be
5 successful, and do increase the number of people who come into contact with the brand.
But allowing strangers to be active in a brand's identity can lead to greatã problems. Here are two cases of advertising gone wrong
Not a Model Spokesperson
When fashion brand American Apparel introduced its
10 new range of plus-sized1 clothing, the company held a contest to find new models. In the contest, women could submit photos of themselves that showed off how nice the company's clothes look on larger women. But when the company advertised that it was looking for "the next
1s BIG thing," some women were offended because they
. thought the company was being disrespectful to women.
An American actress called Nancy Upton decided to enter the contest to show the world how insensitive she thought American Apparel was.
Nancy took photos of herself in poses that made fun of the contest. She wore American
20 Apparel clothes and copied the style of their ads, but also ate fattening food, like burgers, in the photos. The photos became an Internet hit and she won the popular vote. While American Apparel did not recognize Nancy as the winner, her photos started a big discussion about how bigger women were treated in fashion, and Nancy became a hero to many.
crashing the commercial
25 Car manufacturer Chevrolet thought they had a good idea: organize a contest where people could create their own commercials for Chevrolet's newest and biggest vehicle, the Tahoe. The company supplied video and sound clips, and people could use computers to mix
30 them and add their own text. The contest accomplished its goal of promoting the Tahoe, as more than 30,000 videos were made.
While many entries focused on the best features of the truck, a few were less flattering; they pointed out
35 that the Tahoe was bad for the environment and that owning a big vehicle can sometimes lead to unsafe driving. Unfortunately, the negative videos spread fast, and Chevy got as much bad publicity as it did good publicity.
Reading
Comprehension
Check Your Understanding
A Read the following sentences. Check (v') true (n or false (F).
/
1 2 3 4 5
/ 1 2 3 4
,s
T Companies usually avoid holding contests.
A company cannot control who enters a contest, but they can control who wins.
Nancy Uptori did not enter the contest because she thought it was offensive to women.
The few negative videos of the Tahoe were watched by many people.
The contests were unsuccessful because they were not popular enough.
B Which contest does each of the following sentences describe?
Check (v') American Apparel (A) or Chevrolet (C).
A Consumers thought the brand was hurting .people's feelings.
The contest earned the company both positive and negative publicity.
People entered the contest because they did not approve of the product. ã The contest involved people sending photos of themselves using the product.
Consumers could vote for the winner.
Critical Thinking C Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1 Do you think Nancy Upton deserved to win the contest? Why, or why not?
F
c
2 How can a company control its image in contests and other events?
Vocabulary Comprehension
Definitions
A Match each word or phrase with its definition. The words in blue are from the passage.
1 consumer a to give to somebody for their approval 2 slogan b a phrase that gets buyers' attention
'
'
3 submit c to say something to make a product or person look or feel good
4 insensitive d not noticing or caring about another person's feelings
make fun of e someone who uses a product
publicity f to provide something that is wanted or needed flatter g to say something that hurts or upsets someone supply h news to make a product or event popular 132 UNIT 10 Chapter 2
B Complete the following sentences using the words in blue from A. You might have to change the form of the word.
1 Getting mentioned in the newspaper is a good example of
2 That new dress looks great on you. It's really _____ _ 3 Please don't my brother's hair. He's very
______ about how he looks.
4 ______ voted for Nike's "Just Do It" as one of last century's most famous _____ _
A Use a dictionary to complete the chart with the correct noun, verb, and adjective forms. Compare your answers with a partner.
'-Verb Adjective Noun
1 offend offending/ offensive offense
2 favored/favorite
3 experience
4 imaginative '
5 scare 6 concern
7 suggestive
,a support
B Complete these advertisements with the correct word from the chart.
"\
Vocabulary Skill
Word Families
When you learn a new word in English, it is helpful to also learn words in the same
"family" that form the different parts of speech. Since a word can have a slightly different meaning in a different form, learning word families can help you to expand your vocabulary.
Shy? Lacking confidence? If the idea of speaking in public (1) _______ you, our program will change your life. With (2) ã coaches who will (3) you every step of the way, you'll soon overcome your fear.
Here's a(n) (4) _______ for people who (5) _______ the finer things in life-why not try our tailor-made luxury holidays? Sleep in a 5-star tent in Kenya. Swim in marble pools in Morocco.
Go on a food tour of Tokyo. The only limit .is your (6) ___________ _
If bad breath is your (7) _______ , chew on our new Minty Bits. Try the freshest sweets in
Real Life Skill
Advertising and Psychology
Many advertisements try to engage or "talk to" people's feelings and emotions�like fear and lov0"'.-to persuade us that we need a product. They use certain words and images to produce reactions in us. For example, a company selling blankets can show images of puppies and use words like warm or cuddly.
A Read the following descriptions of commercials. Match each to the correct advertising message.
a A woman is driving a car with her. two small children in the backseat. Suddenly, another car turns in front of her. The mother hits the brakes, and her car immediately stops. The children are laughing and smiling.
b A group of college-age friends are relaxing at the beach. All of a sudden, the sky turns grey and it starts to rain heavily. The friends get cans of soda from their cooler, and an invisible umbrella forms above them. They stay dry as they continue drinking soda.
c An older couple are watching the sunrise from a cruise ship.
Then, they are seen playing golf. Lastly, they are eating dinner in a beautiful restaurant. The watches on their wrists are clearly seen the whole time.
1 __ This product will help you have fun.
2 __ This product will show people you are rich.
3 __ This product will keep you safe.
B Read the following slogans. With a partner, discuss what the advertising message of each slogan is.
1 The world's most beautiful women use SoftSilk Shampoo.
2 Drink Crystal Water. Cleaner, purer, safer.
3 Where is your child? You'll always know with Sattel cell phone.
C Now choose one of the three commercials in A and write a slogan for the product.
Motivational Tip: Review your reading fluency progress. Refer to the reading rate and reading comprehension charts at the end of the book. How would you evaluate your progress? Are your scores gradually going up? Use these charts to evaluate the progress you are making. What goals can you set for yourself as you continue to the next unit?
What do you think?
1 Some people think advertising has turned us into a greedier society. Do you agree? Why, or why not?
2 Should companies be allowed to advertise to children? Why, or why not?
3 Advertising has changed a lot over the last few decades. How do you think it w\\\ change in the next 1 O or 20 years?
134 UNIT 10 Chapter 2
Food and the Environment 11
1 A is a niore eco-friendly place to buy groceries.
a supermarket b farmer's market
2 Microwaves use up to two-thirds ___ electricity than regular electric ovens.
a less b more
3 Bottled water is cleaner than tap water.
a true b false
4 It's better for the environment if you wash dishes ___ after a big dinner party.
a using a dishwasher b by hand
5 Which type of drink container would be better for the planet?
a aluminum can b glass bottle
Getting Ready
A Complete the quiz above, then discuss your answers with a partner.
B Check your answers below. How man¥ did you get correct?
1 b: A farmer's market is more likely to sell foods that are grown in the area, while a supermarket normally sells foods that have traveled thousands of kilometers. Buying local foods saves fuel and reduces pollution caused by transportation.
2 a: A microwave uses 50-65 percent less energy to heat food than regular ovens. This is because it works faster and focuses energy directly on the food, as compared to heating the surrounding air like in an oven.
3 b: In many countries, tap water has to meet higher standards than bottled water.
So bottled water is not necessarily cleaner!
4 a: If you have many things to wash, use a dishwasher. It uses half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap compared to washing everything by hand.
5 a: Making aluminum cans requires less energy than making glass bottles. They're also more commonly recycled and are usually made from 40 percent recycled aluminum.
Motivational Tip: Reading in English is important. Being able to read well in English will help you to achieve sucess in and out of the classroom. As you make progress in this chapter, it will help you