Ads Around the World

Imagiverse Educational Consortium (Imagiverse.ORG) is pleased to announce an all new project for students around the world:  “Advertising Around the World” 


Advertising can be interesting, funny and educational.  It can also be very different from one place or culture to another.  Some humorous ads can be funny in any language.  Others need some explanation. 


Imagiverse encourages teachers, students... and anyone interested, to submit some magazine advertisements which they find particularly funny, interesting or educational.  You can scan and email them to our Activity Coordinator.  Please translate to English anything written in a different language.  You can also offer your comments on the product itself. 


Here is a sample that we received from Slovenia.  Once I received the translation, I could not stop laughing!

Translation:

What do you have growing on your nose?


Product:  Acne medication

We plan organize this section as a series of blogs where students can comment or ask questions.  You can also send images of magazine or billboard ads for some of your favorite products.


Is there a particular advertising slogan that has become part of everyday speech in your part of the world?   In parts of the United States, you hear variations on the slogan “got milk?”.  The California Milk Advisory Board came up with the slogan in their commercials to promote drinking milk.  It has been a very successful advertising campaign which includes celebrities posing with a “milk mustache”.   The campaign has been successful that you can see versions of it all  over the world!    There are two funny things about this advertising:


  1. 1) “Got milk?” is poor grammar.  English teachers cringe when they hear their students speak that way.  The proper way to ask the question is: “Do you have any milk?”  However, that would not be a very catchy slogan.

  2. 2) Wearing a milk mustache is poor manners.  Little children often get milk on the top of their lip and some advertiser thought it would it would be amusing to have celebrities wearing one.  People liked it and many celebrities have posed for the ads.  In real life... please use a napkin if you get milk on your lip!


In the world of advertising, proper grammar and good manners may be absent.  Have you seen examples of poor grammar in an advertising campaign?