Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. viewership (n.) – kind or
number of people who watch a certain show, channel or movie
Example: The drama’s viewership increased after the addition of a new character.
2. commercial (n.) – (on
radio or television) a video or announcement intended to sell something; an
advertisement
Example: Our company will release a TV commercial
to tell people about our new product.
3. notch (n.) – a
slightly higher level or step
Example: His excellent report was a notch above than everyone else’s.
4. anticipation (n.) – the
act of hoping or looking forward to a future event
Example: Her anticipation
to meet the famous athlete made her lose sleep.
5. bandwagon (n.) – something that
continually grows in popularity
Example: The iPhone bandwagon brought big profits to Apple
Incorporated.
Article
Read the text below.
The Super Bowl, America’s biggest
sporting event, is a major day for advertisers all over the country. With a guaranteed viewership of over 100 million, advertisers have competed against one another through the years to come up with the most impressive
commercials.
This year, however, advertisers went
a notch further by using social
media websites to get people to talk about the commercials before they are
broadcasted during the games.
By uploading the ads on sites like
Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, advertisers were able to build anticipation among viewers even
before the commercials aired on TV. Advertisers did not even have to pay
for it.
Out of the more than fifty
commercials that aired during the game, half were posted early on the
Internet. Leading the social media bandwagon
were big automobile companies such as Volkswagen, Chevrolet and Honda, whose ads earned
millions of hits on YouTube days before the Super Bowl game.
But according to
Jennifer Roberts, a social media expert, some viewers said that “they
were a little disappointed to have seen the ads early.”
Their disappointment
is not too surprising. The popularity of such commercials has grown to the
point that some fans are only excited about the Super Bowl for the
commercials.
Nevertheless, advertisers and
marketing specialists do not seem to be worried. In fact, some companies such
as MetLife—whose commercial featured characters like Snoopy, Scooby Doo and
Voltron—continued uploading more clips on the Internet even after the Super
Bowl.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Is
social media an advantage to business? Why or why not?
·
What
kinds of businesses do you think will profit best using social media?
Discussion B
·
Is
Internet advertising much better than TV advertising?
·
What
for you is an effective advertisement?
