Chapter 11: Advertising and Commercial Culture
True/False
1. The first American advertising agents were space brokers.
2. Before the 1850s, there was little need for advertising in the United States because there were
few goods available for sale and virtually no consumer market.
3. Patent medicines marketed in the 1880s were generally harmless and consisted mostly of
flavored water.
4. In an attempt to minimize government oversight of advertising practices, the advertising
industry established the Better Business Bureau in 1913.
5. The First Amendment specifically guarantees the right of commercial speech.
6. Ad agencies no longer use irritation advertising to sell products because people hate it and it
does not work.
7. Psychographics attempts to categorize consumers by their age, gender, occupation, ethnicity,
and income.
8. Advertising agencies charge a commission for their work, which typically amounts to half of
what the media outlets are paid to run the ads.
9. Ads featuring the Marlboro cowboy were a persuasive strategy based on the association
principle.
10. It is difficult to distinguish an ad’s impact on consumers from the effects of other cultural and
social forces.
11. Mega-agencies typically provide a full range of services, including public relations.
12. The Ad Council produces public service announcements (PSAs) at no cost to the client.
13. Snob-appeal advertising is often used for jewelry, perfume, and clothing.
14. Ad campaigns that resemble a sitcom do not work because we know that they are trying to sell
us something.
15. Even though boutique agencies give creative people the freedom to do good work, they have not
been able to attract any major clients.
16. Consumer and watchdog groups worry about the growth of mega-agencies.
17. Advertising is increasingly targeted at children and teenagers because they influence billions in
family spending every year.
18. Political advertising is so inexpensive that most candidates can easily afford it.
19. Boutique agencies were often started by account planners.
20. Unlike tobacco ads, alcohol ads have yet to target minority populations.
21. Google has developed a number of smartphone apps useful for advertising.
22. Google, Bing, and Yahoo! have quietly morphed into online advertising agencies.
23. Research has found subliminal advertising to be more effective than regular ads.
24. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act allows the FDA to block misleading
tobacco ads.
25. Budget cuts have made the Federal Trade Commission less effective as a watchdog over false
and deceptive advertising.
26. Product placement is an advertising strategy that puts products into movies, TV shows, and
video games.
Multiple Choice
Note: The correct answer is asterisked.
27. The public became increasingly cynical about advertising in the late 1890s and early 1900s
because
28. Along with patent medicine companies, another prominent newspaper advertiser in the 1890s
was
29. In the twentieth century, advertising
30. The hidden-fear appeal is often used to sell
31. VALS research for advertising refers to
32. Psychographics involves the study of
33. The form of advertising in which sponsors pay to have their products seen in TV programs and
movies is called
34. In advertising, the media outlets that are best suited to help a client’s ad reach the target
audience are selected by
35. Advertisements for jewelry, perfume, and clothing often use the persuasive strategy called the
36. Brands that claim that they are “America’s favorite” are using a persuasive strategy called the
37. In advertising, association (or the association principle) is
38. Channel One is an example of
39. Account executives in ad agencies are primarily responsible for
40. Commercial Alert is a(n)
Fill in the Blank
41. _______________ worked for publishers and newspapers rather than for advertisers and
established the first “ad agencies.”
42. A ____________________ is a sort of blueprint or roughly drawn comic-strip version of a
potential ad.
43. Analyzing ads using the ___________ principle approach explores how the ad connects the
product/service with something socially positive.
44. _______________ agencies are small ad agencies that offer personalized services.
45. The ____________ testimonial associates a product with the endorsement of a well-known
person.
46. , The ____________ appeal plays on people’s insecurities by trying to persuade consumers that
only a specific product can offer relief.
47. ___________ is a market-research strategy that divides consumers into types and measures
psychological factors.
Matching
Match the departments of a typical advertising agency with their duties.
A. Handles client liaison
B. Writes and designs the ads
C. Market research
D. Arranges placement of ads
48. Account planning
49. Creative development
50. Media buying
51. Account management
Match the advertising terms with their definitions.
A. Attitudes, beliefs, interests, motivators
B. Age, gender, occupation, race, education, income
C. Small-group interviews about a product or issue
52. Demographics
53. Psychographics
54. Focus groups
Essay
55. What role did advertising play in transforming the United States into a consumer society?
56. Why is there occasional tension between the research and creative departments at some
agencies?
57. How do the common persuasive techniques used in advertising work?
58. How does the association principle work, and why is it an effective strategy in analyzing
advertising?
59. Should any type of advertising be prohibited? Why or why not?
60. Whom did the first ad agents serve?
61. How has the Internet changed advertising?
62. Name the four basic functions of the modern advertising agency.
63. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mega-agencies and boutique agencies.
64. Name and briefly explain at least four persuasive techniques used by advertisers.
65. What is the impact of advertising on democracy?