TOEFL, iBT, Independent Writing, Choose an advertisement you think either very good or very bad, and explain why you either like or dislike this particular advertisement. - rewrite -

Writing Topic

Advertising is a constant presence in our lives. Some advertisements are enjoyable and effective, but others are annoying. Choose an advertisement you think either very good or very bad, and explain why you either like or dislike this particular advertisement. Include specific details to explain your response.

☆Let’s think

One way to choose an advertisement for this essay would be first brainstorm good and bad points of advertisements and try to come up with one that fits some of the points.

The difficult part of writing essay might be how you describe and explain. The reader might not know the ad you are writing about, so you have to describe it in detail. Also, you have to explain the reason why you think it is good/bad. Sense is personal, and it requires careful explanation, or you will fail to convey to the reader the excitement you got from the ad.

☆Hints for Points

Good points of advertisements

1.    They provide information about goods and services people are interested in

2.    Entertain viewers with attractive features and good ideas.

3.    Non-commercial advertisements attract attention to important issues

Bad points of advertisements

1.    They take up more space and time and louder than the contents.

2.    They promote consumerism and materialism. They make people want what is not really necessary.

3.    Some ads have little or no information about what is advertised.

☆Ideas and Expressions

1. (optional) Play audio charade with the following advertisements.

2. Choose one of the advertisements you like/dislike, and explain why.

A.    Color-blind world

B.    Quit smoking!

C.    Love your enemy

D.   Disease prevention (hepatitis B)

E.     

F.    Donate now

G.   Get rid of pollution

H.   Go vegan

☆Let’s prepare

Now let’s prepare for your essay by answering the following three questions:

Q. 1 Would you describe the advertisement you are going to write about?

Q. 2 How did you react to the advertisement when you first encountered it?

Q. 3 Why do you think the advertisement is very good/bad?

Your answers:

Q. 1 Would you describe the advertisement you are going to write about?

e.g. a huge bulletin board on top of a building in Shibuya, nothing except for a small phone number in the center

Q. 2 How did you react to the advertisement when you first encountered it?

e.g. Thought it was blank, and wondered why. Then noticed the number of the bulletin board company. I smiled.

Q.3 Why do you think the advertisement is very good/bad?

e.g. eye-catching, attracts attention, makes you think, joy of question-solving, good impression about the advertiser

☆Essay for ideas and expressions

Walking down a street in downtown Tokyo the other day, I looked up, saw an advertisement, and was fascinated by its simple design. I thought it was very good because it was eye-catching, stimulating, and practical.

The advertisement that caught my eye was a bulletin board of the biggest size on top of a tall building in Shibuya, one of the busiest districts in Tokyo. It had nothing on it except for a small phone number in the center. Like a copy of The White Album of The Beatles placed on a blue table, it cut a huge white square out of the sky.

First, I thought that the bulletin board was empty and wondered why no one was interested in putting up an ad in such a crowded area. Next, I noticed the phone number, and then I realized that it was the number of the bulletin board company. It was the advertisement of the advertisement space. I smiled because it made my mind light as things with good ideas always do.

I thought this ad was very good because it attracts attention and makes you think. Among numerous ads in all colors and designs, which are abundant in Shibuya, a shopping and pop-culture center, a huge blank white square stands out by itself. The ad gives you joy of question-solving and, by doing so, it gives you a good impression about the advertiser. Also, you can call the company on the spot if you are interested.

If I were the advertiser, I would have been tempted to put the name of the company in large letters near the phone number. However, this would be too ordinary for anyone to pay attention to. In a practical sense, you won’t be bothered by the absence of the name. It is not the name but the number that you need first to use the service. You see the ad and you call, before trying to find out the company name. The absence of the name paradoxically attracts attention and the witty design shows how good the company is.

Even if this design is actually often used when an advertising company advertises itself, there is no denying that it stimulates your mind when you see it for the first time. An advertisement which challenges conventional ideas and your intelligence always wins. I think this simplest ad is one.