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Unit 6
Advertising Campaigns
In-Class Reading
Advertising Claims
1 Many people are believers in their own immunity to advertising. These naive inhabitants of consumerland believe that advertising is childish, dumb, a bunch of lies, and influences only the masses of the less sophisticated. Their own purchases, they think, are made purely on the basis of value and desire, with advertising playing only a minor supporting role.
2 Advertisers know better. Although few people admit to being greatly influenced by ads, surveys and sales figures show that a well-designed advertising campaign has dramatic effects. A logical conclusion is that advertising works below the level of conscious awareness and it works even on those who claim immunity to its message. Ads are designed to have an effect while being laughed at, belittled, and all but ignored.
3 A person unaware of advertising's influence on him is precisely the one most vulnerable to the adman's attack. Advertisers delight in an audience that believes ads to be harmless nonsense, for such an audience is rendered defenseless by its belief that there is no attack taking place. The purpose of studying advertising is to raise the level of awareness about the persuasive techniques used in ads. One of the simplest ways is through an analysis of the language of the advertising claim.
4 The "claim" is the verbal or print part of an ad that makes some assertion of superiority for the product being advertised. A few of these claims are downright lies, some are honest statements about a truly superior product, but most fall into the category of neither bold lies nor helpful consumer information. They balance on the narrow line between truth and falsehood by a careful choice of words.
5 The reason so many ad claims fall into the category of false information is that they are applied to parity products, those in which all or most of the brands available are nearly identical. Since no one superior product exists, advertising is used to create the illusion of superiority. The largest advertising budgets are devoted to parity products such as gasoline, cigarettes, beer and soft drinks, soaps, and various headache and cold remedies.
6 The first rule of parity claims involves the Alice-in-Wonderland use of the words "better" and "best". In parity claims, "better" means "best" but "best" only means "equal to". If all the brands are identical, they must all be equally good. So "best" means that the product is as good as the other superior products in its category. When Bing Crosby declared Minute Maid Orange Juice "the best there is", he meant it was as good as the other orange juices you can buy. Bing could not have said that Minute Maid is "better than any other orange juice". "Better" is a claim to superiority. The only time "better" can be used is when a product does indeed have superiority over other products in its category or when the "better" is used to compare the product with something other than competing brands. An orange juice could therefore claim to be "better than a vitamin pill", or even that it was "the better breakfast drink".
7 The second rule of advertising-claim analysis is simply that if any product is truly superior, the ad will say so very clearly and will offer some kind of convincing evidence of the superiority. If an ad avoids mentioning a product's advantage over the competition, you can strongly suspect it is not superior--maybe equal to but not better. You will never hear a gasoline company say, "We will give you four miles per gallon more in your car than any other brand." They would love to make such a claim, but it would not be true. Gasoline is a parity product, and, in spite of some very clever and deceptive ads of a few years ago, no one has yet claimed one brand of gasoline better than--and therefore superior to--any other brand.
8 To create the necessary illusion of superiority, advertisers usually resort to one or more of the following six basic techniques. Each is common and easy to identify.
9 The Weasel Claim
A weasel word is a modifier that almost contradicts the claim that is made. The expression "weasel word" is aptly named after the egg-eating habits of weasels. A weasel will suck out the inside of an egg, leaving it to appear intact to the casual observer. Upon closer examination, the egg is discovered to be hollow. Words or claims that appear substantial at first glance but disintegrate into hollow meaninglessness on analysis are weasels.
Samples of Weasel Claims
"Listerine fights bad breath."
"Fights", not "stops".
"Only half the price of many color sets"
"Many", not "all". The claim does not say that the television set is the cheapest, it says that the set is cheaper than many other sets.
10 The "Water Is Wet" Claim
"Water is wet" claims say something about the product that is true for any brand in that product category. The claim is usually a statement of fact, but not a real advantage over the competition.
Samples of "Water Is Wet" Claim
"Rheingold: the natural beer"
Made from grains and water as are other beers.
"SKIN smells differently on everyone."
As do many perfumes.
11 The "So What" Claim
This is the kind of claim to which the careful reader will react by saying, "So what?" A claim is made that is true but gives no real advantage to the product. This is similar to the "water is wet" claim except that it claims an advantage that is not shared by most of the other brands in the product category.
Samples of "So What" Claims
"Geritol has more than twice the iron of ordinary supplements."
But is it twice as beneficial to the body?
"Campbell's gives you tasty pieces of chicken and not one but two chicken stocks."
Does the presence of two stocks improve the taste?
12 The Scientific or Statistical Claim
This kind of ad uses some sort of scientific proof or experiment, very specific numbers, or a mystery ingredient that sounds impressive.
Samples of Scientific or Statistical Claims
"Wonder Bread helps build strong bodies in twelve different ways."
Even the weasel "helps" did not prevent the FTC from demanding that this ad be withdrawn. But note that the use of the number "twelve" makes the claim far more believable than if it were taken out.
"Easy-Off has 33 percent more cleaning power than another popular brand."
"Another popular brand" often translates as some other kind of oven cleaner sold somewhere. Also, the claim does not say Easy-Off works 33 percent better.
13 The "Compliment the Consumer" Claim
This kind of claim flatters the consumer.
Samples of "Compliment the Consumer" Claim
"If you do what is right for you, no matter what others do, then RC Cola is right for you."
"You pride yourself on your good home cooking..."
"The lady has taste."
14 The Rhetorical Question
This technique demands a response from the audience. A question is asked and the viewer or listener is supposed to answer in such a way as to affirm the product's goodness.
Samples of Rhetorical Questions
"Plymouth--isn't that the kind of car America wants?"
"What do you want most from coffee? That's what you get most from Hills."
15 Whether you realize it or not, you are persuaded by advertisers to buy certain products. Even if you peer into the refrigerator during televised ads, or close your eyes when you drive past billboards, commercials are working on you. (1240 words)
Time taken: ______ minutes
Proper Names
Bing Crosby
（男子名）宾.克罗斯比 a famous singer of the 1940s and 1950s
FTC Federal Trade Commission
（美国）联邦贸易委员会
New Words
adman
n. (informal) someone who works in advertising 广告商
affirm
v. state publicly that something is true 证实，确认
e.g. I) She affirmed her intention to exclude him from the list.
II) She again affirmed that she had seen him just before the accident.
aptly *
adv. suitably, appropriately 适当地，恰当地
e.g. Ross was aptly punished for his misdeeds.
believable *
adj. that can be believed 可相信的
e.g. What I like about the book is that the characters are all very believable.
belittle
v. make someone or something seem unimportant or of little value 轻视，小看，贬低
e.g. We must not belittle her outstanding achievement.
cleaner *
n. a substance used for cleaning things 去污剂
e.g. Have you ever heard about this floor cleaner?
cola
n. a brown, sweet, carbonated drink 可乐
cooking*
n. the art and practice of preparing and serving food 烹饪
e.g. I) She studied cooking in Paris.
II) Every night. Bob did the cooking and Lisa did the cleaning.
deceptive
adj. likely to deceive, misleading 骗人的，容易使人上当的
e.g. She seems to have plenty of confidence, but appearances are sometimes deceptive.
defenseless *
adj. without protection, unprotected, helpless 无防御的，无保护的，无助的
e.g. The defenseless town was captured by the enemy troops.
downright
adj. (of something undesirable) thorough, complete 彻头彻尾的，完全的，十足的
e.g. I think the way she's been treated is a downright disgrace (耻辱).
hollow
adj.
1) having an empty space inside 空的，中空的，空心的
e.g. A basketball is hollow, but a baseball is not.
2) without meaning or substance 空洞的，无价值的
e.g. Mary was tired of her employer's hollow promises to give her a raise.
maid
n.
1) a girl or young unmarried woman 少女，未婚的年轻女子
e.g. Who is that pretty maid?
2) a female servant 女仆
e.g. The maid does the laundry every Wednesday.
meaninglessness
n. the state of having no meaning 无意义
e.g. Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher who described the meaninglessness of life.
modifier *
n. a word or group of words that give additional information about another word 修饰语，修饰成分
e.g. In "safety barrier", the noun "safety" is being used as a modifier.
nonsense
n. ideas, opinions, statements etc. that are untrue or stupid 胡说八道
e.g. I) He said that the report was nonsense and nothing but a waste of paper.
II) Most of their theories were a pile of nonsense.
observer
n. someone who sees or notices something 观察者
e.g. I) A casual observer may get the wrong impression.
II) He was an impartial (不带偏见的) observer of the current political scene.
oven
n. a part of a cooker that is like a box with a door, inside which food is placed to be cooked 烤炉，烤箱
e.g. I) Cook the meat in a slow oven for two hours.
II) I cooked the potato in a microwave oven (微波炉).
parity
n. equality, the condition of being equal 相同，相等
render
v. cause someone or something to be in a certain condition 使得，使成为
e.g. I) The drug will render the tiger harmless for up to two hours.
II) He was rendered unconscious by a blow on the back of the neck.
rhetorical
adj. (of an instance of speech) used more for effect than essential communication 修辞的
rhetorical question: a question that you ask as a way of making an impressive statement, without expecting an answer （以修辞手段表意而不须回答的）修辞性疑问（句）
e.g. You have understood me; my question is a rhetorical one.
suck
v. pull liquid into one's mouth by putting one's lips around something and drawing in 吮吸
e.g. I) Anne sucked the poison from the snakebite.
II) She was sucking lemonade (柠檬水) through a straw.
superiority
n. the quality of being better, more skillful, more powerful etc. than other things 优越（性），优势，优等
e.g. I) The northern troops were victorious because of their superiority in numbers.
II) The technological superiority of compact discs (激光唱片) over records lies in the fact that they store music in the same way as computers store information.
supporting *
adj. of secondary importance 次要的，辅助性的
tasty *
adj. full of flavor, delicious 美味的，可口的，好吃的
e.g. Anne's homemade cookies are always tasty.
televise
v. broadcast something on television 用电视播放，用电视放映
weasel
n. a small thin furry animal that kills and eats rats and birds, often associated with dishonesty and craftiness 鼬，黄鼠狼
weasel word: a word used instead of another word because it is ambiguous and misleading滑头话，含糊其辞的推脱话
wonderland
n. an imaginary world that exists in fairy tales 仙境，奇境
Phrases and Expressions
delight in
get pleasure from 以......为乐，喜好
e.g. My brother always delights in telling me when I make a mistake.
masses of
a lot of people or things 大量，大批
e.g. I) I have masses of unanswered letters.
II) There're masses of people in town today.
III) I've masses of work to do.
name someone/something after
give someone/something the same name as the other person or thing 照......命名
e.g. I) We're thinking of naming the baby after her grandmother.
II) Tasmania was named after its discoverer, A. J. Tasmania.
pride oneself on something
be proud of something one does or is 以某事物为自豪
e.g. I) The athlete prided herself on winning all the races she entered.
II) He prides himself on his talent for writing.
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