Plead the text naturally. The original post can be found at https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2020/01/15/clickbait-and-viral-marketing-the-language-of-advertising/ I think It will be easier for you to read the post there. Thank you!
Clickbait and viral marketing: the language of advertising
By Liz Walter on January 15, 2020.
These days, most of us are targeted by adverts pretty much constantly, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes more subtly. This post looks at the language around a phenomenon that many people would say is out of control.
Let’s start with some basic words for advertising. The first thing to note is that the pronunciation of the word “advertisement” is different in British and American English. In British English, the third syllable rhymes with “miss,” whereas in American English it sounds like “eyes.” Only British English speakers use the shortened form “advert,” but both Brits and Americans use “ad”.
Another general word for things that get attention for a product is “publicity”. This word has several collocations, for instance the verbs “attract” and “generate” and the adjective “adverse” (meaning “bad”):
+ Their charitable actions attracted a lot of good publicity for the company.
The phrase “publicity stunt” is often used in a rather disapproving way, to mean that something was done only to get attention:
+ I don’t believe they are really in a relationship – it’s just a publicity stunt.
“Marketing” is a word for all the ways in which a company tries to persuade people to buy its products. It includes advertising, but also other factors such as pricing:
+ We have just launched our new marketing campaign.
Marketing methods change continually, bringing new words. For example, the word “clickbait” is used (usually rather disapprovingly) for online material that is designed primarily to persuade the reader to click on a link where they are likely to be exposed to advertisements.
“Ambush marketing” is a term for a type of unofficial, unpaid advertising, often linked rather dishonestly with a sporting event. One famous example occurred during the 2012 London Olympics, when one company advertised itself as the official sponsor of “the largest athletics event in London,” then explaining that they were talking about an “egg-and-spoon race” in the small French village of London!
It is common for companies to employ celebrities to “endorse” (say they like) their products. Some people even make a living as “influencers” on social media. These people, who have large numbers of followers, are paid to “promote” (advertise) products.
“Viral marketing” is where consumers of a product spread information about it, either because they love it or by sharing adverts that they particularly enjoy. This usually happens via social media, but could also be “word-of-mouth” (when people talk to one another). “Stealth marketing” is where products are promoted in ways that may not be obvious to the target consumers. An example could be “product placement,” where a company pays for its products to be used in a popular movie or TV series. Similarly, “advertorials” are newspaper or magazine adverts that are made to look like normal articles.
In this information age, we need to pay attention to our sources!
