Celebrity Advertising - Write a text (100-150 words)

Celebrity Advertising

Ever since the early days of radio, advertising agencies have used actors, singers and athletes to sell products. This trend grew along with the development of television, and now it seems that everywhere we turn, we see celebrities endorsing some product or service.

It is easy to see why this is so. First, the advertisers hope that the public will transfer the "star quality" from the celebrity to the product or service, and buy or use it in the hope of becoming like the star. They also think that we are more likely to believe a sales pitch if it comes from a well-known personality. And if nothing else, they believe that a familiar face will help us to remember the item when it's time to lay out money. And for the stars who provide the endorsement, it seems to be a win-win situation: a chance to earn money while gaining valuable publicity for themselves.

But there are disadvantages as well. Sometimes the advertisers find that the celebrity spokesperson cannot really put the advantages of the product across successfully. Or the public may find it so unbelievable that the star actually uses the product or service, that the gimmick backfires, and the money spent hiring the well-known personality is wasted. In some cases, too, using a star endorsement seems to indicate desperation, a sign that the product cannot stand on its own merits. And one cannot help but wonder if the cost of hiring the celebrity is passed on to the consumer, making the product more expensive.

The celebrities themselves may also find that there is a downside to product endorsement. They may risk losing the respect of the public by appearing in advertisements. Many people, including some celebrities, feel that stars should rely on their acting or singing abilities, or athletic prowess, and not just cash in because they have a famous face.

In our celebrity-obsessed culture, it is unlikely that this type of advertising will go out of fashion any time soon. But consumers should, as always, think carefully about where they spend their money, and not be led blindly by a media personality, no matter how famous.

The Cola Wars - Write a text (100 - 150 words)

The Cola Wars

Most people have heard of the Cold War between the old Soviet Union and the West. But fewer people have heard about another war, actually a series of battles, that was also waged at about the same time. They were fought by two giant brands in the soft drinks market, Coke and Pepsi, and are now known collectively as the Cola Wars.

Both drinks first came on the market towards the end of the nineteenth century, and they have been rivals for many years. It is not hard to see why: the market for carbonated drinks is worth close to $73 billion in the United States alone. Coke and Pepsi dominate, controlling over 70% of this market between them – 2008 figures suggest that the Coca Cola Company accounted for nearly 43%, while PepsiCo’s share was just 

over 30%.

Although these figures sound high, each brand has always wanted to increase its sales by cutting into the share of the market controlled by its rival. This competition erupted in the Cola Wars of the 1970s and 1980s, which were probably triggered by the “Pepsi Challenge”. The challenge consisted of blind tastings in which consumers were said to prefer the taste of Pepsi over Coke. Coca-Cola retaliated by launching New Coke, a variation of its original drink. The companies also initiated competing advertising campaigns featuring celebrities (Paula Abdul for Coke, Michael Jackson for Pepsi), which became so heated that Billy Joel even sang about the Cola Wars in his 1989 song, We Didn’t Start the Fire.

Today, the war between these two giants has taken a modern twist: who is “greener”? It seems that this battle has, at least temporarily, been won by Coca Cola, which has promised to reduce the use of dangerous gases in vending machines, and has invested $50 million to research environmentally-friendly forms of refrigeration. By contrast, Pepsi has so far only started a pilot scheme, with no long-term commitments for change.

So, Pepsi or Coke? Most consumers have very definite, although often quite unfounded, ideas of which is tastier. But if you can’t decide, what about some orange juice instead?

All in the Family - Write a text (100-150 words)

All in the Family

Talent seems to run in certain show business families. There are numerous pairs of famous siblings: Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher and sisters Kylie and Dannii Minogue, to name but two. Talent also seems to exist across generations, as in the case of singers Julio Iglesias and his sons, Enrique and Julio Jr, or actors Martin and Charlie Sheen.

The facts are undeniable, but the obvious question is: are the people in these families really more talented, or do they just get more opportunities to prove themselves? Although it is impossible to settle the nature versus nurture debate definitely, there is plenty of reason to suppose that the first explanation is true. This argument gains strength since famous entertainment personalities often marry others in the field. Isn’t it likely that actress Kate Hudson, for example, inherited talent from her actress mother, Goldie Hawn, or from her father, musician William Hudson? The evidence seems even stronger when considering families with many famous members such as the Jacksons, who sang together before several of the children, including Michael and Janet, went on to brilliant solo careers.

However, it is also true that some members of famous families get opportunities to break into show business that other people often do not. These opportunities may be offered to the children of the famous, who can start their careers at a young age. Singer Lily Allen appeared in a television comedy co-written by her father when she was only three; Sean Lennon joined mother Yoko Ono in a video at age five and Miley Cyrus started her acting career at nine, soon after which she was given a role in her father’s television series. Even siblings of the famous may get special opportunities: because Nick Jonas already had a solo career, music industry gurus were willing to listen to his brothers, Kevin and Joe, leading to the creation of the Jonas Brothers group.

It’s impossible to decide whether heredity or environment is more important in developing star clans. But meanwhile, we can certainly hope for great things for the children of, say, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (herself the daughter of actor Jon Voight) or those of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas (son of actor Kirk).

Advice by Shipp - Write a text (100-150)

Advice by Shipp

Many magazines and newspapers have a section where readers can write in for advice about personal problems. The person who answers these letters is often portrayed as a kindly, middle-aged woman, with a reassuring sort of name. That’s why advice columnist Josh Shipp is so unusual – not only is he male, he’s also only 29-years-old.

Josh has been compared to other TV advice experts such as Dr Phil, but his target audience is very different. Through books, live appearances and on his own TV show, Jump Shipp, Josh offers advice to troubled or confused teeagers and 20-somethings. He is also available on the medium with which his generation is so at home: the Internet. His website, heyjosh.com, is accessed by thousands each day, and he may be reached on certain social-networking sites, too. But it is not only the availability that youngsters find so appealing, Josh offers sound advice with a large dose of humour.

Josh has great empathy with the problems of the young. Abandoned at birth by his biological parents, he grew up with a succession of foster parents, some of whom treated him badly. As an abused teenager, he turned to food for consolation and contemplated suicide. But he also began to use humour to gain attention in class, and a sympathetic teacher noticed this. The teacher saw that classmates listened to Josh while they were laughing, and encouraged him to expand on his advice-giving. Josh believes that his own life story helps young people to trust him, and shows them that they really do have control over their own future.

In addition to reaching youngsters directly, Josh is now developing ways of addressing adults in contact with young people, such as parents, teachers, youth leaders and sports coaches. His company employs several people and makes millions of dollars; today, a one-hour speech will earn Josh $5,000. Not bad for a young man who started out with such disadvantages – and certainly an inspiration to his audience.

A Tasteful Job - Write a text (100-150 words)

A Tasteful Job

Whether your favourite food is chocolate ice-cream or steak and chips, the chances are that at least part of the flavour is the work of flavourists or food chemists. These professionals are responsible for putting the artificial taste into some foods and enhancing the natural flavours of others.

This skill has been gaining in importance since the early 20th century for two main reasons. First, the massive development of the fizzy drink and sweet industries over the past hundred years has created a new and growing demand for artificial flavouring. Second, technology such as home refrigeration and food-processing techniques have caused much of the food we eat to lose its flavour. It has become the job of flavourists to restore that taste.

Flavourists use approximately 3,000 different chemicals, which are mixed together in different amounts and combinations to create the desired flavour. Obviously, they need a good knowledge of chemistry to determine the chemical composition of individual flavours. However, because they are also required to be innovative, flavourists describe themselves as artists. Many even develop specialised skills – some concentrate on the taste of meat or vegetables, for example, while others focus on “sweet brown” flavours like caramel.

Some flavourists are employed directly by food companies, where they not only create flavours, but also try to discover the chemical composition of flavours created by rivals. However, other job opportunities exist in government agencies and in special “flavour houses”, which develop flavours that are bought by food companies. Flavourists can expect to earn around $50,000 a year to start with, but salaries may eventually reach double or even triple that amount for those with several years of experience.

Of course, some people will always prefer the taste of fresh food. However, perhaps you’ll appreciate the taste of your food even more, now that you know about the hard work that goes into creating it.

Colour, Colour on the Wall - Write a text about it (100-150 words)

Colour, Colour on the Wall

Could simply changing the colour scheme in schools make pupils more intelligent? According to one study at a school in Wetaskiwin, Canada, replacing the school’s white, brown and orange colour scheme for one that featured blue and yellow, together with changes in lighting, caused the IQ scores of some students to rise. 

In addition, the school experienced a decrease in behaviour problems and absenteeism.

How can colour affect our moods, behaviour and thinking processes? Some scientists point to the fact that each colour has its own distinctive wavelength of light. When these enter the colour-sensitive area at the back of the human eye, they could stimulate the production of certain hormones. And these, in turn, could be responsible for changes in how our body functions. For example, researchers have found that looking at “cool” colours such as blue or green, can cause our blood pressure to fall, our rate of respiration and perspiration to decrease and brain-wave activity to slow. Looking at “warm” colours, such as yellow, orange and red, on the other hand, may have the opposite effect.

The research on the subject is by no means conclusive. Some scientists argue that our response to colour might simply be cultural – that is, we have learned to associate blue with calm and red with excitement. However, this has not stopped people from trying to use colour in various ways. Since orange is thought to increase the appetite, it is not surprising that this colour is used predominantly in fast-food restaurants, while some factories now paint their machinery pale blue, instead of grey, to increase productivity. In addition, residents at a United States home for the mentally handicapped are calmed by the yellow, peach and blue walls, while patients at a Canadian clinic may, thanks to the blue decor, experience less fear during their visit to the dentist.

So the next time you decide to redecorate, think carefully. Your colour choice may do more than just reflect your personal taste!

The Google Logo - Write a text about it (100-150 words)

The Google Logo

The Google logo is instantly recognisable to millions of people. The simple logo with its brightly coloured letters, has become a familiar symbol all over the world. It looks as if it had been designed quickly and effortlessly, but the truth is that it is the product of much thought and hard work.

The company founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had a very clear idea of what they wanted the logo to express. They felt that their company was young, fun and new, and this, they thought, would best be shown by using only letters and no symbols. They also wanted the logo to emphasise that their new search engine was easy to use, especially since, in 1998, people were less familiar with computers than they are today. They therefore needed a logo that clearly displayed the name of the company in the centre and they wanted something that was short and easy to remember.

With the help of designer Ruth Kedar, the present logo eventually took shape. Primary colours – red, yellow and blue – predominate, to indicate stability and reliability. Only the green “l” stands out to show individuality and unpredictability. For the same reasons, the letters are basically from a standard font, Times New Roman, with the two “o”s leaning sideways to the left.

However, the logo underwent several changes on the way to the finished version. At one time, it possessed an exclamation mark at the end, like Yahoo! At another time, the name appeared completely in capital letters. And the “o”s had several additions that were eventually discarded – they were part of a magnifying glass, a target and a smile.

In addition to the standard image, variations now known as Google Doodles appear occasionally to mark special events, such as the birthdays of well-known artists and scientists, like Michael Jackson and Albert Einstein to name but two. They also celebrate the launch of new Google sites, and other events such as Valentine's Day.

Most of us pay little attention to the logo, but it is obviously doing what it is supposed to. Millions consult Google every day, and trust the search engine to give reliable results.