Advertising Effect - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 2 Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Advertising Effect
The important factor to consider
• The 31 customers must travel affects the probability that they will buy the product.
Methods of communication
• Advertising slogans are easier to remember if there is a 32 played with them.
• Mandy’s Candy Store appeals to people’s sense of 33 to draw in customers.
• To an ad campaign for digital products, it is 34 that is extremely important.
Effect on your product sales
• The customer’s 35 after he or she experiences the ad is most important.
Marketing strategies
• On international flights, it is wise for advertisements to be displayed in the common 36 of most passengers.
• Very few young people buy 37.
• The UNESCO website would be a good place to advertise for companies aiming to improve the 38.
• One good location to place ads for sunscreen is the 39.
• A good scene for a water purification commercial would be the 40.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | distance | the distance that customers are willing to travel is a significant factor in their choice of where to purchase that product | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the length of the journey a customer must take is a very important part of their decision on where to buy a product. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the amount of space or length between two locations that a person has to cover to get to a store. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "distance" because the speaker explains that how far a person has to go is a major reason why they decide to buy a product at a specific location. The text mentions that even if people want a product, the distance they are willing to travel is a major factor in their choice. |
| Q32 | sound | Studies show that consumers are much more likely to remember advertising slogans if there is also a sound played | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that using audio makes short advertising phrases easier for shoppers to keep in their memories. Answer Explanation: The answer "sound" refers to audio or something you hear, like music or a chime, that is added to an advertisement. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "sound" because the lecturer explains that hearing something helps people keep information in their memory. Specifically, the speaker says that research shows people are more likely to recall short catchy phrases, or slogans, if they hear a noise or music played at the same time. |
| Q33 | chocolate | Think about Mandy's Candy Store up the road. Every time you walk past it, you can just smell the chocolate, right | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when people walk past a specific shop called Mandy’s Candy Store, they are able to smell chocolate, which causes them to think about and want the product. Answer Explanation: The answer is the sweet food that people can detect with their noses when they are near Mandy's Candy Store. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "chocolate" because the lecturer uses Mandy's Candy Store as an example of how smells attract customers. By filling the air with the scent of chocolate, the store triggers people's memories and creates a desire to buy and eat it. This shows how businesses use specific smells (like chocolate) to make their products more appealing to the senses. |
| Q34 | flexibility | The flexibility of this kind of product is extremely important, so it is very common for advertisers to form one single layout for all of their ads - the visual, the medium, even the majority of the content - and simply update the ad each time they come out with a new version | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that for things like digital products, 'flexibility' (being able to change easily) is very important. This means movie or game makers can use one basic ad design and just change parts of it when a new version comes out. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'flexibility', which refers to the ability to be easily changed or adapted. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the lecturer discusses marketing strategies for digital products. In the lecture, it is explicitly mentioned that for these types of products, ‘flexibility’ is a key quality that is ‘extremely important.’ This allows advertisers to use a single design and simply update it whenever a new version of the product is released. |
| Q35 | reaction | Once the customer experiences the ad, the important thing is his or her reaction | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that after a person sees an advertisement, the most important thing is how they respond to it. Answer Explanation: The answer means how a person feels or acts after they see an advertisement. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "reaction" because the teacher explains that how a customer responds or behaves after seeing an advertisement is the most important success factor. Even if an ad is liked, it fails if it does not cause the customer to think about buying the item, which is a specific type of response or reaction. |
| Q36 | languages | Often you'll see Apple ads on international flights that appear not only in English, which is the lingua franca of most regions, but also in the native language of the majority of passengers | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that on international flights, ads are displayed in English and the language that the majority of the passengers speak naturally. This shows that advertisers choose languages that most passengers will understand. Answer Explanation: The answer "languages" refers to different systems of communication, like English or Russian, that people use to speak and write to each other. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the talk where the speaker discusses global advertising strategies on airplanes. The speaker mentions that ads on international flights are shown in English and also in the specific language that most of the people on the plane speak. By using these common ways of speaking, companies can better reach their target audience in different parts of the world. |
| Q37 | newspapers / newspaper | Would you put an ad for the new Justin Bieber album in a newspaper? Probably not, because that product is most suitable for youths. Let's face it - do you know anyone under the age of 25 that buys a newspaper? No | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that since it is hard to find a young person who buys a newspaper, it is a bad idea to put ads for products they like, such as a Justin Bieber album, in one. Answer Explanation: The answer means that very few young people purchase newspapers. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is newspaper(s) because the speaker explains that young people, described as youths or those under the age of 25, do not normally buy this type of printed media. Because of this, it is not a good place to put ads for products that young people like. |
| Q38 | environment | Imagine you are a company that is aiming to improve the environment by making products that reduce human waste. How would you advertise your product? Clearly it would send the wrong message if you put up fliers or other materials that cause lots of waste paper. Consider instead putting commercials on the Health Channel, or buying ad space on websites like UNESCO | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that for a business trying to help nature, putting advertisements on the UNESCO website is a good idea because it matches their green goals. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the focus of a company that would find the UNESCO website a suitable place for advertising. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's discussion on marketing strategy exercises. The speaker suggests that if a company's goal is to benefit the environment, their choice of advertising medium should reflect those values. Specifically, for such a company, advertising on a website like UNESCO is recommended as an appropriate alternative to using wasteful paper fliers. |
| Q39 | swimming pool | What is one great place to advertise suntan lotion? How about a swimming pool | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript asks where a good place to show ads for sun lotion would be and then suggests a place for swimming as the best choice. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies a specific location that is ideal for showing advertisements for sun protection cream. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'swimming pool' because the speaker uses it as an example of choosing a location where the target audience is already located. In the lecture, the teacher explains that you should place ads where the people who need the product gather. Since people at a pool are often in the sun, it is the perfect spot for suntan lotion (another name for sunscreen) ads. |
| Q40 | national park | Can't you see how much more effective a commercial with the beautiful scenery and flowing rivers of a national park would be than, say, water dripping from a tap | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that showing a national park with its nice landscape and running water makes for a better advertisement than showing a simple kitchen faucet. Answer Explanation: The answer is national park, which refers to large areas of protected land with beautiful nature, such as clean rivers and trees. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because the speaker suggests that a commercial for a water filter pitcher is more successful if it uses a beautiful background. They specifically mention the scenery and rivers of a national park as a good example of a place that feels clean and fresh, making the product more appealing to customers. |
Transcript
Hello class, and welcome back to Marketing Strategies. This week I will expand upon last week's lecture by talking about factors you should consider when creating advertising materials and the effects they can have on your product sales.
Lesson one: limit your advertising to the geographic area of your target market. Though you may have a product that people want in a large area, the distance that customers are willing to travel is a significant factor in their choice of where to purchase that product.
Take this example - if you are really hungry and decide you want a burrito, would you choose the restaurant that is a block from your apartment, or the one that is just as good – or even slightly better - across town? Of course you'll pick the closer restaurant.
Next, there's the method of communication to your target market. How do you decide among radio ads, TV commercials, fliers, or even word of mouth?
While we often think of the visual presentation of ads, there is much more to advertising than the look. Studies show that consumers are much more likely to remember advertising slogans if there is also a sound played. Did you know that your sense of smell is closely linked with memory? Think about Mandy's Candy Store up the road. Every time you walk past it, you can just smell the chocolate, right? I bet you can almost smell it now. Just mentioning the name brings about the smell memory, and in turn a chocolate craving. What better way to sell chocolate bars?
Obviously sometimes appealing to the senses isn't the most practical way to advertise. For example, it is a good idea to come up with a marketing strategy that adapts to the product, especially digital products. The flexibility of this kind of product is extremely important, so it is very common for advertisers to form one single layout for all of their ads - the visual, the medium, even the majority of the content - and simply update the ad each time they come out with a new version.
Remember, advertising is all about stirring up the right feeling in your potential customers, whether by stimulating the senses, appealing to intellect, and so on. Once the customer experiences the ad, the important thing is his or her reaction. Someone could love the ad you made, but unless he or she considers buying the product, you have failed to get the reaction you were looking for.
So once you have successfully reached your target customer and you have his or her business, often you will want to expand to a larger market. More often than not, the same marketing strategies you used in your small campaign may not work for a larger audience. The larger you scale your product, the more factors you must consider. For instance, Apple operates worldwide, so they must tailor their advertising for each market they enter. Often you'll see Apple ads on international flights that appear not only in English, which is the lingua franca of most regions, but also in the native language of the majority of passengers. I traveled to Russia last week, and it was really interesting to see the same Nike ad that I have seen a hundred times - except this time it was in Russian!
Okay, going back to the medium of the advertisement, even after choosing to create print ads (instead of radio announcements, television commercials, etc) there is more to consider. If you print your ad in a newspaper, it will be read by a far different audience than if you print your ad in a popular magazine. Would you put an ad for the new Justin Bieber album in a newspaper? Probably not, because that product is most suitable for youths. Let's face it - do you know anyone under the age of 25 that buys a newspaper? No!
Now let's try a few strategy exercises. Imagine you are a company that is aiming to improve the environment by making products that reduce human waste. How would you advertise your product? Clearly it would send the wrong message if you put up fliers or other materials that cause lots of waste paper. Consider instead putting commercials on the Health Channel, or buying ad space on websites like UNESCO.
Or here's another example: What is one great place to advertise suntan lotion? How about a swimming pool? It has the exact group of people that need the product.
Alright, one last thing. Let's say you're filming a commercial for a water filter pitcher. What would be good scenery to use for the background? Think about somewhere calm and relaxing with clean, fresh water. Can't you see how much more effective a commercial with the beautiful scenery and flowing rivers of a national park would be than, say, water dripping from a tap?
So to wrap things up today, think about the geography of your target market, the type of marketing material you should use, and the most effective way to appeal to the customer in order to make a successful ad campaign.
That is all I have for you all today. Make sure to read through chapter 8 for Monday if you have not done so already. OK, now I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have...