Consumption With A Conscience

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PRE -I N T E R M E D I ATE I N T E R M E D I ATE
18 June 2007
UNIT 7
Marketing
UNIT 7
Products
UNIT 6
Advertising
Before you read

1 2 A lot of global brands today say they have an environmental policy. What do they mean? All over the world, there are consumers who want to go green, - to do something to protect the environment. What changes can they make to their shopping habits in order to do that?
Vocabulary 1
Match these words from the article with their definitions. Use a good dictionary to help you if necessary. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 evidence concerned to exaggerate to doubt to make a claim scrutiny behaviour a) to say that something is better, larger, worse, etc than it really is b) to say that something is true, even though it might not be c) worried d) when you examine or watch something very carefully e) to think that something is not true or likely f) facts which show that something is true g) the way that you act or do things
Reading comprehension 1
Look through the article for the following information: a) two countries where under 50% of the people are worried about global warming ......................... b) two companies criticised by the EASA for exaggerating the green benefits of their products ......................... c) the city where 2m people agreed to switch off all their lights for one hour .........................
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Pearson Education Limited 2007
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18 June 2007
UNIT 7
Marketing
UNIT 7
Products
UNIT 6
Advertising
.........................
Consumption with a conscience

FT Correspondent There is evidence of a change in consumers awareness of global warming, in the importance they say they attach to the environmental policies of brands and in whether these policies affect their buying behaviour. Figures vary by market. A 2006 survey of attitudes found that consumers in Japan, India, France and Spain were most worried by global warming. Less than half the Chinese or US respondents were concerned about the issue. Some analysts believe that a revolution in public thinking is happening. They say consumers feel that governments are not doing enough to try to stop global warming. As a result, consumers try to do something themselves to reduce the problem by buying green products. But other experts doubt whether the publics worries about the environment will change their purchasing behaviour, particularly where greener products are more expensive than conventional goods. What is less debatable is that companies that market themselves as environmentally friendly have to plan for the risks as well as the potential benefits. Oliver Gray, director-general of the European Advertising Standards Alliance, said: Everybody wants to get in the game. But we have to remind people: if you make a claim that you are greener or more environmentally friendly, you have to be able to provide evidence for it. It is the same as any other claim made by an advertiser. Under UK advertising regulations, advertisers cannot even make a direct reference to the view that human activity creates global warming, since there is still scientific debate on the issue. Toyota, EasyJet, Volkswagen and some other UK advertisers have been found guilty of exaggerating the green benefits of their products. What is more, scrutiny of their claims is now as likely to come from environmental bloggers as from any of the established green non-governmental organisations. For the advertising industrys critics, however, it will always be difficult to see it as environmentally friendly given its fundamental role in creating demand for ever more consumption. In the long term, redesigning packaging or products may prove more effective than any advertising strategy in reducing the environmental damage those products cause. And some of the most successful campaigns in this area could not be described as advertising in any conventional sense. In March, the Sydney office of Leo Burnett, an ad agency, asked the citys residents to switch off their lights at an agreed hour. An estimated 2m people did, resulting in a reduction of carbon emissions equivalent to taking almost 50,000 cars off the road for an hour. The action is to be imitated by other cities, including London. Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett, says: What happened in Sydney demonstrated the power of collective action. How often does that happen in communications?
From the Financial Times
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18 June 2007
UNIT 7
Marketing
UNIT 7
Products
UNIT 6
Advertising
Read the text again and say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the article. Justify your answers. 1 Public awareness of environmental problems does not vary from one market to another. 2 Consumers are generally satisfied with the way their governments try to stop global warming. 3 Not all experts agree that the consumers concerns will affect their buying behaviour. 4 For businesses, claiming to be green involves risks as well as opportunities. 5 According to the director-general of the EASA, a lot of companies are keen to look environment friendly. 6 In the UK, advertisers are not allowed to suggest that human activity may be responsible for global warming. 7 Those who criticise the advertising industry say it should try to encourage people to consume less. 8 In Sydney, 50,000 motorists agreed to stop driving for one hour.
Vocabulary 2
Complete the sentences with a suitable noun phrase from the article. Use a word from Box A for the first part, and a word from Box B for the second part of the noun phrase. Box A advertising buying carbon collective global non-governmental Box B warming organisations industry emissions behaviour action
1 The Earth Hour in Sydney, in which 2m people took part, achieved very good results and showed the power of .................... .................... . 2 A lot of people have become aware of environmental problems, but we do not know how this awareness affects their .................... .................... . 3 It is not only the established green .................... .................... which scrutinise the claims made by companies, but also environmental bloggers. 4 The .................... .................... is not easily regarded as environmentally friendly because its purpose is to encourage consumption. 5 Some people doubt that human activity creates .................... .................... because there is still scientific debate on the issue. 6 When 2m people switch off all their lights for one hour, this results in a great reduction of .................... .................... .
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18 June 2007
UNIT 7
Marketing
UNIT 7
Products
UNIT 6
Advertising
Pronunciation
Group the words in the box according to their stress pattern. debate issues products demand market damage Japan campaign
Oo [2 syllables, stress on the 1st] figures ................. ................. ................. .................
oO [2 syllables, stress on the 2nd] concerned ................. ................. ................. .................
Discussion
If your city organised an event like the Earth Hour in Sydney, would you take part in it? Why? / Why not?
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18 June 2007
UNIT 7
Marketing
UNIT 7
Products
UNIT 6
Advertising
KEY
Vocabulary 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 f c a e b d g
a b c China; the US Toyota; EasyJet (Also Volkswagen) Sydney
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 F (Figures vary by market. ...) F (... consumers feel that governments are not doing enough to try to stop global warming.) T (But other experts doubt whether the publics worries about the environment will change their purchasing behaviour ...) T (...companies that market themselves as environmentally friendly have to plan for the risks as well as the potential benefits.) T (Everybody wants to get in the game.) T (Under UK advertising regulations, advertisers cannot even make a direct reference to the view that human activity creates global warming ...) F (It will be difficult for critics to see the advertising industry as environment friendly because it encourages consumption.) F (2m people agreed to switch off their lights, which saved as much energy as 50,000 cars off the road for an hour.)
Vocabulary 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 collective action buying behaviour non-governmental organisations advertising industry global warming carbon emissions
Pronunciation
Oo [2 syllables, stress on the 1st] figures products market issues damage oO [2 syllables, stress on the 2nd] concerned debate Japan demand campaign
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Consumption With A Conscience

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MARKET LEADER Premier Website Lessons

PRE -I N T E R M E D I ATE I N T E R M E D I ATE

Before you read

Pearson Education Limited 2007

MARKET LEADER Premier Website Lessons