for and against essay on advertising

17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising

Advertising is the profession or activity of producing consumer marketing messages for commercial products or services. Although there are times when companies can advertise for free, this tactic typically involves paying another agency for space to promote something specific. The goal of this investment is to reach as many people as possible who are likely to pay for the items suggested in the ads.

When businesses start advertising, then it is essential for each firm to find their ideal customer. It is cheaper to create ads that work with a specific population group instead of working with generalized data. Companies can look at gender, age, education, income, and a person’s geographic location to determine if there is a strong likelihood that someone will become a customer.

Advertising can occur in a variety of ways. Outlets include television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Some companies use billboards, the sides of buildings, or product packaging. Internet options continue to expand.

That’s why the advantages and disadvantages of advertising require a careful review. It could be a way to expand the influence of a brand, but this investment could also be a waste of money if not approached correctly.

List of the Advantages of Advertising

1. Advertising is what sets companies apart from each other. Advertising is the fastest way for an organization to prove the expertise it offers in its industry. This marketing approach allows a company to look at the specific pain points its goods or services address so that customers can independently decide if there is value available to consider. The free-market system allows consumers to make choices based on their needs for innovation, so the advantage here is that improved communication occurs from the business to the consumer.

2. Companies can reach multiple markets and population groups simultaneously. Advertising is one of the most straightforward ways to contact multiple demographics simultaneously. This investment helps a company to discover who their primary consumers are in better ways, along with the demographics to which they belong. Marketing through paid and unpaid platforms contributes to data that enables prospect duplication.

Advertising also allows a company to reach out to multiple new markets to judge how influential their marketing messages can be in the future.

3. Businesses can concentrate their advertising on a single population group. Advertising enables a company to target one population group specifically. We see this benefit daily through direct mail efforts, email marketing blasts, and television commercials. When you can time these messages to correspond with times or circumstances where a consumer feels a pain point, then a successful conversion is more likely to happen. It forms a natural networking opportunity that helps prospects engage with a brand message because they can acknowledge the created value proposition.

4. Advertising creates economic benefits at every level. The advertising economy in the United States is responsible for almost 20 million jobs. It is available in every market at each level, from ultra-local to international campaigns. This industry provides opportunities for almost every skill, ranging from sales-based approaches to creative careers like graphic design or writing. When successful outreach efforts occur, then businesses increase revenues. That creates even more jobs that support other companies at every level.

This cycle repeats itself every time a new advertising campaign occurs. Although there are no guarantees for success, a company must make itself known to its community for customers to become aware of its goods or services. That means there’s always a place for it.

5. The advertising industry creates a global culture. Every global event that involves participation, goods, or services requires advertising content to increase exposure. The budget for the Olympic Games in each cycle is several billion dollars. Companies use sponsorships, naming rights, and other strategies to increase brand awareness in a variety of ways. It gives us an opportunity to work together to support the common good at every level.

Even a group of businesses that support a youth soccer league get to take advantage of this benefit. Although the benefits are more localized with that support, it’s still creating a global culture within that community.

6. It gives an opportunity to create niche expertise presentations. The prevalence of PDF downloads, ebooks, whitepapers, and similar written content is a form of advertising that businesses use to prove their expertise. Advertising is moving toward a place where the value to the consumer is the priority instead of what the customer can do for the business. This benefit works for B2B and B2C firms because it shows people what can be done for them instead of telling them what can happen.

That’s why this form of advertising is so effective. It builds loyalty by focusing on relationships instead of relying on logo recognition or a tagline to stay at the top of the mind of possible consumers.

7. Advertising helps a customer make positive choices. Each customer has a different preference for specific products or services based on the pain points they encounter in life. Some choices are going to be more appealing than others, which is why businesses promote what they offer proactively. If someone can compare value propositions in real-time situations to determine what options provide the best value, then that ability increases the likelihood of a transaction taking place.

Businesses can provide specific or broad data about their goods or services to each demographic in unique ways to encourage this advantage. It is a benefit that can lead to tremendous growth opportunities when handled appropriate.

8. It is a straightforward way to support moral or social issues. Companies can support the public good by producing advertising campaigns that can bring more awareness to specific societal issues. Homelessness, cyberbullying, and similar concerns receive exposure in ways that wouldn’t be available to consumers without this marketing effort. Even though there are production costs to consider with this advantage, the value that occurs through increased revenues and economic activities from helping others more than makes up for the initial investment.

List of the Disadvantages of Advertising

1. Everyone is advertising. The average person gets exposed to over 2,000 brand messages every day because of advertising. That makes this marketing effort less effective unless there is a way for a company to rise above all of that noise. This disadvantage is the reason why you see businesses like Geico take unique approaches to this investment, using a mix of humor and character development to create something memorable.

Most people spend less than five seconds to determine if an advertisement is worth their attention. If that content fails, then the remainder of the ad gets forgotten.

2. Advertising cannot produce guaranteed results. Businesses take a gamble when they pay for advertising. This marketing effort doesn’t come with a guarantee. The companies that purchased TV spots during the 2020 Super Bowl were paying over $5 million for a segment. That’s a massive investment in something that may not produce additional revenues.

Although there is value in brand recognition, that outcome only translates to investment when it creates an eventual conversion. Having someone know that Flo represents Progressive isn’t beneficial if that person always uses public transportation. That’s why most small businesses focused on targeted, localized ads as a way to create results.

3. The cost of advertising can be a disadvantage to small businesses. The cost of TV advertising at local television stations is at least $5 for every 1,000 viewers during a 30-second commercial. Then you have the cost of creative development when taking this marketing approach to consider. By the time the first spot hits the air, a company has likely spent at least $10,000 to create the materials and purchase the airtime.

National spots are much more expensive. Businesses that purchase a 30-second television ad on a national broadcast spent an average of $115,000 per slot in 2019.

4. Potential customers may be on multiple platforms. If brand recognition is the goal of an advertising effort, then a business may need to invest in multiple platforms to gain the levels of familiarity they require. You can advertise in printed publications, online blogs, television, radio, Internet ad services, and all of the other traditional methods. A company might find over 100 different ways to reach their customers. When an advertising budget is financially limited, then finding out where most people are consistently becomes a top priority.

5. Advertising requires interesting materials to be useful. The best advertising efforts create memorable experiences for targeted consumers. If you’re a science-fiction fan, then you probably remember all of the exposure Taco Bell paid for itself in the movie Demolition Man. If you’re a fan of older superhero movies, then you may remember the giant Coca-Cola billboard blowing up in Superman. If a business can’t create such an experience, then the entire message gets forgotten.

This disadvantage means that every business must continuously invest in innovative marketing approaches to stay relevant. It’s also the reason why you see brands trying to copy the success that others find in this arena.

6. The “Fake News” movement tarnishes the reputation of advertisers. Politics in the United States has become a fractured, cantankerous space where anyone who doesn’t agree becomes an enemy. If a business advertises through a traditional media outlet that promotes a political agenda or news stories that someone finds to be disagreeable, then that company’s brand becomes directly tied to that experience. Although the people who agree will be more likely to purchase goods or services, those who don’t will boycott the agency indefinitely.

7. Advertising increases the risk of a brand message getting tarnished. Advertising can be memorable for all of the wrong reasons sometimes, leaving viewers to wonder what a business was thinking when putting a spot together. Qiaobi often receives credit for putting together one of the most racist commercials in history by having a Chinese woman forcing a black man into her washing machine after he whistles at her. Once the washing cycle is finished, a winking Asian man emerges.

Miracle Mattress put together a local advertising spot that mocked the events of 9/11, including having two stacks of mattresses fall on workers. Burger King unleashed a regional spot for their Texican Whopper that had the tagline of “The taste of Texas with a little spicy Mexican” – and the add featured a tall American cowboy and a short Mexican wrestler.

8. Most people consider advertising to be a nuisance. Extravagant advertising may have a positive effect on the economy. Still, it tends to harm consumers when the same promotions happen repetitively. This disadvantage occurs in the United States every two years during the election cycles when political ads take over the television and radio. It can also happen when spots frequently occur within the same broadcast or publication.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising may get spent on a single election, exposing populations to competing messages that get monotonous and bothersome when they air several times per hour.

9. The targeted consumers may not see the marketing message from an advertising effort. New technologies make it easier than ever before for consumers to proactively opt-out of viewing advertisements. Popup blockers for Internet browsers can eliminate almost every ad that might display when users are online. Families can fast-forward through ads on broadcast networks when they record shows to watch. Some providers even offer tech that eliminates this marketing effort automatically.

Even if someone is watching live TV, an advertisement break creates an opportunity to walk away from the television. Companies can pay millions without ever knowing if their intended audience is available to watch what they’ve put together.

Advertising messages are an effort to persuade people to purchase specific goods or services. This outcome is also the goal of B2B transactions. A person must become convinced that one item is better over another. That’s why each ad offers a headline, subheading, body copy, image, and a call-to-action. It’s like a 30-second speech that shows how much value something has to a potential client.

Advertising isn’t the only way to get a message seen or heard. It can be more expensive to utilize than other marketing opportunities. That’s why it tends to be more popular with large corporations than sole proprietors and other small businesses.

The advantages and disadvantages of advertising balance cost with the opportunity to increase revenues and consumer awareness. Although there are no guarantees for success, this marketing option can produce immediate and memorable results.

The Power of Advertising Essay

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Jesus is a Brand of Jeans

Advertising’s fifteen basic appeals, in praise of advertising, are computers transforming humanity, twitter tirades test limits of freedom of speech, eyes without a face: facebook as the mew panopticon, analysis of michelle wie and the kia soul advert.

Jean Kilbourne analyzes how the advertising industry influences society. She explains that advertisements have become daring in the past years; they do not promise to deliver certain emotions, but claim to replace humans. They corrupt and trivialize human beings and thus perpetuate objectification of people. They also breed a culture of selfishness and resentment about human values. The power of advertising lies in is subtle nature as most of its messages get through the subconscious mind. No one is immune from its messages. This focus on the superiority of products over people also commercializes the world and kills local cultures. It not only exhausts people’s external resources, but depletes their internal resources (spirituality, emotions), as well.

Jib Fowles looks at the power of advertising by analyzing its inner strategies. The author explains that advertisements circumvent protective or rational parts of the brain, in order to get to underlying motives, insecurities, and longings. He identifies fifteen emotional appeals that advertisements attempt to fill.

They include the need for sex, affiliation, nurturing, guidance, aggression, achievement, domination, prominence, attention, autonomy, escape, safety, aesthetic sensations, curiosity, and physiological needs like eating and sleeping. He also adds that visual depictions are more effective than texts. Advertisements may contain more than one appeal and may tone down potentially repelling appeals using stylistic devices like humor. Advertising is a game of numbers, which only has to reach a small segment of the population to be effective.

As the name of the article suggests, John Hood, wanted to discuss the merits of advertising. Contrary to what consumer activists assert Hood believes that advertising demonstrates the triumph of the consumer. He then looks at various arguments against advertisements and counters them. First, some people believe that it minimizes competition by creating a barrier for entrance of new players. However, the author says that it serves an informative role and encourages consumers to try different brands. Other critics claim that advertising minimizes price transparency, but Hood believes it enhances it. Consumers access information about price mostly through billboards or other types of ads. Further, John explains that advertising does not create demand for unnecessary goods; it only illuminates innate desires.

Mary Pratt believes that computers are transforming humanity, in terms of communication and intelligence. She claims that in communication, people no longer care about privacy. The way they form communities is also changing as social networks or other computer websites lead to the creation of heterogeneous groups. Technology is also changing people’s language through the development of colloquialisms and short forms. It is promoting narcissism as people use digital media to remain self indulgent. Even definitions of intelligence are changing; now memory capacity is not an essential trait because computers can capture data on man’s behalf. The author believes that technology does not substitute thinking; it only boosts it.

Author Jill Lawless believes that the use of technology can test the limits of free speech. She cites several instances in which law enforcers arrested people due to comments they made on tweeter or other social networking sites. Some of them have lost their jobs or have paid heavy fines. In certain instances, the arrests lead to public outcry and solidarity with the person who committed the offense. Critics affirm that the law is yet to meet the demands of the technological era; a balance between responsibility and freedom is yet to be struck. Nonetheless, further use of technology will lead to laws that govern its use in the near future.

Erin Bell explicates the privacy implications of facebook in this new technology boom. He starts by explaining that facebook has one of the largest memberships in the online world. This can be attributed to the heterogeneity of members, free membership and the need to interact with other human beings. Furthermore, people can connect using cameras, telephones, chat functions and other methods on facebook. However, most of these users do not understand that facebook has a lot of privacy implications. One exposes one’s information to one’s peers and members of other online communities. Employers can thus use it to fire or hire staff. Law enforcers may also use to arrest members while journalist may snoop of subjects. Marketers can also profile individuals and bombard them with ads.

The advertisement under consideration contains female golfer Michelle Wie. It starts at a golf course where two gentlemen wearing dull-colored clothes are chatting. A number of golfers parked their cars at the parking lot, although none of them stands out. Then shortly after, the gentlemen, in the golf course, appear shocked at something. They drop everything they are doing and concentrate on this thing that the audience cannot see. However, this suspense is short-lived because viewers then get to see the centre of attention – a red Kia. As it drives by, fast, and aggressive rap music plays in the background. A gorgeous oriental female- Michelle Wie- seductively walks out of the car and says hello to the ‘boys’. She then takes a swing at her golf ball and does a satisfactory job with it.

According to Jib Fowles, who wrote the article, “Advertising’s fifteen basic appeals”, explains that most advertisements intend on surpassing people’s rational mind in order to get to their innate needs and aspirations. The same may be said about this advertisement. The producers wanted to appeal to two key emotional needs: the need for attention as well as the need for autonomy. The Kia is red and immediately stands out in the parking lot. Its overall effect and look impresses everyone.

The makers of Kia probably know that human beings have a primitive need to exhibit themselves. This need to be the object of fascination or the centre of attention is what dominates the advert. While the need of attention is present in men, it is the female gender that society socializes into wanting attention. Consequently, one may affirm that the Kia Soul model is for females who want all eyes on them.

The second emotion targeted by the marketers of this advertisement is the need for autonomy. Most advertisements promise viewers that they will guide, protect or make them loved, but this advertisement promises users that Kia will make them autonomous. Michelle is not driving what the other golfers are driving; her car has personality. It appeals to independent people who prefer to forge their own identities. Even the manner in which Michelle addresses the gentlemen illustrates her degree of self confidence and appreciation of individual identity. Someone who drives such a car is one who wants to be different from everyone else.

This advertisement also uses a celebrity golfer to endorse the product. Author Jib Fowles states that this is a common approach, irrespective of the fact that it can backfire on the brand if something happens to the celebrity. Producers are fond of this approach because the public embraces celebrities especially in their role as introducers. More often than not, the celebrities will come from the field of sports or entertainment. This is the case for Michelle who is a golfer. Wie’s appearance in the ad is likely to reinforce the need to get attention as her identity makes her stand out.

One may also analyze the effectiveness of the advertisement through the comments made just below the YouTube video. Michelle’s look draws most readers, and some of them even get graphic about what they would like to do to her. However, others feel that the Kia model is inappropriate for millionaire golfers. Perhaps the producers of the car wanted to defy this stereotype by choosing a sport that mega millionaires love. Furthermore, because men may feel uncomfortable around a wealthy female who seems so proficient at her sport, then chances are that the other gender – females – will relate and embrace this advert.

The commercial is symptomatic of what goes on in marketing; producers intend on appealing to deep-seated drives in consumers. It is evident through the choice of model, product and covert messages.

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"The Power of Advertising." IvyPanda , 12 Jan. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/the-power-of-advertising/.

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IvyPanda . 2021. "The Power of Advertising." January 12, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-power-of-advertising/.

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Bibliography

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Breaking Down the Charges Against Diddy

Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution, Manhattan Federal Court papers unsealed on Tuesday, September 17, reveal. Here we unpack the arrest, indictment, and Combs’s court appearance with live updates.

What’s next for Diddy?

Combs is expected to appear in a Manhattan courtroom later today. Federal prosecutors want him to be jailed pending trial. In a letter to the judge, they argue that Combs might flee and “there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant as required and the safety of others and the community, not to mention the integrity of the proceedings.”

What is revealed in the unsealed indictment?

The indictment outlines a harrowing history of abuse spanning “decades.”  Federal prosecutors allege that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Combs, using his employees, used his business empire to create a “criminal enterprise.” Federal prosecutors allege that Combs verbally, emotionally, physically, and sexually abused women — and even “manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performance of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers.” Combs kept these women under his thumb by doling out drugs, controlling their careers, and wielding his financial power over them.

Are Cassie’s allegations mentioned at all?

The indictment appears to directly invoke Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s allegations against Combs in a November 16, 2023, lawsuit that prompted more women to speak out against him — though she is not mentioned by name. Ventura, who had accused him of rape and a decade of abuse throughout their relationship, described how he had complete control over her life. While Cassie settled her suit against Combs one day later, surveillance video emerged on May 17, 2024, showing him physically attacking her at a hotel in 2016. The indictment, describing Combs’s alleged abuse, listed “one instance at a Los Angeles hotel in or about March 2016, which was captured on video and later publicly reported, where Combs kicked, dragged, and threw a vase at a woman as she was attempting to leave.”

What are ‘freak off’ parties?

The Feds said that the purpose of Combs’s enterprise — which is why there’s a racketeering-conspiracy charge — included his abuse of women with other forms of violence. When the Feds raided Combs’s houses in Miami and Los Angeles in March 2024, they found extensive evidence of “freak offs” — including drugs and “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant,” court papers said. The Feds also claimed to have seized three AR-15 assault rifles with damaged serial numbers and a drum magazine.

Federal prosecutors further detailed the alleged sex parties where, they say, much of this abuse occurred with the direct involvement of his associates. After luring women into his world, often under the fake auspices of a romantic relationship, he would force them to perform in what he called “Freak Offs,” per prosecutors. The Freak Offs “were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” which happened routinely and sometimes spanned multiple days. When the Freak Offs ended, prosecutors note, Combs and his victims “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.”

How is this racketeering?

Prosecutors claim that Combs used his vast network and business resources to carry out his alleged crimes. They referred to the alleged criminal organization as the “Combs enterprise.” The organization ran an international media and entertainment business — including Bad Boy Records — and was “preserving, protecting, promoting, and enhancing the power” and “reputation” of Combs. He and members of this organization lined their pockets while carrying out numerous crimes, prosecutors charge. Combs and his cronies allegedly maintained this power with violence including abuse. Combs did so by wielding an iron fist, exacting loyalty from his underlings with violence and threats. The Feds list kidnapping, arson, bribery, and drug distribution as crimes in the racketeering count.

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Home Essay Samples Business

Essay Samples on Advertising

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrest live updates: 'Freak offs' at center of sex trafficking, racketeering charges

What to know about combs' arrest.

• Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested yesterday at the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street, a representative said.
• In a federal indictment unsealed today, Combs was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The charges are tied to "freak offs," coerced sex acts that Combs allegedly orchestrated and recorded.
• An attorney for Combs said today he plans to plead not guilty and "will fight this with all of his energy."
• Combs has faced a wave of lawsuits — one as recent as last week — accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct in the past year. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Combs accused of arson, prosecutors detail Molotov cocktail attack on car

David K. Li

In addition to a long list of alleged sex crimes, prosecutors also accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of arson in the racketeering conspiracy charge against him.

While U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to elaborate on specifics of the the alleged arson, that act might be detailed in the prosecution's request for Combs to be held without bail.

Combs and a coconspirator kidnapped a victim on Dec. 22, 2011, from the home of someone only identified as “Individual-1,” according to a prosecution memo.

"Approximately two weeks later, the defendant’s co-conspirators set fire to Individual-1’s vehicle by slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside the interior," prosecutors said. "Police and fire department reports extensively document the arson and conclude that the fire was intentionally set. Multiple witnesses would also testify to the defendant bragging about his role in destroying Individual-1’s car."

Combs offers to post $50 million bond, backed by Miami home

Yasmeen Persaud

Sean Combs offered to post a $50 million bond so he could be released from custody, pending his trial on three federal counts which accuse him of sex crimes that go back more than a decade.

He's also offered to wear a GPS monitor while limiting travel to New York City and Miami, where he'd only be attending court and seeing his doctors and lawyers, according to a proposed bail package filed by his defense team.

A plane owned by Combs is in Los Angeles and he's in the process of selling it, his lawyers said.

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to deny bail for Combs, insisting that the defendant is a flight risk and danger to the community.

Read the full indictment of Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Combs a flight risk who poses threat to community, prosecutors argue.

Accused sex trafficker Sean Combs is a serious risk of flight and "poses a significant risk of obstructing justice," federal authorities said.

The music mogul has a long history of seeking to bribe and illegally influence witnesses, federal prosecutors said in a 16-page letter to the court asking for Combs to be remanded into custody until trial.

"There are simply no conditions that would ensure that the defendant's efforts to obstruct and tamper with witnesses will stop," prosecutors wrote to Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky.

Prosecutors said they worry nothing could stop the defendant from acting out violently.

"In sum, the defendant's long history of violent conduct makes clear that even the most stringent bail conditions will not suffice to ensure the safety of the community," according to the government memo.

Combs faces 15 years to life behind bars if convicted of all charges, allegedly making his flight a threat due to his $1 billion net worth.

Combs' alleged 'freak offs' at center of federal prosecution

Hours- and days-long sex acts known as "freak offs" —  allegedly produced, directed and recorded by Combs — are at the core of this federal prosecution against the music mogul.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams mentioned "freak offs" at least five times in his 18-minute meeting with reporters.

"Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called 'freak offs' and he often electronically recorded them," Williams told reporters.

"The 'freak offs' sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics such as ketamine , ecstasy and GHB , which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant."

Federal prosecutors claimed they seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricants from Combs' homes that were used in these sex acts.

Combs shows he's a danger based on AR-15 rifles seized, government says

Federal prosecutors put on display images of weapons seized during raids on Combs' homes, including several high capacity firearms.

Two of three AR-15s taken from Combs were in his bedroom closet in Miami, where they had been "broken down into parts, along with magazines with ammunition loaded in them," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, pointing at enlarged pictures of the weapons.

Serial numbers on those AR-15s had been defaced, prosecutors said.

Combs will be safe behind bars, prosecutor says in response to Epstein suicide question

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams rejected any hints that Combs could be in danger while behind bars while responding to a question about Jeffrey Epstein's suicide in jail .

"We are concerned with anyone's safety whenever they are detained prior to trial, it's part of our obligation," Williams said.

"But I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein's suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial. Our position is that pretrial detention is warranted (for Combs) under the law and based on the facts of this case."

Federal prosecutors want bail denied to keep Combs locked up until trial

The U.S. government doesn't want Combs released on bail, saying there's a "presumption of detention" in this case.

"So we will be seeking detention," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters. "There is a presumption of detention in a case like this, and we think that's warranted."

From key to New York City to federal lockup

Combs went from the top of New York City to a federal lockup in one year, with U.S. Attorney Damian Williams pledging the investigation is not done and refusing to take further charges off the table.

"A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City," Williams told reporters today. "Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York."

Combs was later forced to give the ceremonial honor back, when Mayor Eric Adams asked for it to be returned.

"We are not done," Williams added when asked about the potential for more charges. "This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly."

‘Grotesque’ and a ‘monster’: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with sex trafficking and more

Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with sex trafficking and more. NBC News’ Chloe Melas is outside the courthouse with the latest reporting. MSNBC’s Lisa Rubin also joins José Díaz-Balart to break down the indictment.

Combs allegedly punched and kicked his sex abuse victims

In addition to employing drugs and elements of his business enterprises to control victims, Combs also used physical violence to keep women in control, federal prosecutors said.

"On numerous occasions," Combs would assault women by "among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them," according to a three-count indictment against the music mogul.

In May of this year, Combs apologized for violent behavior after  video surfaced of him beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie in 2016 , matching the description of an incident she detailed in a lawsuit.

At the time he said that his “behavior on that video is inexcusable.”

Criminal acts date back to 2008, prosecutors say

The three-count indictment against Combs include alleged criminal acts going back 16 years, court documents said.

The racketeering count covers acts allegedly committed by the defendant starting in 2008, while sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution started in 2009, court papers showed.

Combs changed his public name and persona to Diddy in 2005 , dropping the P in "P. Diddy."

1,000 bottles of baby oil, lubricants seized in raid of Combs' homes

Federal agents raided Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March and came away with supplies allegedly used in sexual assaults, court documents showed.

At the time of the raids, federal officials would only say they “executed law enforcement actions” in New York as part of an ongoing investigation, along with teams in Los Angeles and Miami.

In court papers made public today, government officials revealed that they took supplies Combs allegedly used in "Freak Off" sexual assaults.

Agents "seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant."

Combs' business empire key to crimes, prosecutors say

At the height of his power, Combs was more than just a musician: He controlled a vast business empire — including record labels and alcohol and clothing brands — that made him a billionaire.

Now, prosecutors are alleging that Combs' commercial enterprise was a key component of his criminal enterprise. The mogul used his businesses and several of his employees "to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex," according to the indictment unsealed this morning.

"Those employees — including security staff, household staff, personal assistants, and high-ranking supervisors — and other close associates acted as COMBS’ intermediaries, and their conduct was facilitated and assisted by COMBS’ control of the Combs Business," prosecutors added. 

Federal prosecutors seeking to seize assets

The U.S. government is seeking to recover significant financial assets from the famed music mogul through this prosecution, court documents revealed.

Combs could be on the hook for "any and all property, real and personal" and an undetermined "sum of money" involved in these alleged crimes, according to the indictment.

The court document did not specifically list any assets or amount of money it would be seeking to take from Combs.

Drugs fueled dayslong 'freak offs,' videos used to 'ensure ... obedience,' prosecutors say

Sex abuse allegedly directed by Combs was fueled by drugs and often went days at a time, prosecutors said.

Victims were filled with drugs to control them for long stretches of time, authorities said, with participants “typically” having to get “IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion.” 

And once victims were lured into this orbit, they were coerced to keep following the suspect's orders, prosecutors said.

Combs used "the sensitive, embarrassing and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims," according to court documents.

'Freak offs': Combs accused of forcing and recording sex acts

Federal prosecutors accused Combs of forcing victims into sex acts that he allegedly called "freak offs," acts which he recorded for his viewing pleasure.

Combs "used force" to "cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during and often electronically recorded," court documents charged.

The defendant called these acts his "freak offs," prosecutors said.

Combs allegedly used his powers to abuse, coerce and 'fulfill his sexual desires'

The charges against Combs allege he "threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires" for years, federal prosecutors said.

Combs created "a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in" various crimes, such as "sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice," court documents said.

Combs charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and prostitution transportation

Brittany Kubicko

A federal indictment was unsealed against Combs, charging him with three felony counts.

He's been accused of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The artist and music mogul — referenced in the indictment by his real name, Sean Combs — has entered a New York City courtroom to hear the charges.

Combs' attorney arrives at the courthouse

Carolina Gonzalez

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has arrived at Manhattan federal court and briefly spoke to a large media gathering outside.

"He came to New York to basically engage the court system and start the case, and it will start today and he’s going to plead not guilty," Agnifilo said. "He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers."

Sean “Diddy” Combs is in custody after being arrested in New York last night by federal authorities under charges that are part of a sealed indictment. Combs' arrest comes amid a wave of lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. NBC’s Chloe Melas reports and Laura Jarrett offers analysis on the possible charges.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrest: Timeline and what to know

Since November 2023, Combs has been hit with a series of lawsuits in New York accusing him of sexual assault, sexual trafficking and engaging in other criminal activity.

Here are the lawsuits that were filed against Combs as well as information about law enforcement investigations. Combs has denied all of the allegations individually through statements by his representatives.

The first big hint that Combs could be facing serious legal issues came in November of last year when the singer Cassie, Combs’ former romantic partner, filed a civil suit against him for alleged sexual and physical abuse. That abuse allegedly ranged from 2007 until Cassie left him in late 2018, according to the civil complaint.

Cassie's action then prompted Joi Dickerson-Neal to come forward  and file a suit against Combs, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her while secretly recording that act in 1991. She was a Syracuse University student at the time.

Then in December of that year, a  Jane Doe filed a lawsuit alleging  that she was gang-raped and sex-trafficked by Combs and his business partner, Harve Pierre. The unnamed victim said the assault happened in 2003, when she was 17 and Combs was 34.

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones  alleged  in a federal suit in February of this year that, while working as a producer for Combs, he and his associates engaged in “serious illegal activity.”

Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations in March of this year, NBC News reported at the time, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Those raids were mentioned in the indictment made public today, as "Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottle of baby oil and lubricant" were seized.

Stunning video surfaced on CNN in May of this year, showing Combs attacking Cassie  in a 2016 assault she described in the suit.

And earlier this month, Dawn Richard, a former member the Danity Kane musical group that Combs assembled on MTV reality competition “Making the Band,”  sued Combs in federal court, claiming he groped, assaulted and imprisoned her, and threatened her life when she tried to intervene in defense of Combs’ then-girlfriend Cassie.

Read the full article here

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October 17, 2018

Ielts writing task 2: 'power of advertising' essay.

Somebody asked me whether I had a sample answer for the question below, which comes from Cambridge IELTS book 6. I realised I had an old essay that I wrote with some students, so I'm sharing that with you today.

Today, the high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is true that we are increasingly surrounded by advertising by companies that want to sell us their products. To some extent I agree that advertising has an impact on sales, but I would also argue that we do need most of the goods that we buy.

Advertisements can certainly tempt people to buy products that they might not otherwise want. A good example could be the mobile phone. Every year people can be seen queuing to buy the latest models, even when they already have a perfectly good phone that does not need replacing. Perhaps it is the influence of marketing that leads us to make these kinds of decisions; we want to stay up to date with the latest fashions or own the newest high-status device. The high sales of the iPhone seem to support this idea.

On the other hand, I believe that most people do not buy products because of the advertising alone. There are other good reasons why we make these choices, and there must be some kind of need before a person makes a purchase. New versions of products almost always have improved features that buyers may want. A new car, for example, may have greatly improved safety features, or it may be more economical to run, or it may pollute less. A new phone may allow the user to communicate more quickly or effectively, thus enhancing their quality of life.

In conclusion, while advertising obviously influences our buying behaviour, I do not agree that people make decisions that go against their real needs.

(261 words)

Note: I wrote this essay with my students during a lesson using the students' ideas. I haven't checked it properly, so maybe we can analyse it together. It might not be perfect!

It is true that we are being more frequently aimed by advertisement to buy electronics devices nowadays. I partially agree with the idea that advertising plays an important role in sales, but I do believe most consumers buy gadgets according to their really needs and financial status.

Advertising can boost the sales for several reasons. Firstly, Advertising makes the products much easier and faster to be accessed by the people across the world. For example, Apple launches new products to the world by airing the live show, and doing advertisement on TV globally. Customers can be notified immediately by this way. Secondly, many celebrities will be invited to advertise the goods by using their influential to target their fans. This will be no doubt for increasing the sales.

However, most people consider to buy products when they need, and also rely on their income rather than being manipulated by the various advertisement. You can't simply persuade customers to buy something which they don't need. Many consumers are very sensible in spending their money. Also, people look after something according to their financial capability as well.For instance, It is very unlikely for a low-income person to buy a luxury car such as Benz.

In conclusion, advertising can motive some people to go shopping, but it seems to me that more people make reasonable decisions in buying items.

Posted by: paul | October 17, 2018 at 14:32

1) we are being more frequently aimed [-> targeted ] by advertisement [better: advertising/advertisement s ]

2) to their real ly needs

3) doing advertisement -> placing advertisements

4) ... by in this way.

5) using their influential-> influence

6) This will be no doubt for increasing the sales. -> This will no doubt increase sales

7) However, most people consider buying products when they need them ,

8) ... manipulated by the various advertisement s .

9) NO short forms in your essay: can't -> cannot : don't -> do not

10) ...people look after something according to their financial capability as well. -> people look for items within their budget range.

11) advertising can motive -> motivate

Posted by: Oleg | October 17, 2018 at 16:21

Dear simon my name is meet.I doesn't get any idea whenever i start to write any eassy so what should i do for it

Posted by: Meet | October 18, 2018 at 05:47

thank Simon for posting this.

one of recent essay topic that reported by some people.

many people getting married and taking child at their thirties rather than at a younger do you think it's a positive or negative development?

I tried to brainstorm some ideas. I think my ideas are a few or not enough for this topic could you please help me? or could anyone please help me?

positive: - spend the time to learn about life in their twenties. -enjoy their life - they will have an experience and then they will teach their children well negative: they become in old ages while their children are in young ages which means their thoughts and ideas different, they may not become friends and chat because of that.

Posted by: saro | October 18, 2018 at 06:33

I just tried to write in a different way. Please evaluate and provide your valuable suggestions.

Nowadays, it is certainly true that advertisements have a significant influence on some people’s mind to make them to buy certain highly advertised consumer products out of temptation or marketing influence and not because they have actual need of it. Whereas it is true that this scenario is common these days, I would argue that it is not always the case.

To begin with, advertisings definitely attract people to make purchases of currently famous products without its actual use. The reason for this is that they might get greatly influenced by the celebrity marketing the particular product, or presentation of new features or benefits of popular products in such a way that it creates the false need in buyer’s mind to get the product to satisfy it without a thought on its actual need. For instance, advert of Samsung smart television, featuring Bollywood Superstar explaining improvised features and realizing the feeling of happiness after having it, lure some customers to compulsory buy a new TV, although they already have properly functioning TVs with the necessary features at their homes. Nevertheless, I believe that this is not always the case and there are instances where many people made purchases simply because they actually need those products for their use in day to day lives. To illustrate, some people choose to buy a latest model of a car, although they already have a car of old model, because they might feel that it is important to have updated safety features in their car, and the car they are using does not have sufficient space or lacking important new feature like auto-gear system, which they need to drive smoothly in the traffic areas. In such an instance of true personal need, advertisings have the least impact on one’s decision to buy new products.

In conclusion, I believe that while advertisings have the major role in sales of demanding consumer products, many people prefer to invest their money only on those products which are really important to them.

Posted by: Vishaal | October 18, 2018 at 08:44

Introduction: Nowadays, it is certainly true that advertisements have a significant influence on some people’s mind to make them to buy certain highly advertised consumer products out of temptation or marketing influence and not because they have actual need of it. Whereas it is true that this scenario is common these days, I would argue that it is not always the case.

Posted by: Vishaal | October 18, 2018 at 11:40

Body Paragraph 1: To begin with, advertisings definitely attract people to make purchases of currently famous products without its actual use. The reason for this is that they might get greatly influenced by the celebrity marketing the particular product, or presentation of new features or benefits of popular products in such a way that it creates the false need in buyer’s mind to get the product to satisfy it without a thought on its actual need. For instance, advert of Samsung smart television, featuring Bollywood Superstar explaining improvised features and realizing the feeling of happiness after having it, lure some customers to compulsory buy a new TV, although they already have properly functioning TVs with the necessary features at their homes.

Body Paragraph 2: Nevertheless, I believe that this is not always the case and there are instances where many people made purchases simply because they actually need those products for their use in day to day lives. To illustrate, some people choose to buy a latest model of a car, although they already have a car of old model, because they might feel that it is important to have updated safety features in their car, and the car they are using does not have sufficient space or lacking important new feature like auto-gear system, which they need to drive smoothly in the traffic areas. In such an instance of true personal need, advertisings have the least impact on one’s decision to buy new products.

Posted by: Vishaal | October 18, 2018 at 11:41

These days, there is no denying that we are living in an era of consumerism. It seems that humans have unlimited desires. Consequently, we work hard and then buy many popular consumer goods. However, some people cast doubt whether humans really have so many needs. They realise that the culprit is capitalism and advertising triggering people's huge desires. Personally, I completely agree with them.

First of all, at present, instead of human nature, it is capitalism which makes us greedy to try to meet all the potential needs humans would have. Governments and interest groups are making use of capitalism to make people work hard so that the quick pace of life would be useful to keep a so-called stable society which is beneficial for the vested interests. For instance, when it comes to the booming housing market in many countries, the question is, while it is really no need to own a property due to the limited life expectancy of human beings, why are people still so anxious to buy a property? In my opinion, The answer is that the housing market is a useful tool for governments to control citizens and meanwhile indirectly force people to work hard for developing the economy.

Apart from capitalism, advertising is the direct reason to cause people to frequently buy popular consumer goods which they do not need. Because the goal of advertising is to motivate people's desires to purchase. Hence, it is common for the content of an advertisement to appear to be exaggerated and misleading. For instance, an advert for a sports drink will convince you that the product is the perfect solution to improve power and cope with fatigue. However, of course, it will not remind you to think that as an ordinary person, whether you really need these two benefits in life, let alone giving you a warning about the potential issue of addiction

To conclude, while it is true that the market of popular consumer goods is booming because of the high sales, instead of the real needs of humans, capitalism and advertising are the key factors behind this prosperity.

Posted by: he li | October 18, 2018 at 17:32

1) Simon: "task 2 introductions should be short and direct". "Keep your introduction short. Main body paragraphs are more important."

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/11/ielts-writing-task-2-introduction-technique.html

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/02/ielts-writing-task-2-introductions.html

2) http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2018/09/students-questions-starting-essays-with-nowadays.html

Posted by: Mona | October 18, 2018 at 18:10

1) At 353 words, I would question whether you would be able to write this much in the exam. Try cutting it to under 300.

2) See first comment to Vishaal above.

3) -> ... is the direct reason why people frequently buy ....

4) "Because ... purchase.": this is not a sentence. It is a subordinate clause. It needs to be joined onto main clause.

5) It is best to avoid "you" in formal writing.

6) "the market for popular consumer goods"

Posted by: Mona | October 18, 2018 at 18:34

Hi everybody!

I have 2 questions;

1. Can we use advertisement and advert (BrE) in one piece of writing?

2. When we use 2 exemples, would it be a good idea to use “for example” to introduce one and “for instance” for the other, for the sake of “wide range of vocabulary”?

Posted by: Ajji | October 19, 2018 at 09:39

Forget the second question! I already know what Simon would say!

These are just linking words that help us produce a coherent piece of writing. We should focus on Topic Vocabulary instead.

Posted by: Ajji | October 19, 2018 at 09:47

"Advert" is marked informal in some dictionaries:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/advert

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=advertisement%2Cadvert%2Cadvert%3Aeng_fiction_2012%2C+advertisement%3Aeng_fiction_2012&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cadvertisement%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cadvert%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cadvert%3Aeng_fiction_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cadvertisement%3Aeng_fiction_2012%3B%2Cc0

Posted by: Oleg | October 19, 2018 at 10:34

Hello Simon, I would like to thank you for this blog.IT has been a great help and was the reason I got 7.5 for the IELTS exam general version.I wlso got 9 reading, 8 speaking, 6.5 and 6 for writing.i believe it was due to that I had some trouble getting to sleep the night before otherwise I could do better.However, it seems that you have an ambitious student over here and I want to get an 8 in the writting, I think I can get a 7 at my current state. Any special advice for me?

I can not stress enough how much I appreciate this blog and I have been sending the link to all the english students I know. Thank you,

Posted by: Yazeed | October 20, 2018 at 05:29

One element in your preparation would be to review the types of error that Arabic speakers often make. See here:

https://www.wimbledon-school.ac.uk/blog/common-english-language-mistakes-made-by-arabic-speakers/

Other possible issues:

a) Run-on sentences are acceptable in Arabic, but not in English.

b) Common concepts like “ thesis,” “ Topic sentence,” and “ no new ideas in the conclusion,” are all very foreign to Arabic essay. The circular structure in the English essay is contrasted with a very linear one in Arabic where the conclusion has to bring something new!

These have all been covered by Simon at some stage over the years.

Generally, the writing result comes out about one half to a whole band below the reading.

Posted by: Oleg | October 20, 2018 at 07:27

Dear colleages, IELTS TASK 2 writing test today, Cairo-egypt. Men's sport is given more attention than women's sport. Reasons ? Disadvantages ?

Posted by: Sharie | October 20, 2018 at 11:40

Task 1 wad about the process of collecting rain water ( water collected from rooftops of house ,, filtered , chemically treated, then back to home for human use.

Posted by: Sharie | October 20, 2018 at 11:42

Hello I need some techniques to score high in reading such 7+ I have just 6 days for test

Posted by: Siddhartha sharma | October 20, 2018 at 19:10

In today's world, people purchase lots of stuff and contribution of advertising to this process is undebatable. It is a fact that advertising is useful for people to reach some products to which otherwise impossible, howewer, i think that promoting stuffs via different ways forces people to spend much money far beyond theier actual needs. We have lots of needs for all aspects of life from a pair of socks to a car. When it comes to buying the things we need , lots of options come up. At this step we need reliable information about similar items. Adveertising material like video footages or brochures may help to solve this problem. They sometimes provide comperative information about relevant objects.For these couple of reasons ,it definitely make our life easier in some ways. Howewer,it may lead us to expend beyond our real requirements. Advertising is a professional deem aimed for just force the people to buy relevant item no matter wahat situation. It is able to manipulate the drive of consuming in a negative way. Repetetive stimuli during all part of our daily time -on train station or on movie breaks- may effect our consuming behaviour. As far as I know from my close network, lots of them bought expensive smartphones beyond their budget despite they usually use it for just making a phone call. Once one of them buys it, he talks about product and praise that constantly, close friends of him get it despite they don't actually need to. To summarize , buying something is an essential act for us. Advertising is useful to reach features need to be known about an item. Howewer, it could forces people to buy some stuff they don't actually need to

Posted by: Sadık | October 21, 2018 at 20:15

1) "lots of": this is marked colloquial/informal. Do NOT use it in writing. See here:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lots

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/lot?q=lots%2Bof

Instead use "much" or "many" depending on whether the noun is singular or plural.

2) Again, "stuff" is informal. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/stuff

BTW "thing" or "things" are also best avoided in your essay as it suggests that your vocabulary is limited.

3) and the contribution of advertising ... is undebatable. [ Really? Is it not just a symptom of excessive wealth? ]

4) Simon generally writes a shorter introduction.

5) -> ...otherwise impossible. However, I think .. [ note punctuation ]

6) "Usage manuals advise that couple be used only as a noun and not as a determiner in formal writing." That is do NOT use "a couple of" in the sense of "two" in your Task 2 essay. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/couple#Noun

7) "it definitely make" [ grammar ]

8) "a ... deem": as a noun "deem" is extremely rare and does not fit the context. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deem#Noun

9) It would be more usual to use the phrase "consumer behaviour" or "consumption".

10) " despite they don't actually need to." [ "despite" is a preposition -> despite not needing to. ]

11) "Howewer, it could forces " [ spelling and grammar ]

12) "to reach features which/that need to be known": missing relative pronoun

Posted by: Bogdan | October 21, 2018 at 21:28

Here is my essay, welcome all feedbacks ^^

There is a statement that nowadays the high sale of popular consumer goods represents for the effectiveness of the advertising campaign rather than the actual needs of the society. I share the same point of view.

There is no doubt that people make the decision based on what they heard or see on the Internet, especially when they can get access to it 24/24. An advertising agency or smart client will also obviously choose appropriate influencers and social media channels to reach their target audiences which triggers the customer’s desire to buy things they don't need. For example, they want to buy the product to look like their idol or satisfy their craving on a fashionable look.As well as being influenced by social media and influencers, customers also easily get distracted by misleading information from the Internet. Because of the lack of detail strict rule about advertising in Vietnam, brands can spread their advertising campaign’s message freely without any confirmation from experts which makes the consumer buy products because of advertising’s fact not for the ingredient of products. Finally, the brand can also apply other tactics such as promotion code or sale strategy to encourage users to buy brand's products instead of products that customers truly need.

To sum up, the influence of advertising is undeniable. Customer’s needs are only an illusion of the mind which can be trigger easily by a creative advertising campaign.

Posted by: Khanh | October 23, 2018 at 09:35

1) "feedback" is marked as uncountable in the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, and so is not normally pluralized. [Admittedly, it does appear in the plural in some published books, but I would avoid the plural in an IELTS essay]

-> all feedback would be welcome/I would welcome some feedback

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=*+feedback%2Csome+feedback%2Cfeedbacks_NOUN&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2C%2A%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bthe%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bof%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bnegative%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Band%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bpositive%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Ba%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bwith%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BThe%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bfor%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bprovide%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Csome%20feedback%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfeedbacks_NOUN%3B%2Cc0

2) "nowadays" suggests that the situation in the past was different. Is this the intended nuance?

3) "There is a statement that": this comes across as a little awkward. Why not just start with "In my view,...." ?

4) https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=the+high+sale+of+%2C+the+high+sales+of+&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cthe%20high%20sales%20of%3B%2Cc0

5) https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=*+due+to+the+effectiveness&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2C%2A%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bis%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bwas%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Blargely%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bbe%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bpart%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bprobably%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bpartly%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bbeen%20due%20to%20the%20effectiveness%3B%2Cc0

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=effectiveness+of+advertising%2C+effectiveness+of+advertising+campaigns&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ceffectiveness%20of%20advertising%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ceffectiveness%20of%20advertising%20campaigns%3B%2Cc0

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22the%20actual%20needs%20of%20society%22&tbm=bks&lr=lang_en

-> In my view, the high sales of popular consumer goods are largely due to the effectiveness of advertising (campaigns) rather than the actual needs of society. [That is, society in general. "The" society begs the question: which society is being referred to?]

https://www.google.com/search?lr=lang_en&tbs=lr%3Alang_1en&tbm=bks&ei=34jPW43lLoz2vATt3LygCg&q=%22the+high+sales+are%22&oq=%22the+high+sales+are%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3...15411.19770.0.20057.20.19.1.0.0.0.296.2407.0j7j5.12.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..12.4.828...0j0i13k1.0.qvPQgCYMJOA

Posted by: cara | October 23, 2018 at 21:49

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22reflect%20the%20effectiveness%22&tbm=bks&lr=lang_en

6) Is that just one body paragraph?

7) Do not use short forms in writing (don't).

8) "the decision": referencing not quite clear enough -> their purchasing decisions/ their shopping decisions

9) "There is no doubt that people make the decision based on what they heard or see on the Internet, especially when they can get access to it 24/24." ->24/7 [though a more formal phrase such as 'at any time' would be more suitable for IELTS] [ Which 'people' are you referring to? There are still many people without Internet on this planet. Be wary of over-generalizing: it will disbar the essay from Band 8 for task achievement. ]

10) "Because of the lack of detail strict rule" : not coherent. What is meant? Because there is no strict rule requiring full details ... ?

11) "because of advertising’s fact not for the ingredient of products." Not coherent -> based on advertising flummery and puffery rather than considering the specifications

https://www.google.com/search?lr=lang_en&tbs=lr%3Alang_1en&tbm=bks&ei=iYnPW9_WBIfsvgTB1IHYCg&q=advertising+puffery&oq=advertising+puffery&gs_l=psy-ab.3...825402.830169.0.830458.19.18.0.1.1.0.280.2429.0j10j3.13.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..5.10.1714...0.0.Zf_5jBDFCns

12) -> promotion code s or sale s strategie s

13) "which can be trigger": grammar !

Posted by: cara | October 23, 2018 at 22:07

I really appreciate your feedback for my easy @Cara. I will take note of these errors for my next essay.

However, I just want to clarify some points above:

3/ There is a statement that... => So shouldn't I use this kind of sentence at all for my easy or is it just for this particular context?

10 -11/ Here is my revised sentence:

Because there are legislative gaps in Vietnam advertising industry, brands can spread their advertising campaign’s message freely without any confirmation from experts which makes the consumer buys products based on advertising flummery and puffery rather than considering the specifications.

Posted by: khanh | October 24, 2018 at 09:02

Introduction – -2 sentences -The 1st sentence agrees that the prevalence of advertising -The 2nd sentence shows disagreement by saying most goods we buy are what we really need.

Body paragraph 1 - Agree by detailing the prevalence of advertising -5 sentences, with conjunctions including “even when” & “ ; ”. No fancy conjunctions are used. -topic, example, explain, closing with restating the example mentioned to support the explanation

Body paragraph 2 – Disagree by detailing we buy what we really need -5 sentences, with conjunctions including “and” & “or”. “ ,thus V-ing” is also used to connect a clauses and a gerund phrase. No fancy big conjunctions. -topic ( 2 sentences, MUST BE some kind of NEED ), explain, example 1, example 2,

Conclusion – Restating part disagreement again.\ -1 sentence -“while, …, I do no agree”

Posted by: YS | October 24, 2018 at 09:54

The above is my analysis of the structure. It has 13 sentences with agreeing partly. Please advise on the analysis. Do i understand it correctly? Thank you.

Posted by: YS | October 24, 2018 at 09:56

Re (3) this phrase does not seem to be used as an equivalent to "some people say that" at the beginning of an essay.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22there%20is%20a%20statement%20that%22&tbm=bks&lr=lang_en

Simon often starts with "It is true that".

Bear in mind that first paragraph only needs to introduce the topic and make your position clear.

Re 10-11): some relevant vocabulary is here:

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=false+and+misleading+advertising%2C+mere+puffery&year_start=1960&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cfalse%20and%20misleading%20advertising%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cmere%20puffery%3B%2Cc0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_Descriptions_Act_1968

https://legaldictionary.net/puffery/

The term "puffery" was used in an early legal case in the UK in relation to a claim of false advertising.

Posted by: Oleg | October 24, 2018 at 10:02

at first glance, i thought the question means this:

Does good sales figure of goods means it has great adverts or that the product is really good?

but obviously this is quite different from your essay....... could you let me know if/where i got the meanings wrong?

Posted by: Paul | October 28, 2018 at 03:55

Nowadays, the advancement in advertisement has reached to a great extent and many people believe that commercial these days, are controlling our lives and manipulating us into buying things which we don’t require. However advertising have the advantage of providing important aspects of information on products so that people don’t have to experiment with the different and unique things launched.

It is generally seen that advertising agencies tempt general population by glamourizing variety of products which are not of vital value. One good example would be mobile phones. The ever flourishing tech industry is blossoming just because of the fact that whenever they launched a new product, they sound it like the world most unbelievable product which ultimately forces the buyer to shop for the latest model in order to keep the status among people.

On the other hand, commercials have helped us in getting the useful items for us. For instance, if a person wants specific options while purchasing a mobile phone then the information through advertising on billboards, brochures or TV breaks are readily available. This enables people to buy required product instead of getting the wrong item.

In conclusion, in many aspects, commercials are source of excessive shopping in today`s age, however I believe that it has positive points for consumers at large.

Posted by: sarah | October 28, 2018 at 16:27

1) 216 words would incur a penalty for short length.

2) https://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2018/09/students-questions-starting-essays-with-nowadays.html

3) https://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/11/ielts-writing-task-2-introduction-technique.html

Your introduction seems unnecessarily long: the main body paragraphs need more material/development/examples ...

4) "However" is an adverb, and would start a new sentence: either: "... shopping in today`s age. However I believe that... " OR "... shopping in today`s age. I believe, however, that "

Posted by: zsófi | October 29, 2018 at 06:16

Nowadays, it is true that the advertising channels has become a commercial business model instead of the way focus on broadcasting many new products to people. Although there are will undoubtedly say that advertising impact vitally on sales, but I also argue that many people has several reasons for decision-making of buying or not. With the advances in technology and technological breakthrough, I support the idea that advertising which might be proven to one of the most fundamental sections in market. Firstly, the power of advertising making people can easily be swayed by advertisement, facillitate to buy goods impulsively because of attractive videos as well as satisfying they curious about new products has appeared on social networking sites. Many of those even if do not know what are the use but want to buy goods via advertising at all costs. Secondly, the amount of famous brands gets celebrity endorsement for enhancing their image products, which enables to many people especially teenager want to buy this because they have a hobbie is that collect any things involves their idol images. Some student pupils even skipping classes in their school to follow advertising on Facebook or Instagram for updating all latest things have their idol pictures. In spite of the above arguments, I still believe that many conventional consumer has changed to smart consumers in each decision on markets beside the power of advertising. There is evidence to clarify this is some people are likely to be thorough thinking in many sides from origin of this good to features or adapted technology on this. In addition, many customers tend to put environmentally friendly and recycle possibility on the top in which choose any goods to buy. Generally, they prefer machines use alternative fuels or adapted solar, wind or water powers than goods release carbon footprint as well as disturbing the ecological balance. For example, Tesla is the electric auto brand, in 2017 is the time Tesla was lauching a first model electric automobile but within two days after it became a global appeal as well as full of people making a reservation. In conclusion, I convinced that smart consumers will increase in the short term and the awareness of people will be affect in the advertising that currently dominate the markets.

Posted by: Bob | November 01, 2018 at 14:43

Vocabulary increasingly surrounded by advertising

has an impact on sales

tempt people to buy products

to stay up to date with the latest fashions

high-status device

improved features

enhancing their quality of life

go against their real needs

Posted by: Murad | November 30, 2018 at 08:09

In my opinion, quick and effective communication is not related with new model phone. Thus,the latest apps on new phones may allow the users may enhance their quality of life.

Posted by: Murad | November 30, 2018 at 08:16

Dear Simon, I wonder if I can use theory to explain in the task. I don't know if it is necessary because it might be too complex and hard to describe the situation clearly within such few words. Do you think I should use it? Since I major in communication and have some theoretical basis. Here is a task 2 I wrote about this topic. Maybe you could give me some suggestions? Do you think my task is too abstract, and should I avoid using theory? Plus some other suggestions, please? Thank you!!!

Some people argue that advertisements manipulate the commodity trend and induce people to purchase unnecessary goods. While advertising can indeed promote commodity, I believe it is consumers’ real needs that matter.

Advertising plays a vital role in sales promotion. Firstly, advertisements can be found almost everywhere such as on TV, billboard and television. The easy access to advertisements draws people’s attention to certain goods and allow consumers to memorize them subconsciously. These goods are more likely to be picked out comparing to other ones because people tend to choose things they are familiar with. Secondly, celebrity endorsements are common in advertising, which adds to the credibility in goods, thus in turn tempts purchasing behaviors of these goods. Thirdly, advertising likes to exaggerate goods’ benefits and persuade consumers to pay for them.

However, the purchasing decision lies in consumers’ real needs. For example, if a customer lacks this item at home, or if an item tackles a customer’s problem. The Elaboration Likelihood Theory (ELM) can explain it. In ELM, two routes (the peripheral route and the central route) are presented in a person’s cognitive process. Superficial terms such as advertisements, simple pictures and terms need no thorough considerations go into the peripheral route, which is not likely to change people’s behaviors directly. Whereas terms touch common interests of the people, such as a problem/need beforehand, go into the central route where more consideration needed. Purchasing behaviors are mostly based on the central route experience.

In conclusion, I would agree that the real needs behind behaviors result in the popularity of certain goods.

Posted by: Ran | March 06, 2019 at 16:57

Dear Simon, My name is Rachel, this is the first time I have posted my essay on your page, I really appreciate if you give me feed back about my essay and I will realise my mistakes. Here is my essay In highly industrialized era, advertising campaigns have been expanded around the whole world. Some people argue that the multitude of merchandise has been the crucial media helping with selling products even if it is not in real needs of society where the products are daily consumed. This essay will discuss why each of advertisements is hugely powerful but why those are not strong enough to reflect productivity of goods into customers’ eyes in reality of consumers’ demand. In fact, the majority of popular products are well-known since those have been widely publicized and also attracted customers’ attention. Almost people create and develop every single form of advertisement so that it can be appropriate to everyone and come up with better results. As an illustration, many TV channels in Vietnam have been introducing the variety of latest goods to customers in order that they can catch what they want by phoning and ordering no matter they need it or not. Therefore, ranges of common merchandise can easily approach each customer basing on the technological developments. On the contrary, some advertisement cannot produce wonderful revenue and even cause negative failure when mentioning goods and reflecting worse outcomes into customers’ vision. In order words, once customers have believed that advertisement is not reliable, they can decide to not view it though they love those. For example, teenagers in Vietnam have been tricked by unreliable advertisements and they conclude that one is not as high-quality as advertised versions and this can damage the process of selling goods. Thereby, advertisement not only can reflect a downside of the products but also can lead to the loss of reputation of products. In conclusion, although advertisements could lead to good effects, there is no guarantee that bad aspects of products are not arisen, however. This essay discussed why advertisements are so powerful and but why it did not possess enough power to maximize the products. As far as I’m concerned, despite its drawback, it is still absolutely necessary to advertise merchandise to the public. Thanks.

Posted by: Rachel | April 15, 2019 at 12:13

Dear Simon I need your help with that. Advertising encourages consumers to buy in quantity rather than promoting quality.To what extent do you agree or disagree? Thanks in advance!

Posted by: Sarvarbek | June 07, 2019 at 11:44

I need your help with something that relate to writing task 2; Can I write with "partly agree" on any question that has been asking in writing task 2??

Posted by: Vishnu | June 08, 2019 at 09:30

Hello, this is Quang - I'd like to contribute my essay and hope to receive feedback from Simon and everyone.

It is true that intriguing promotion campaigns have not only triggered consumer demand but also created an obsession with spending on sought-after products. While I accept that this is a major reason, I believe there are other factors affecting customer's decision rather than advertising alone.

On the one hand, advertising is a major reason for high sales of popular consumer goods. An effective promotion is a scientific result of a long-term market research which explores customer's needs for a particular product. It takes a holistic view of customer personas into consideration such as demographics, interests, behaviors, etc… when designing a communication plan to reach customers. Furthermore, with the technological advances, brands find it easier to connect with consumers through digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. They can identify potential customers via their digital footprints and offer a personalized promotions for each individual customers. Hence, consumers wind up purchasing more than they need because of those compelling messages.

On the other hand, consumer lifestyle is also a factor apart from advertising. In some emerging markets, people climb up the society ladders so quickly that their earnings grow even faster than the inflation rate. The surplus income increases the purchase power, which results in excessive consumption of good. Besides, the "me too" phenomenon has an influence on adult's lifestyle greatly. They tend to follow the crowd purchasing geeks which are not really in their needs due to a psychological dependence to being a successful person. This leads to a fear of missing out, which in turn causes excessive purchasing of goods.

In conclusion, It is certainly true that advertising can be the major factor for the high sales of consumer goods, but this is by no means the sole reason for the excessive purchase of consumers.

Posted by: Quang | June 30, 2019 at 06:41

Hello guys, here is my work, thank you Simon for your lesson.

Some say that most commodities nowadays are successfully sold because of their advertising power instead of being the things that are really needed by their consumers. Regarding the phenomenon of iPhone in the U.S., I would say that I partly agree with this statement. Athough a product might be mostly bought not because of their consumers need, the main cause can be mostly the social dimension that is attached to the commodity rather than its advertising program.

iPhone has been the most popular cellphone product in the U.S. because of its function as a social passport for the teenagers in the country. Those who own iPhone are usually considered to be trendy individuals and hence tend to be welcomed in any social group they wish to join. in this case, its product advertising which is popularly known nowadays in the form of Apple executives' live stage presentation can hence be said to play a rather less influential role in driving young people across the country to buy an iPhone.

Nevertheless, the phenomenon that people tend to buy things which they do not really use in their daily life can be reflected well through such social trend. As teenagers keep updating their iPhone for the sake of their social status, they get used to replacing their phone with a new one in a very short time. By such habit, their previous phones then left unused at home even though they have not experienced any malfunctions whatsoever.

In conclusion, although a commodity can be mostly bought not because of its essential function, the reason can be mostly its role as being a social symbol instead of its advertising programs.

Posted by: SuwandiK | August 10, 2019 at 20:42

Q# Some people believe that advertising has a strong effect on a person’s decision-making process. Others feel that it has little or no real impact. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

The media is a powerful medium for widespread information. It is often argued that ads change individual thoughts, which leads to a significant impact on planning. However, opponents consider it is tiny and next to impossible factor. In this essay, I am going to shed some light from this question from both points of view and extend my support to the latter opinion. To begin with, people argue that advertisements have an impactful tool which affects a thinking process. TV commercials and other mediums are playing a vital role for influencing consumers towards company’s brand because manufacturers aim to sell their products in large volumes as earn huge margins and become a market leader just because of a fully planned media campaign. One good illustration is mobile phone organizations which advertise and attract a large number of customers to buy a cell. Thus, such tactics inspire audiences which usually compile to alter a verdict. On the other hand, it is possible to make opposing case.it is often argued that the media publicity does not attract or some times appeals rarely. Indeed, launching a new product can promote through electric or print media, but it does not mean that it will persuade users, and he/she will make a decision to purchase without any need. Certainly, consumers are intelligent enough to make a rational verdict. For stance, the plethora of commercials are seen on the screens daily at prime times but very fewer get attention; normally, people just watch and forget. Then, the customers do not get involved in products due to the advertisement. To conclude, both the arguments have their justifications. On balance, however, I tend to believe that in recent times, the media campaigns have unbelievable power because it directs people’s mind and enforces to influence them.

Posted by: Rashid Baig | August 15, 2019 at 19:52

Hello Simon, I am uploading my essay for the sake of assessment. Please evaluate and advice.

Posted by: Rashid Baig | August 15, 2019 at 19:55

I am not sure that most essay did not concentrate on the "popular consumer goods" which mentioned in the question.

I think in the second body paragraph, answer should illustrate why the product can be popular without ads.

Posted by: Leyi | October 13, 2019 at 09:39

Please help me to correct my passage. Your help will encourage me alots to keep my dream.

In the mordern

Posted by: Tina Tran | March 07, 2020 at 15:22

In the mordern life, purchasing more goods is the main goal of almost producers which is done by alots of tool. It is generally believed that the increasing product sale is a result of effective advertisment not mentioning to actual needs. Personally, i am in favor of this opinion as many advertising’s merits. There is no doubt that many advertisement tempts customers and influences to their decision as purchasing any goods. It means that impulsive buyers are easier attracted by well-known actors, celebrities or though - pravoking messages of product shown in advertisments. A good case in point is the Moon cake’s advertising on the Autumn festival which having visually appealling and touched message , along with celebrities appearance , customers are simply tempted to buy it without any actual needs or really like this. Another point that should also be considered is that product’s popularity and what it represents for will effect to the increasing trend in the amount of sales. In other words, consumers tend to purchase latest or high status goods and they consider them as a evidence for their high standard living condition while no actual more need than old one . We can see Iphone as an example. In conlusion , i would like to restate my opinion that advertiments gave a lot of influences in the change of product sales with alots of merits. But it also show the imbalance in the market which will make trouble for producers if not taking more potential steps.

Posted by: Tina tran | March 07, 2020 at 15:49

The comments to this entry are closed.

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IELTS Essay: Effects of Advertisements

by Dave | General Training | 0 Comment

This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay on the topic of the effects of advertising from the real IELTS exam.

Please consider supporting me on Patreon.com/howtodoielts to receive my exclusive IELTS Ebooks – you can even sign up for private live lessons with me!

People are annoyed or entertained by advertising but they are not affected by advertisements when making shopping decisions.

To what extent you agree or disagree?

Many believe that advertising does not influence actual buying decisions. In my opinion, though this may be true in the majority of instances, advertising is nonetheless extremely effective.

Those who feel that advertising serves little useful purpose can point to the most typical response from consumers. Whether they are on the internet, on television, or in real life, most individuals endeavor to skip or ignore ads. There are only isolated cases when a shopper will see an ad and as a direct result make a purchase. For example, YouTube advertisements have included a feature to “skip ads” that has become an automatic response from nearly every viewer. Even when forced to watch ads, such as in the cinema before a film starts, consumers are unlikely to remember the products or services and there is a strong chance they will take out their phones to completely shut out distracting commercials.

Nonetheless, advertisements have a limited yet powerful efficacy. The strongest evidence for this comes from the enduring health of the advertising industry. This flourishing is because advertisements only need to yield results occasionally in order to be successful. For example, a fast food company such as McDonald’s or KFC might run an advertisement with the profitable expectation of only converting 1% of viewers, accepting the 99% failure rate as part of the business. Moreover, the 1% who make an immediate purchase are only one piece of the overall strategy. Advertising raises brand awareness and may lead to later consumption and even have a subliminal effect that is difficult to trace.

In conclusion, advertising is not designed to effective at all times but instead to slowly influence and achieve the occasional success. In the aggregate, it is worthwhile for corporations to advertise even if the most common outcome is to be ignored.

1. Many believe that advertising does not influence actual buying decisions. 2. In my opinion, though this may be true in the majority of instances, advertising is nonetheless extremely effective.

• Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
• Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here .

1. Those who feel that advertising serves little useful purpose can point to the most typical response from consumers. 2. Whether they are on the internet, on television, or in real life, most individuals endeavor to skip or ignore ads. 3. There are only isolated cases when a shopper will see an ad and as a direct result make a purchase. 4. For example, YouTube advertisements have included a feature to “skip ads” that has become an automatic response from nearly every viewer. 5. Even when forced to watch ads, such as in the cinema before a film starts, consumers are unlikely to remember the products or services and there is a strong chance they will take out their phones to completely shut out distracting commercials.

• Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
• Explain your main idea.
• Develop it with specific examples.
• Keep developing it fully.
• You can have some long sentences like this to really argue your point.

1. Nonetheless, advertisements have a limited yet powerful efficacy. 2. The strongest evidence for this comes from the enduring health of the advertising industry. 3. This flourishing is because advertisements only need to yield results occasionally in order to be successful. 4. For example, a fast food company such as McDonald’s or KFC might run an advertisement with the profitable expectation of only converting 1% of viewers, accepting the 99% failure rate as part of the business. 5. Moreover, the 1% who make an immediate purchase are only one piece of the overall strategy. 6. Advertising raises brand awareness and may lead to later consumption and even have a subliminal effect that is difficult to trace.

• Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
• Explain your new main idea.
• Include specific details and examples.
• Continue developing it…
• as fully as possible!
• This paragraph can be slightly longer since you agree with it.

1. In conclusion, advertising is not designed to effective at all times but instead to slowly influence and achieve the occasional success. 2. In the aggregate, it is worthwhile for corporations to advertise even if the most common outcome is to be ignored.

• Summarise your main ideas.
• Include a final thought. Read more about conclusions here .

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Many believe that advertising does not influence actual buying decisions . In my opinion, though this may be true in the majority of instances , advertising is nonetheless extremely effective .

Those who feel that advertising serves little useful purpose can point to the most typical response from consumers . Whether they are on the internet, on television, or in real life, most individuals endeavor to skip or ignore ads. There are only isolated cases when a shopper will see an ad and as a direct result make a purchase . For example, YouTube advertisements have included a feature to “skip ads” that has become an automatic response from nearly every viewer . Even when forced to watch ads, such as in the cinema before a film starts, consumers are unlikely to remember the products or services and there is a strong chance they will take out their phones to completely shut out distracting commercials .

Nonetheless, advertisements have a limited yet powerful efficacy . The strongest evidence for this comes from the enduring health of the advertising industry . This flourishing is because advertisements only need to yield results occasionally in order to be successful. For example, a fast food company such as McDonald’s or KFC might run an advertisement with the profitable expectation of only converting 1% of viewers, accepting the 99% failure rate as part of the business. Moreover , the 1% who make an immediate purchase are only one piece of the overall strategy . Advertising raises brand awareness and may lead to later consumption and even have a subliminal effect that is difficult to trace .

In conclusion, advertising is not designed to effective at all times but instead to slowly influence and achieve the occasional success. In the aggregate , it is worthwhile for corporations to advertise even if the most common outcome is to be ignored .

For extra practice, write an antonym (opposite word) on a piece of paper to help you remember the new vocabulary:

advertising commercials, banner ads, pop-ups, etc.

influence impact, affect

actual real

buying decisions consumer choices

though this may be true in the majority of instances this might be the case most of the time

nonetheless regardless of

extremely effective very impactful

serves little useful purpose doesn’t have much impact

most typical response most common action

consumers people who buy things

endeavor try hard

skip go past

ignore not pay attention to

isolated cases individual situations

shopper buyer

as a direct result the clear effect

purchase buying something

included also has

feature an element of a product

automatic response without thinking action

nearly every viewer almost everyone watching

forced made to

unlikely probably not going to happen

services such as delivery, taxis, online streaming, etc.

strong chance lots of likelihood

completely shut out distracting commercials ignore 100% annoying ads

limited not wide and complete

powerful efficacy real effect

strongest evidence greatest support

comes from results from

enduring health continue to work

industry field or area

flourishing doing really well

yield results are successful

occasionally sometimes

run an advertisement play or make a commercial, ad

profitable expectation think they will make money from it

converting making successful acquisitions

accepting being content with

failure rate as part of not being successful as a piece of

moreover also

immediate purchase buying right away

overall strategy whole aim

raises brand awareness make people know more about your company/product

subliminal effect unconscious impact

trace follow back

at all times never stopping

slowly influence impact lightly

achieve affect

in the aggregate altogether

worthwhile worth the time

even if despite

most common outcome likely result

ignored not paid attention to

Pronunciation

Practice saying the vocabulary below and use this tip about Google voice search :

ˈædvətaɪzɪŋ   ˈɪnflʊəns   ˈækʧʊəl   ˈbaɪɪŋ dɪˈsɪʒənz ðəʊ ðɪs meɪ biː truː ɪn ðə məˈʤɒrɪti ɒv ˈɪnstənsɪz ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs   ɪksˈtriːmli ɪˈfɛktɪv sɜːvz ˈlɪtl ˈjuːsfʊl ˈpɜːpəs   məʊst ˈtɪpɪk(ə)l rɪsˈpɒns   kənˈsjuːməz ɪnˈdɛvə   skɪp   ɪgˈnɔː   ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd ˈkeɪsɪz   ˈʃɒpə   æz ə dɪˈrɛkt rɪˈzʌlt   ˈpɜːʧəs ɪnˈkluːdɪd   ˈfiːʧə   ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk rɪsˈpɒns   ˈnɪəli ˈɛvri ˈvjuːə fɔːst   ʌnˈlaɪkli   ˈsɜːvɪsɪz   strɒŋ ʧɑːns   kəmˈpliːtli ʃʌt aʊt dɪsˈtræktɪŋ kəˈmɜːʃəlz ˈlɪmɪtɪd   ˈpaʊəfʊl ˈɛfɪkəsi ˈstrɒŋgɪst ˈɛvɪdəns   kʌmz frɒm   ɪnˈdjʊərɪŋ hɛlθ   ˈɪndəstri ˈflʌrɪʃɪŋ   jiːld rɪˈzʌlts   əˈkeɪʒnəli   rʌn ən ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt   ˈprɒfɪtəbl ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən   kənˈvɜːtɪŋ   əkˈsɛptɪŋ   ˈfeɪljə reɪt æz pɑːt ɒv   mɔːˈrəʊvə ɪˈmiːdiət ˈpɜːʧəs   piːs   ˈəʊvərɔːl ˈstrætɪʤi ˈreɪzɪz brænd əˈweənəs   sʌbˈlɪmɪnl ɪˈfɛkt   treɪs æt ɔːl taɪmz   ˈsləʊli ˈɪnflʊəns   əˈʧiːv   ɪn ði ˈægrɪgɪt ˈwɜːθˈwaɪl   ˈiːvən ɪf   məʊst ˈkɒmən ˈaʊtkʌm   ɪgˈnɔːd

Vocabulary Practice

I recommend getting a pencil and piece of paper because that aids memory. Then write down the missing vocabulary from my sample answer in your notebook:

Many believe that a_____________g does not i_______________________________s . In my opinion, t__________________________________________________s , advertising is n______________s e_____________________e .

Those who feel that advertising s_________________________e can point to the m_____________________e from c______________s . Whether they are on the internet, on television, or in real life, most individuals e____________r to s_____p or i__________e ads. There are only i______________s when a s____________r will see an ad and a___________________t make a p___________e . For example, YouTube advertisements have i___________d a f__________e to “skip ads” that has become an a______________________e from n____________________r . Even when f________d to watch ads, such as in the cinema before a film starts, consumers are u___________y to remember the products or s_________s and there is a s_______________e they will take out their phones to c____________________________________________s .

Nonetheless, advertisements have a l__________d yet p_________________y . The s_____________________e for this c____________m the e_________________h of the advertising i___________y . This f_______________g is because advertisements only need to y_____________s o___________y in order to be successful. For example, a fast food company such as McDonald’s or KFC might r_______________________t with the p______________________n of only c____________g 1% of viewers, a__________g the 99% f____________e a_____________f the business. M____________r , the 1% who make an i_____________________e are only one p______e of the o________________y . Advertising r____________________s and may lead to later consumption and even have a s___________________t that is difficult to t________e .

In conclusion, advertising is not designed to effective a_____________s but instead to s_______________e and a__________e the occasional success. I_____________________e , it is w_______________e for corporations to advertise e________f the m________________________e is to be i_________d .

Listening Practice

Learn more about this topic in the video below and practice with these activities :

Reading Practice

Read more about this topic and use these ideas to practice :

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/18/business/media/subscriptions-advertising-media.html

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following speaking questions from the real IELTS speaking exam :

• Do people in your country shop at malls or street markets?
• Is online shopping common?
• Is it better to shop alone or with friends?
• Why is online shopping becoming more popular?
• Is shopping a waste of time?

Writing Practice

Practice with the related IELTS essay topic below:

Some believe that people will purchase a product based on their needs and advertising is not needed.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Essay: Advertisements & Needs (Real Past IELTS Exam/Test)

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Essay – examples & model answers | C2 Proficient (CPE)

CPE Model Essay: Advertising

Example exam task:.

Write an essay summarising and evaluating the four key points from both texts . Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.

Outdoor advertising has to attract, engage and persuade potential customers; it is themost important way of grabbing customers’ attention and outdoor media continue toundergo a transformation. At the core of this transformation is the digital screenmedia, which encompass everything from giant screens to digital billboards. Thetechnology is cheap and advertising agencies rave about the creative possibilities foradvertisements which entertain, amuse, inform, inform, make the environmentbrighter and enliven the world we live in. Once upon a time outdoor advertising was straightforward. Posters were stuckup on anything from a bus shelter to a motorway hoarding. Many peopleconsidered this kind of advertising to be fairly dull, a harmless blot on thelandscape and chose to ignore it. These people now regard digital advertisingas a form of unwanted, creeping commercialization: it attracts a buzz simplybecause it is new. They feel that any advertising which targets children orvulnerable adults is a dubious practice at the best of times, and digitaladvertising is, moreover, wasteful, damaging to the environment andcompletely unnecessary.

Model Answer (Grade: 4-5)

Example answer:.

The two texts contrast the pros and cons of outdoor advertising, in particular in its latest digital form. Text 1 claims that outdoor advertising, like any advertising, is designed to appeal to potential customers, even creating in them a need for which it promises immediate satisfaction. In this respect, outdoor advertising is the most effective type and digitalisation considerably broadens the ways in which advertising professionals can reach and hence manipulate customers.

While outdoor advertising undoubtedly has an alluring power for customers, I seriously doubt its importance and overall impact. At least from the point of view of a European citizen, everyday exposure to outdoor advertising, digital or not, appears to be minimal. And the cheapness of digital media has to be offset against the continuous need for power to run these media, a fact that renders the term ‘cheap’ short-sighted and unconvincing.

Text 2 argues that traditional, paper–based outdoor advertising was unobtrusive and overall, unimportant. Digital advertising, however, is seen as intrusive, its attractiveness simply boiling down to it being a novelty. People sharing these opinions regard advertising practices, particularly those focusing on the young and those in need of help, as deplorable, especially when it damages the environment at the same time.

I agree with the statements in text 2 as far as the environmental damage and advertising practices, in general, are concerned. However, those practices are not solely dependent on the medium they use. Paper–based outdoor advertising can be just as unwanted and creepingly commercialising as its digital counterpart. The fundamental question is: ‘Do we want to be seduced and manipulated in such a way at all? If people answer ‘yes’, I assume that digital outdoor advertising is just another step that will be followed by yet more intrusive ones

FCE, CAE, CPE

Practice, write & improve, cpe model essays: traffic & motoring.

Policy-makers employ a wide range of measures to tackle the problem of traffic congestion. Enforcement schemes such as setting strict speed limits on major roads and the use of congestion charges in city centres are two such examples as are vehicle exclusion zones or parking restrictions in busy pedestrian areas. However, it also makes sense to encourage motorists to become less reliant on their car. This can be achieved by making public transport more efficient and promoting the benefits of car-sharing with work colleagues, thus reducing weekly fuel bills. And the increasing number of cycle lanes on many roads is further evidence of how to win the hearts and minds of motorists in the fight against congestion. Recent research into the attitudes of motorists shows we are still more than happy to get behind the wheel. Despite rising fuel costs, insurance premiums and frequent traffic jams, 9out of 10 of us still enjoy driving. Whether it’s visiting friends and relations, taking the family for a day out or even commuting to work, the car remains the first choice for many people. Experts argue that, unlike public transport, the car leaves us in charge of our own destiny, giving us the freedom to travel when and where we want. The car also gives us the opportunity to express ourselves. The kind of vehicle we drive tells the world something about who we are or what we aspire to be. Cars are not simply a means of transport but also something we wear.

Essay on Motoring and Traffic Congestion

The need of motor vehicles in the modern world is undeniable. But although the benefits of owning a four-wheeled transportation device are numerous, cars can also generate a lot of problems.

On the one hand automobiles are absolutely necessary for some people. For instance, in theUSA, everybody needs a car to go to school or to go to work. With public transport being slow or simply non-existent, having a car gives people a transport solution. Furthermore,travelling by car also helps people avoid stressful situations. Owning a car means no more standing in crowded buses or fighting with people in the subway.

On the other hand, all those cars in the streets mean facing traffic jams and of course pollution. They create congestion and are one of the principal sources of contamination in the cities. As a respond to this situation, governments are implementing a series of strategies to motivate people not to use their cars so often.

Some of these government strategies involve car sharing and using bikes, while others fine drivers who use their vehicles on certain days or at certain times; but this strategy does notseem to be so efficient. Probably because doing something to avoid a fine, does not involve really understanding the nature of the problem.

All in all, I am of the opinion that cars are indispensable in the current lifestyles and living standards. We cannot disregard the impact they had on facilitating our existence,nevertheless, it is irrefutable that their numbers have reached levels where we must not hesitate to act in downsizing them.

The over-arching theme of these two texts is the use of cars in our society.

The first one adopts a more practical viewpoint on this subject , discussing different alternatives to reduce a very common problem that many big cities have to deal with nowadays, namely traffic congestions. This text makes the point that it is important to find ways to tackle this increasing problem; whether it is through raising people’s s consciousness,setting speed limits, or even using congestion charges. The main point made is that it is important that citizen not use their cars so frequently.

In my opinion, it is very important to try to reduce traffic congestions. However, the first text fails to take into consideration reducing the price of public transport. This would enable people to travel with ease and may encourage them to stop using their vehicles as much as they do now.

The second text is possibly more descriptive. It discusses how people use their own car with complete disregard for the drawbacks that this may bring. People accept drawbacks, such as ever-increasing petrol prices, expensive insurances, traffic jams, etc. However, these negative aspects do not discourage them from getting behind the wheel. The benefits of this far outweigh the drawbacks.

Expensive though it may be, using their own car gives people the freedom and independence that they would not be able to have otherwise. In addition, for some people their car is not just a means of transport, it is also, somehow, an extension of their personality.I am of the opinion that because of our fast pace of life, we have become very dependent on our cars to take us everywhere. This is simply where evolution is taking us.

CPE Example/Model Essays: Teenagers

It is virtually impossible to escape the influence of the media these days, and particularly if you are a teenager with access not just to television and radio, but also the internet at all times of the day and night. Advertisers look upon teenagers as a blank canvas whose tastes and needs are there to be moulded by them through their advertisements. Advertisers and marketing people have become adept at reading the teenage mind, making young people believe that they need to own certain items in order to be accepted by their peer group, or simply to look cool. Advertising responds to young people’s delight in what is new by developing sophisticated and innovative, often humorous advertisements which can be seen on television and cinema screens and on billboards around our towns and cities. The tastes of this generation of young people have had an impact on advertisers worldwide. However, it is the energy of the young, above all, that has influenced the world of marketing and has kept it on its toes, pushing the creative boundaries to become almost an art form. That is the power of young people.

Example Answer (Grade: 3)

The impact of the media on teenagers

Nowadays it has become almost impossible to ignore the media due to the fact that most of us spend some daily time either watching television, listening to the radio or surfing the internet. Specially teenagers who spend a significant part of the day exposed to all types of advertisement. Advertisers consider that teenagers are the perfect target, while some people believe that teenagers have changed marketing worldwide. Who manipulates who? That is the dilemma.

On one hand, the marketing and advertisement industry look upon the young generations as the easiest people to influence. Making them believe that certain items are the key to popularity is the strategy they have developed to sell among that generation.

On the other hand, some people believe that advertising responds to young peoples’ desires and not the other way around. It is the energy of teenagers that has had a huge impact on this industry, making it more innovative and creative. The power of young people have push advertising boundaries to become almost an art form more sophisticated and attractive than ever before.

All in all, there has been a revolution in the adversiment industry globally. While some people may be influenced by it, some others may define trends. Ten years ago people were not so worried about material offered by the media. Globalization has changed everything, advertising has become part of our daily lives and it is unavoidable. The temptation surround us, some of us fall for it.

Examiners comments & grade:

	5	All content is relevant to the task. The target reader is fully informed.
	2	The conventions of the essay are used effectively to communicate complex ideas, holding the reader’s attention with ease and fulfilling most communicative purposes although the writer’s own ideas are not clearly developed.
	2	The text is a well-organised and coherent whole and uses a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns to generally good effect (due to the fact that, on the other hand, all in all). However, there is a tendency to over-use some patterns and there are cases where cohesive devices are not used correctly.
	2	A range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, is used appropriately and sometimes effectively and precisely. A range of simple and complex grammatical forms is used with control and flexibility. Occasional errors do not impede communication.

Model Answer (Grade: 3-4)

I have often asked myself whether it is different being a teenager nowadays than when I was that age. Are the problems still the same?

The years between 10 and 20 are certainly a difficult time in everybody’s life because one’s personality is developing and this makes a teenager generally more vulnerable than an adult. I am convinced that when it comes to media it is demanding to deal with for young people today. Advertisements are very prominent in our modern world and teenagers normally spend a lot of hours watching television or surfing the internet, which makes them potential customers. Furthermore, many teenagers have more money to spend than maybe twenty years ago and you often hear about families taking loans for expenses like technical equipment or mobile phone bills for their children. Certainly in the current economic climate many parents face tough decisions especially when it comes to what they can afford for their offspring. The most important point is that teenagers are often an easy target for companies advertising their latest gadgets. Many teenagers will buy it if they just manage to convince them that their product is an absolute ‘must-have’, because the pressure of belonging to a certain group, feeling accepted and not being an outsider is a big issue for a young person.

On the other hand, teenagers are trend setters. They have to create new ideas to be unique or just different from their own parents and this often sets the trend for a whole generation. Being special and fashionable is so important and therefore one needs to spend money on clothes, computers, games or phones to be part of your teenage generation and to find common grounds to make friends and have a fulfilling social life. Personally, I find it quite shocking when reading about the psychological strategies advertising companies use to gain influence on young people to sell a product. They are also often exploiting the creative energy of teenagers and it is almost impossible to escape the world of advertisement.

To conclude, I believe it is not feasible to prohibit adverts for teenagers. Furthermore, parents cannot avoid their children coming into contact with it, but it needs sensible adults helping and supporting teenagers in developing their own personality and sense of taste without the powerful influence of adverts.

	4	Content is mostly relevant to the task. The opening question in the introduction is not followed through or central to the argument of the essay. Target reader is on the whole informed; content point 4 is mentioned with little evaluation.
	4	Uses conventions of the essay to communicate complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes.
	3	Text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with the flexibility (Furthermore, On the other hand, Personally, To conclude).
	3	Uses a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, in an effective manner. Uses a wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms with full control, flexibility and sophistication. Errors, if present, are related to less common words and structures, or occur as slips.

Model Answer (Grade: 5)

These texts both deal with the relationship between teenagers and advertising.

The first one focuses on how advertisers exploit young people, taking advantage both of teenage preoccupation with the media and of their susceptibility to peer pressure combined with a wish to appear ‘cool’. The second text is less critical of the relationship between marketing and young people. It presents the young as having a very positive influence on the quality of modern adverts, helping to make them much wittier and more original than ever before. This text maintains that teenagers’ impact on advertising derives partly from their predilection for what is intriguingly new but also, more particularly, from their own creative energy. This energy has been channeled into advertising, raising it arguably to the level of an art form.

While I appreciate the arguments put forward in both texts, I tend to feel more in sympathy with the approach of the first one. I suspect that advertisers are quite cold-heartedly prepared to exploit the youth market, keen to capture the attention – and the cash – of the new generation and well aware of how young people are perhaps more easily influenced than their more cynical elders.

I would accept that advertising can be very creative and I personally often find an advert in a magazine or a TV commercial attractive to look at or enjoyably humorous. It does not seem unreasonable to suggest that many people with artistic talents are attracted into the advertising profession. However, I do not see that as having any direct connection with teenagers. Those who create the most original adverts are certainly likely to be young but in their twenties or early thirties rather than their teens. Moreover the appeal of the more sophisticated advert is surely just as powerful for the older generation as for teenagers.

	5	The target reader is fully informed. All content is relevant to the task.
	4	Uses the conventions of the essay to communicate complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes.
	4	Text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with flexibility.
	5	Uses a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, with fluency, precision, sophistication and style (over‑arching theme, differing viewpoints, contentious, an end in themselves). Use of grammar is sophisticated, fully controlled and completely natural.

Concern is often expressed about the negative effects that television can have on young people. As far as I am concerned, the most serious damage that occurs is a result of the constant commercial pressures that vulnerable youngsters are exposed to.

Advertisements every ten minutes or so as children and teenagers watch their favourite programmes are likely to lead them to believe that possessing the latest gadget or item of clothing will bring them happiness and respect from others. To my mind, the result of this can only be a generation whose values are too materialistic for their own ultimate contentment.

This is not to say that all advertisements are lacking in quality. It is not unreasonable, in fact, to consider them as an art form as many are imaginative and make original use of language, music and camerawork. They are indeed often produced by talented young people who find them an appropriate focus for their own creativity.

In my opinion, the answer lies in education. Advertisements are not harmful per se; it is just that we all need to know how to use them. We should take the information that we need from them but we should be aware of the techniques that their makers use with the hope of influencing us to buy things we do not really have any need of. Young people should be taught not only to appreciate the artistic qualities of adverts but also to recognize the tricks that are being employed. Greater sophistication should lead to less vulnerability.

	5	The target reader is fully informed. All content is relevant to the task.
	5	Demonstrates complete command of the conventions of the essay. Communicates complex ideas in an effective and convincing way, holding the target reader’s attention with ease, fulfilling all communicative purposes. Effective use of opening question to engage the reader’s attention.
	5	Text is organised impressively and coherently using a wide range of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with complete flexibility. Paragraph divisions clearly support the internal organisation of the argument, which integrates evaluation of key points and the writer’s own views subtly and fluently.
	5	Uses a wide range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, with fluency, precision, sophistication and style. Use of grammar is sophisticated, fully controlled and completely natural

What is your level of English?

2020 Theses Doctoral

Essays on Advertising

Choi, Woohyun

According to eMarketer, the total advertising spend in US alone was estimated to be over $238 billion. Firms invest large amounts of money in advertising to promote and inform consumers about their products and services, as well as to persuade them to purchase. The broad theme of advertising has been examined from many different angles in the marketing literature, ranging from empirically measuring effects of TV ads on sales to analytically characterizing the key economic forces stemming from enhanced targetability in online advertising. The purpose of my dissertation is to study some of the key questions which remain unaddressed in the advertising literature. In the first essay, I examine firms' choices of advertising content in a competitive setting. I demonstrate that competitive forces sometimes induces firms to choose advertising content that shifts consumers' perception of product quality. While this strategy hurts firms in a monopoly setting, it increases their profits under competition because it may increase the utility of their offering in comparison with the competing offering. In the second essay, I investigate the optimal mechanism for selling online ads in a learning environment. Specifically, I show that when ad sellers, such as Google, design their ad auctions, it is optimal for them to favor new advertisers in the auction in order to expedite learning their ad performance. In the third essay, I study the impact of tracking consumers' Internet activities on the online advertising ecosystem in the presence of regulations that, motivated by privacy concerns, endow consumers with the choice to have their online activity be tracked or not. I find that when ad effectiveness is intermediate, fewer ads are shown to opt-in consumers, who can be tracked and have their funnel stages inferred by advertisers, than to opt-out consumers, who cannot be tracked. In this case, consumers trade-off the benefit of seeing fewer ads by opting-in to tracking (positive instrumental value of privacy) with the disutility they feel from giving up their privacy (intrinsic cost of privacy). Overall, these findings shed light on novel strategic forces that provide guidance for marketers' advertising decisions in three distinct contexts.

Geographic Areas

• United States
• Internet marketing
• Internet advertising
• Television advertising
• Competition
• Google (Firm)

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47 Debate/Persuasive Topics On Media and Advertising

The growth and development of media and advertising with the introduction of new technology has been fascinating. To any clear-thinking individual, we can see that it has total coverage in our modern society. Buses, trains, pavements, print media and the entire internet is covered with brightly composed messages and images. It seems also impossible to be able to escape the reach of media and advertising. In some ways, international organisations like the World Bank and the IMF will see this industry as a development benchmark, so in this regard, it demonstrates modernity. That said, how positive has it been for people over the last one hundred years?

Early advertising was very simple and direct. Conversely, modern campaigns are vastly more complex and encompass many months of planning and huge amounts of money. Coca-Cola and P&G, both fast-moving consumer goods companies, spend at least $5 billion on internet ads. The need to communicate directly with consumers is not only competitive but now increasingly a high-stakes game. How this industry will change over the next century is uncertain, but what is clear though is the money and effort invested to gain attention and “eyeball time” will only ever increase.

Media debates and potential argumentative essay topics

• The influence and reach of the media has become far too powerful.
• The government is at the mercy of media corporations.
• The press is more influential than the Church.
• Tabloid newspapers need to be closely regulated.
• Television companies and news channels should not be trusted.
• Press freedom is a myth.
• Violent crime and war are too explicitly reported.
• The right to a free trial is more important than a free press.
• Reality television programmes need to be removed from public life.
• Stereotypes are reinforced in reality television shows.
• Press companies all over the world require more regulations and government control.
• Government sponsored companies like NHK (Japanese) and the BBC (British) should be privately owned.
• The media has been replaced by social media.
• Modern politics has been poisoned by media corporations. ( Free Starter Debate available here )
• Regulations should be created to ensure women’s sport is equally represented to men’s sport.
• The media’s reporting of violent crime and events, like that of school shootings, is directly contributing to further violent crimes.
• Leaders of media organisations should be vetted to be of sound mind, ethical, without a criminal record, and supports the public good.
• Digitally editing female models in magazines should be prohibited.
• Social media is directly contributing to global terrorism.
• New media is encouraging self-radicalisation of the left and the right.
• Newspapers are a dead or dying media form.
• The private lives of celebrities should only be published with prior consent.
• This house believes that media organisations and social media do not meaningfully influence society.
• The decline of tv news viewership and newspaper readers is directly due to having an undiversified media workforce.
• Western press unfairly represents other countries.
• Traditional press and news have alienated younger people.
• The public has confidence in media organisations.
• This house believes that fake news is common.
• The house believes that media companies chase after sensational stories instead of reporting on more important news.
• The decline of quality media is a direct result of the population refusing the pay for news.
• The collapse of TV viewers and newspaper readers is a result of the dumbing down of news stories.
• Profits come before serving the public.

Advertising debates and potential argumentative essay topics

• Advertising causes more harm than good.
• Male and female stereotypes are enforced through advertising.
• This house believes that advertising misleads the youth.
• Toy companies should avoid gender stereotyping in their commercials.
• Online commercials should not target children.
• Alcohol, junk food, and sugar related adverts need to be banned.
• Advertising has become ubiquitous and therefore out of control.
• Self-regulation is the best way to control advertising standards.
• Without advertising, many businesses would fail.
• The internet has become a giant advertising billboard and is suffocating for users.
• Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat influencers should be regulated and clearly marked in videos, tweets and posts.
• This house believes that individuals have been programmed to sell products to their friends and family.
• Advertising prevents the best product to be judged on merit and simply on aesthetics.
• Social influence and peer-pressure is the most damaging form of advertising.
• Celebrities should not be allowed to endorse products and services.

We hope you like our list. If you are ready to debate, you can check out our free lesson on advertising which comes with a printable PDF and starting points to help you form ideas . You can discuss this topic online too . http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/category/news/media_law/ If you would like to learn more about media law and how journalism is conducted, then the Press Gazette is a good place to start. Good luck and leave your comments below.

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An Analysis of John Gatto’s “Against School”

How it works

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Gatto’s Critique of the School System
• 3 The Historical Context
• 4 The Role of Teachers and Students
• 5 Personal Anecdotes and Practical Implications
• 6 Broader Implications and Contemporary Relevance
• 7 Conclusion

Introduction

John Taylor Gatto, who’s well-known as a teacher and writer, takes a hard look at the American education system in his essay “Against School.” Using stories from his own life, historical facts, and some deep thoughts, Gatto says our schools kill creativity, push everyone to be the same, and don’t really help kids grow intellectually or personally. This essay will dig into Gatto’s main points, see if his evidence holds up, and talk about what his critique means for today’s education practices.

Gatto’s Critique of the School System

Gatto kicks off by saying the school system we have is broken at its core. He thinks schools are more about making obedient citizens than independent thinkers. He brings up historical figures like H.L. Mencken and Alexander Inglis to back up his point, saying schools are designed to create a population that’s easy to control. This is a pretty big claim and goes against the common belief that schools are good for everyone. Instead, Gatto suggests they have hidden motives tied to social control.

The Historical Context

A strong part of Gatto’s essay is how he sets his critique in a historical setting. He traces back compulsory schooling to the Prussian model, which the U.S. took up in the 1800s. This model was all about obedience and sameness, which Gatto believes clashes with democratic values. By putting his arguments in this historical light, Gatto makes a strong case that the problems in education today aren’t new. They’ve been there since the start.

The Role of Teachers and Students

Gatto also looks at what teachers and students are supposed to do in this traditional system. He thinks teachers often end up as just rule-followers who can’t really inspire or engage their students. And students? They’re seen as passive receivers of info, not active learners. Gatto says this setup not only makes education worse but also stops kids from developing critical thinking and self-reliance.

Personal Anecdotes and Practical Implications

In his essay, Gatto shares personal stories from his teaching days to back up his arguments. He talks about times when kids did really well when they were allowed to follow their own interests, away from the strict curriculum. These stories make his critique more relatable and show the possible good outcomes of a different kind of education. Gatto’s experiences hint that a more flexible, student-focused approach could be more meaningful and effective.

Broader Implications and Contemporary Relevance

Gatto’s critique goes beyond just classrooms and touches on bigger societal issues. By pushing conformity and obedience, the current school system might be making people more passive and less likely to question authority. This is a big deal for democratic societies, which need informed and active citizens. Gatto’s points are especially relevant now, in a world that’s changing fast, where critical thinking and adapting to new info are super important.

John Gatto’s “Against School” is a deep dive into the big problems with the traditional education system. He questions the usual roles of teachers and students and digs into the historical roots of compulsory schooling. Gatto makes a strong case for rethinking and changing how we do education. His essay not only points out what’s wrong with the current system but also suggests a more dynamic, student-centered way of learning. As our society keeps changing, Gatto’s insights are still important for teachers, policymakers, and anyone who cares about the future of education.

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An Analysis of John Gatto's "Against School". (2024, Sep 17). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/an-analysis-of-john-gattos-against-school/

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). An Analysis of John Gatto's "Against School" . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/an-analysis-of-john-gattos-against-school/ [Accessed: 17-Sep-2024]

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