My Future Speciality is Advertising

We study at the Bratsk State Technical University. As for me, I belong to the Economic Engineering Faculty. I am a second-year student.

At the University we are given fundamental knowledge of economics and advertising. We study various disciplines within advertising such as public relations, management, marketing, research, planning, purchasing, data-processing, control of development and selling goods, psychology and sociology of advertising and design. After graduating from the University we shall get the diploma in Higher Education in advertising. It will give us the right to work as specialists of advertising in different firms, services, staff and advisory departments as well as at advertising offices.

For making business successfully it is necessary to offer the product with qualities expected by customers. But sometimes advertising uses language and pictures to make people believe that we should be achamed of ourselves for not buying a certain product for our families or ourselves. They play on our feelings, emotions and especially our wish to:

1. be up-to-date and knowledgeable

Advertisers expect us to believe what “the experts” say about their products. We find expressions like “a revolution in skin care” or “scientifically developed”.

2. be as good as others;

they challenge us to “keep up-to-date”, “keep up with the neighbours”, or even “keep one jump ahead”. The message is to buy the product if we don’t want to be left behind.

3. be attractive;

Pictures of attractive people are used to draw attention to a product and the suggestion is that we will be desirable and socially successful if we use that product.

4. do things well;

The idea is that you must buy the product if you want to do your job properly.

Many soap powders are sold through the idea that they “wash whiter than white”, “remove stains”, etc.

5. be responsible or act responsibly;

Adverts for health foods, environmentally friendly products, and even charities, appeal to the caring side of human nature. They aim to make us feel guilty if we ignore the appeal.

6. have excitement in our lives;

Pictures of exciting or romantic events are used to suggest that exciting things happen when we use a particular product.

7. be one of the group or an individual;

Some people like knowing that lots of people have chosen the same product, so expressions like “millions of satisfied users” are used to reassure them. Sometimes advertisers try to convey the idea that only “special” people use their product. They will use expressions like “a unique experience”.

8. be shrewd and streetwise;

We sometimes feel guilty about spending money. Advertisers reassure us and suggest that we are making a good decision by offering us “great value”, “mammoth savings” and “bargains of the century”, etc.