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PRUEBA/PROVA: BRAND FANS
EXAM
Brand fans
One look at the logo on your T‐shirt and people know that you ‘just do it’. The three stripes on your
trainers tell everyone that ‘impossible is nothing’ for you. But those signs send another message to the
world. They say clearly that you’re a brand fan.
In the past, advertising focused on product quality, but advertisers discovered that people don’t discuss
what their sports gear is made of. They talk about Nadal’s victories and Ronaldo’s goals: in other words,
experiences. As a result, some companies decided to stop making products and to start creating
experiences.
Today, factories in the developing world make the products, while the companies make sure that
consumers associate their brands with success. This involves using marketing techniques that appeal to
their biggest customers: teenagers.
Today’s teenagers are relatively wealthy and, consequently, companies work hard to attract their
custom through the internet and by sponsoring special events. There are Facebook pages to visit, and
events such as pop concerts that provide the ‘lifestyle experiences’ the company wants customers to
associate their brand with. In fact, companies want teenagers to see their brands as celebrities, not as
products.
But a celebrity image can have negative consequences for a brand. News about brands, good or bad, is
now celebrity news, not business news. When some companies were discovered using workers in
sweatshops, it was headline news. As a result, if companies want people to love their brands, they will
have to behave ethically. Otherwise, their fans might stop feeling proud of wearing their logos and take
their custom elsewhere.
1. Say whether the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. COPY the
evidence from the text. No marks will be given without evidence. (1.5 points)
a) Logos tell everyone that you like buying branded products.
b) Companies used to talk about sporting achievements in their advertisements.
c) News about brands has less impact these days.
2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to
answer each question. (1.5 points)
a) What did advertising focus on in the past?
b) What do companies want teenagers to see their brands as?
c) What happened when some companies were discovered using workers in sweatshops?
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