Text 11. Commercials aimed at kids

Many people argue whether young children (under 10-12) should be the targets of advertising appeals at all, and whether some products (like sugary cereals) present sufficient health hazards to kids that they should also be banished from the airwaves. Some people argue that basically, any advertising to a 6-year-old is unfair and deceptive because the child is too young to understand it. Little children don't have the natural defenses some adults have. And when it comes to television advertising, they real­ly don't understand the selling intention of the advertiser.

Where children are concerned, we must be absolutely sure that no dangerous or misleading impressions are left with our youngest consum­ers. Children are not qualified to decide for themselves whether they need vitamins, and probably can't tell the difference between an ad message and program content where one of their favorite superheroes was in­volved.

The advertising industry's argument is, basically, that parents them­selves should be the ones responsible for what their kids see and what they don't. Another interesting point is that pressure groups like Action for Childrens' Television (USA), which call for more restrictions on kids' advertising, are made up of upper-middle-class parents who may not like those commercials because they induce their kids to want toys and foods associated with lower-middle-class consumption patterns. The same tech­niques of persuasion are lauded when they appear on Sesame Street (which borrows heavily from kid commercial techniques) because the program is seen as educational, thus more desirable by those parents.

EXERCISES

Exercise 1.

Have you ever thought about ' children and advertising'? Is it a problem? What is your attitude to this problem?

Exercise 2. Do you agree that …

1. Young children (under 10-12) should not be the targets of advertising appeals.

2. Any advertising to a 6-year-old is unfair and deceptive.

3. Young children (under 8) are too young to understand the selling intention of the advertiser.

4. Children are not qualified to decide for themselves whether they need vitamins.

5. Children can't see the difference between an ad message and program content where one of their favorite superheroes was in­volved.

6. Parents them­selves should be responsible for what their kids see.

Exercise 3.

A. Find the examples of the Passive Voice in the text.

B. Translate the sentences from English into Russian.

1. The world is ruled by the ideas of economists and political philosophers.

2. The new model of the car is not so drastically changed as to put it out of character with the previous model.

3. The production, exchange, and consumption of goods and services are discussed from the viewpoint of society's best interest.

4. In 1873, Joel Owsley Cheek was given the traditional silver dollar by his father.

5. At that time, the mass market was not only growing but would buy a wide va­riety of cars. This trend was encouraged by General Motors.

6. Some 4,5 million Model A's were built in 5 years, and even the most expen­sive version was sold for under $600.

7. Annual model changes were supported by intensive advertising campaigns.

8. The Detroit design syndrome was soon established.

9. She said, «Adam Smith will be appointed professor of economics at Glasgow University next year».

10. She said (that) Smith would be appointed professor of economics at Glasgow University the next year.

11. Please don't enter. The economics exam is being taken by the students at the moment.

12. He was being shown a new office when she came.

13. Millions of cars have been produced by General Motors this year.

14. His new business has much been spoken about lately.

15. The specialists have just been sent for.

16. By the 1960s, heavy industries, including steel manufacture and shipbuilding, had been replaced by high-technology manufacturing industries.

17. By next year, over half the new jobs in Britain will have been created by firms employing fewer than 100 staff.

18. She added (that) by the next year, over half the new jobs in Britain would have been created by firms employing fewer than 100 staff.

Exercise 4. Translate the compound-words and make sentences with them.

1. active support

2. ardent support

3. complete support

4. financial support

5. firm support

6. government support

7. loyal support

8. mutual support

9. popular support

10. public support

11. solid support

12. state support

13. unstinting support

14. unwavering support

15. wholehearted support

Exercise 5. Render into English.

«Реклама на ТВ уже всех достала, и у меня есть подозрение, что она просто вредна для здоровья. Скажите, прав ли я?»

Вы абсолютно правы. Более того, реклама не только вредна для здоровья: она - опасна. Результаты исследований, опубликованные в российской прессе, буквально шокировали читателей. Оказывается, даже три часа, проведенные у телевизора, значительно снижают объем оперативной памяти у человека, замедляют скорость мышления. И особенно ярко это проявляется во время передач, перенасы­щенных рекламными заставками.

Психологи настаивают на том, что регулярное поглощение рек­ламной отравы вызывает у людей отчетливые изменения сознания. Особенно сильное воздействие телевизионная реклама оказывает на детей. Во многих странах существует закон, ограничивающий рекла­му на телевизионных каналах до 20 минут в день. У нас же реклам­ные вставки на ТВ занимает неизмеримо больше времени. И хотя всем понятно, что этот рекламный дурдом построен благодаря ны­нешней экономической реальности, надо отдавать себе отчет, что последствия рекламного беспредела могут оказаться печальными.

Как можно ослабить негативное воздействие телепередач? Воспользуйтесь некоторыми советами психологов.

• Исследования показали, что во время программы новостей действия рекламы ослабляется. В эти минуты человек более критически воспринимает поступающую информацию. Зато рекламные ролики, встроенные в художественные фильмы (особенно в «мыльные оперы»), проникают в мозг «как по маслу».

• На голодный желудок человек воспринимает окружающее более критично, чем после сытного обеда.

• Не спите перед включенным телевизором. В это время информация продолжает поступать в мозг, намертво отпечатываясь в подсознании.

• При показе рекламы постарайтесь переключить свое внимание на другую информацию: просмотрите газету, побеседуйте с близкими, либо вообще отключите на это время звук.