FREE IELTS READING TEST 2

ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA- READING HAI JIM 0984467000
Reading 1 (Extract from IELTS FOUNDATION p.128-133)
It is the thorniest issue facing advertising - should children be influenced by the hard sell? As Sweden pushes to introduce a Europe-wide ban, a major conference will battle over the arguments. Here, two experts kick off the debate.
NO says Rupert Howell
A In 1991, Sweden introduced legislation to ban television advertisements that 'purposefully' attract the attention of children under the age of 12. Why? Because the Swedish government accepted research stating that most children could not recognise the difference between advertisements and programmes until they were 10. Lars Maren, deputy director of the Swedish ministry of culture, says that television advertising leaves children 'vulnerable to abuse and deception by adults' and 'they do not understand what advertising is'.
B It is widely expected that it will use its presidency of the European Union to push for the introduction of such a ban Europe-wide. The UK government has indicated that it will resist this suggestion from Sweden. That resistance should be supported by the UK media and advertising industry. Let me explain why.
C Let's take research first. The UK has done its own. Dr Brian Young of Exeter University found clear evidence that children's advertising literacy develops from the age of four and that by the age of seven or eight they have developed a good understanding of the purpose and intent of advertising. Last year, the Independent Television Commission scrutinized the rules governing toy advertising and concluded that 'as a result of exposure to media technology of all kinds, the children were quick to assimilate and interpret what they were shown'.
D In 1996, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food commissioned research into the role of advertising in children's choice of food. It found that 'there is no serious evidence to suggest that advertising is the principal influence on children's eating habits.'
E I am convinced that children have an undoubted ability to view and assess advertising competently and with discernment. Kids are not gullible. They're smart. I also have faith in the advertising industry's regulations, which pay special regard to the child audience and contain provisions to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate commercial messages or influence.
F Advertising in the UK - and that includes all advertising, not just children's - is conducted responsibly. The ITC's regulations are taken seriously and constantly revised. The number of complaints from viewers is minuscule.
G But there's another aspect to television advertising: a ban on children's advertising would have a catastrophic effect on the funding of independent children's television programming. Nigel Walmsley, Carlton TV's chairman, has made the point that ITV last year invested $35m in original programme commissions for children's television. He says that if ITV did not have the advertising revenue of around $40m that it earns from children's advertising, then 'quite simply, it could not make original children's programmes'. The alternatives would be to remove children's programming from the ITV schedules, or broadcast low-cost programmes brought in from the US and elsewhere, or turn children's television into subscription-only channels. Quality would suffer, and the range of programmes would fall away.
H Advertising is fun. It's educational, too. Advertising helps children to discriminate and to grow up. And, just like adults, they know, or they soon learn, that they can't automatically have what they see advertised. A ban on television advertising would be an infringement of the freedom of commercial speech. If it's legal to sell, it's not only acceptable to advertise it, but essential. Advertising encourages new product development and it fosters competition, which always benefits consumers - including children.
Rupert Howell is chair of HHCL & Partners and president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
YES says Helen Seaford
I Children watch a lot of television. Advertisers know this. And they know that advertising influences children. It gets children and their parents to buy more of what they're selling. The number of advertisements watched by British children tops European league tables. On average British children watch 18,000 adverts per year and those in low-income families see most.
J It's not surprising with statistics like this that the advertising industry is worried by the prospect of Sweden seeking to extend to the EU the controls they and three other European countries have put in place with considerable success.
K A great deal of research has been done - using a variety of different methods - and the conclusion is that children's understanding of advertising develops in line with their own psychological, emotional and intellectual development. So it is not until the age of 12 that their understanding of advertising can be said to be comparable to that of adults. For example, four-year-olds are already 'brand conscious' and nine-year-olds will respond immediately when asked about product preferences.
L At the Children's Society, we see some of the poorest families struggling to keep their heads above water while being bombarded with images of consumption they can ill afford - in a country where one child in five needs free school meals because they live in a low-income family. $50m a year is spent on advertising chocolate and snacks to children, whereas advertisements for healthy foods during children's television time are unheard of.
M And finally there is the issue of pester power. Most parents want to bring their children up well, with decent moral standards and a balanced outlook on life. It is deeply insidious for advertisers constantly to undermine them in what is anyway a difficult task.
N Listen to Stephen Colegrave of Saatchi and Saatchi (an advertising company): 'Children are much easier to reach with advertising. They pick up on it fast and quite often we can exploit that relationship and get them pestering their parents!
O It is against this highly resourced barrage of aggressive marketing that our current rules must be judged. In the past six years, spending on advertising toys and games during children's television has risen from $26m to $150m.
P The Swedish initiative to extend their ban on advertising during children's television is welcome. Children do not need to practise watching advertisements as a preparation for adult life, and good-quality children's television could be financed by subscription or by reserving a section of the licence fee.
Q As we struggle with the question of how to ensure that children see high-quality television, it is the interests of the child which should be at the centre of our attention.
Helen Seaford is Head of Planning at The Children's Society, a children's charity.
IDENTIFICATION OF BELIEFS OR ARGUMENTS
I. Match the beliefs or arguments in the statements (1-5) with the people or organizations mentioned in the text (A-F). Note: You may use any answer (A-F) more than once.
A Dr Brian Young
B Nigel Walmsley
C Independent Television Commission
D Stephen Colegrave
E Lars Maren
F The Children's Society




II. READ THE TWO TEXTS, WHICH ARGUE FOR AND AGAINST A BAN ON ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN.
6 Rupert Howell believes that the current rules on children's advertising in the UK are
A effective in protecting children.
B not tough enough.
C better than the rules in other countries.
D likely to encourage pester power.
Questions 7-9
According to Rupert Howell's article, the results of banning children's advertising could include
Choose THREE answers.
A an increase in the number of imported children's programmes.
B an increase in the cost of imported children's programmes.
C an increase in the cost of producing children's television programmes.
D a reduction in the quality of children's programmes.
E a reduction in the quantity of children's programmes.
F a reduction in competition between children's programme makers.
10 According to Helen Seaford, the British advertising industry is worried by Sweden's proposals because
A advertising allows people to make choices.
B Sweden is not the only European country to ban children's advertising.
C British children watch more adverts than in any other European country.
D even four year olds can recognize well known brands.
11 The cost of advertising toys and games
A is less than the cost of advertising chocolate and snacks.
B has increased dramatically in recent years.
C is more in the UK than elsewhere in Europe.
D has an impact on their price to the consumer.
Reading 2
You should spend about 15 minutes on questions 1-13 which are based on the text below.
The Global Product the world as a single market?

A For businesses, the world is becoming a smaller place. Travel and transportation are becoming quicker and easier, communications can be instantaneous to any part of the world and trade barriers are breaking down. Consequently, there are tremendous opportunities for businesses to broaden their markets into foreign countries. The challenge facing those promoting products globally is to determine whether marketing methods should be the same across the world or if they should be adapted to different markets based on specific cultural factors.
B Many theorists argue that, with the 'shrinking' of the world, global standardization is inevitable. Over time, and as economies develop, it has been suggested that consumer buying patterns will blend into one another and national differences may disappear. Kellogg, the American breakfast cereal producer, has been very influential in challenging consumption patterns in countries outside the United States. In France, for example, breakfast cereals were almost unheard of, and market research suggested that the market was closed to companies like Kellogg. However, today, there is growing demand for breakfast cereals across France. Nevertheless, the standardization of products for worldwide consumption in this way is rarely the most effective strategy as is evident from an analysis of the following key aspects of global marketing.
C First of all, it is considered better business practice by many large, established companies to change their products from one country to the next. Take the example of Coca Cola. The recipe for this drink is changed to suit local tastes - the brand in the US is much sweeter than in the UK, whilst in India the product's herbs and flavorings are given more emphasis. In terms of the car industry, it would be too expensive for manufacturers to develop and build completely different vehicles for different markets yet a single, global model is likely to appeal to no-one. In response to varying needs, Nissan, for example, sells in 75 different markets, but has eight different chassis designs. The Ford Mondeo was designed with key features from different markets in mind in an effort to make its appeal as broad as possible. The best policy, as far as most multi-national companies are concerned, is to adapt their product to a particular market:
D Secondly, it is also important to consider whether a product should be launched simultaneously in all countries (known as a 'sprinkler launch ') or sequentially in one market after another (a 'waterfall launch'). In practice, most companies producing consumer goods tend to launch a new product in one or two markets at a time rather than attempt to launch a product across a range of countries at a single time. Many high-tech products such as DVD players reached the market in Japan before reaching the UK. Hollywood films are often seen in the United States weeks or months before they arrive in other countries. For example, Star Wars Episode One was launched in the US in May 1999, in the UK in July 1999 and in Spain in August 1999.
E The advantage for firms is that it is easier to launch in one market at a time. Effort and concentration can be focused to ensure the best possible entry into the market. Moreover, for technical products especially, any initial problems become apparent in a single market and can be corrected prior to launch elsewhere. Even though this method can be time-consuming, it is usually a safer approach than a simultaneous launch. Despite this, in certain highly competitive markets such as computer chips, companies such as Intel tend to launch their new products internationally at the same time to keep the product ahead of its competitors.
F The final consideration when planning to enter a global market, rather than assuming the product will suit all markets, is to take cultural differences into account. Prices have to be converted to a different currency and any literature has to be translated into a different language. There are also less tangible differences. It is quite possible that common practices in one country can cause offence and have grave consequences for business success in another. In one situation in China, a Western businessman caused offence to a group of local delegates because he started to fill out the paperwork immediately after shaking hands on a deal. Completing the legal documents so soon after the negotiations was regarded as undermining the hosts' trust. Knowledge about such cultural differences is absolutely vital.
G Therefore, if a company is attempting to broaden its operations globally, it must take the time to find out about local customs and methods of business operation. Equally important is to ensure that such information is available to all necessary workers in the organization. For example, in order to attempt to avoid causing offence to passengers from abroad. British Airways aims to raise awareness of cultural differences amongst all its cabin crew.
H It can be concluded that global standardization of products to 'fit' all markets is unlikely to be the most viable option. Marketing methods employed will depend on many factors, such as the type of product, the degree of competition, the reputation of the firm and/ or the brand, the state of the economy into which the product is to be launched and how and when to launch. In short, the key to marketing success on a global level is to have sufficient information on how cultural differences are likely to affect the marketing of a product and then allow the appropriate decisions to be made
Questions 1-7
Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-H from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (I-X) after each question.
N.B. There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
List of Headings
i Launching a new soft drink product
ii The main benefits of the single market launch
iii Researching cultural differences and providing information
iv The lack of cultural differences in the world today
v Examples of launching a product in one market at a time
vi The emergence of global marketing and its challenges
vii The world as a single market: a successful case
viii Specific cultural differences to consider
ix Different markets, adapted products
x Success in the global market - key factors
Questions 8-11
Using the information in the passage complete the notes using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
Global marketing
World getting smaller - chance for businesses to 8_________________________ globally.
Companies treating world as single market with standardized product not always appropriate.
Therefore, factors to take into account:
A. Adapt the product to specific markets
eg Coca Cola 9__________________________
B. Compare different ways to launch the product
10__________________________ launch or 'Waterfall' launch
All countries at same time One or two countries after another
Example: Intel Example: DVD players
and 11_____________________movies.
C. Consider cultural differences
Acquire knowledge and raise awareness about common business practices and local customs
Questions 12 and 13
Choose the appropriate letters A-D.
12 According to the writer
A all types of company adapt their products to different markets.
B having the same product for different markets can never be successful.
C car manufacturers are unlikely to develop totally different models for different parts of the world.
D it is better to launch a product in different markets at the same time.
13 The writer concludes that
A marketing strategies depend mainly on the product type.
B successful promotion of a product depends on being informed about cultural differences.
C the launch of a product is not particularly significant.
D companies can gain global success by setting up offices all over the world.