Focus on Words

Read the dialogue in pairs and do the exercises. He is categoric. Express
caution and persuasion in you reasoning.
A leading marketing consultant sheds light on the present day
purchasing habits.
A: It’s often said that people decide what to buy emotionally, and then use logic to
justify their decision. But is this actually true?
B: Yes, it is. We all make our decisions based on emotion, not logic. Logic supports
our emotions and is used to justify our decisions after we’ve made them. It plays a
part, but the product that people can’t get excited about won’t sell. Likewise, the
ad that doesn’t provoke emotion won’t work.
A: But can a product be sold on emotion alone?
B: Yes, but this happens most commonly with children. Children desperately want to
fit in, to be like everyone else. Does anyone truthfully need shoes that light up at
each step? The answer’s no, unless you’re a kid and all your friends have got them.
They’ve become much better at justifying their purchases.
A: Can a product be sold purely on logic alone?
B: Surprisingly, the answer is yes, but only if it’s a mass-produced, unspecialized
product like petrol, rice or airline seats. We buy them from a strictly transactional
point of view by dividing benefits. More benefits, lower price, better deal.
A: So what does all this mean for advertisers?
B: Well, the answer is surprisingly simple. You need to figure out what your customers
are emotional about: what they love, and what they hate, what keeps them awake
at night. If you appeal to those emotions and back up your appeal with solid facts
you will surely be on to a winner.
Work on Words
Words not to be confused:
1. solid – firm - tight
solid a 1. strong enough not to break or damage easily: the solid stone walls of the
church. 2. with no pauses or interruptions: It rained for a solid week.
firm 1. solid but not hard, not soft: a fi rm mattress. 2. definite and not changing: Have
you set a fi rm date for the meeting?. 3. showing that you are in control of a
situation: The party needs fi rm leadership.
tight 1. fitting closely around your body or part of your body. a tight shirt/dress, keep
the window tightly closed. Ant. loose. 2. holding sth /sb or fastening sth very
firmly: Baxter kept a tight grip on the prisoner’s arm. 3. you have only just enough
of it: a tight budget
adv. very firmly: She held on tight to the handrail.
2. stuff – staff
stuff n 1. objects or things: By the time we got to the sale all the good stuff was gone.
2. a material or a substance; The costumes were made of thin stuff.
staff n (sing. U.) the people who work for a particular company, organization, or
institution: She joined the staff in 2002.
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