Do controversial ads work?
Source: Noelle Guirola en Unsplash
Tunisia defends 'provocative adverts' to woo tourists
Tunisia has defended a controversial advertising campaign to attract tourists who deserted the country after its revolution in January.It include billboards in London of a woman getting a massage, next to the words: "They say that in Tunisia some people receive heavy-handed treatment."
At least 200 people were killed during the Tunisian uprising which began in December.
It led to the collapse of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's regime.
Tourism is crucial to Tunisia's economy. With a population of little more than 10 million people, the industry provides about 400,000 jobs and is worth about $2.5bn (£1.5bn) to the economy.
'Nothing but ruins'
Syrine Cherif, whose advertising agency Memac Ogilvy came up with the campaign for the Tunisian Tourism Board, said it was intended to create a "buzz" among potential tourists in the UK and other countries.
"The idea was to be provocative to address possible fears around the issue of the Arab spring," she told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
Other advertisements show ancient Roman ruins next to the words: "They say Tunisia is nothing but ruins."
She denied the campaign showed insensitivity towards Tunisians who had been jailed, tortured or killed during Mr Ben Ali's rule of 23 years.
"This unfair treatment was done by people who were in the dictatorship and now the dictatorship has gone. It's over. Today it's a new Tunisia," she said.
"The campaign is for foreigners, not targeting Tunisian people," she added.
Tunisia was the first country to be hit by the popular uprisings which have swept across North Africa and the Middle East.
Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in January after losing the support of the military.
His trial in absentia, for charges ranging from conspiring against the state to drug trafficking, starts on Monday.
Do you think the ad campaign will be successful?
Do controversial ads work?
Can you think of any other controversial adverts?
Vocabulary:
a billboard /ˈbɪlˌbɔrd/
- un cartel publicitario / una valla publicitaria
- The company placed their new product advertisement on a billboard along the highway.
to lead to a situation (led, led) /liːd (lɛd, lɛd)/
- llevar a una situación
- The economic downturn led to widespread unemployment.
to come up with sth /kʌm ʌp wɪð/
- idear algo / proponer algo
- The team came up with a creative solution to the problem.
buzz (n) /bʌz/
- emoción / entusiasmo
- There was a buzz of anticipation in the air as the concert began.
to target /ˈtɑːrɡɪt/
- dirigirse a / apuntar a
- The company's advertising campaign targets young professionals.
to sweep (swept) /swiːp (swept)/
- barrer
- A wave of excitement swept through the crowd as the team scored a goal.
to range from sth to sth /reɪndʒ/
- oscilar entre algo y algo
- The prices of houses in the neighborhood range from affordable to extravagant.
to deny sth /dɪˈnaɪ/
- negar algo
- The politician denied any involvement in the scandal.
to woo /wuː/
- cortejar / seducir
- The company tried to woo investors with promises of high returns.
heavy-handed (adj) /hɛvi ˈhændɪd/
- autoritario / brusco
- The boss's heavy-handed management style created tension in the office.
an uprising /ˈʌpˌraɪzɪŋ/
- un levantamiento / una rebelión
- The citizens staged an uprising against the oppressive regime.
to flee /fliː/
- huir / escapar
- The refugees fled their war-torn homeland in search of safety.
to address sb /əˈdrɛs/
- dirigirse a alguien / tratar con alguien
- The CEO addressed the concerns of the employees in a meeting.
to be worth (money) / worthless (adj) /wɜːθ (ˈmʌni) / ˈwɜːθlɪs/
- valer / sin valor
- The antique vase is worth a lot of money.
- The old computer is now worthless and should be recycled.
a trial /ˈtraɪəl/
- un juicio / un proceso judicial
- The defendant will stand trial for the alleged crime next month.
to desert /dɪˈzɜːrt/
- desertar / abandonar
- The soldier decided to desert his unit and flee to a neutral country.
Grammar point:
Passive Voice -
"At least 200 people were killed during the Tunisian uprising."
"'This unfair treatment was done by people who were in the dictatorship and now the dictatorship has gone."
Read the summary, listen to the lesson and do the exercises from the BBC Grammar Challenge.
Read the summary, listen to the lesson and do the exercises from the BBC Grammar Challenge.
Comments
I think the advertising agents, sponsors and advertisers usually utilise provocative adverts to have an impact in consumers and, then, they get to stand out of people. From that point consumers receive the message that they want. It seems that it´s a good way to sell.
The campaign is for foreigners, nor for Tunisian people and tourism is crucial to Tunisia´s economy, as they said in the article. Due to at least 200 people were killed and other tortured during the dictatorship which lasted around 23 years, the tourists, specially from Europe, were afraid. For this reason, it was necessary to eliminate the fear and this is the aim of this campaign.
In my opinion this campaign was a successful, because the tourists come back to Tunisia and this controversial advert worked.
See you.
You have been my guinea-pig today. (I shouldn't use the expression as I disapprove of experiments on animals) I sometimes go around in circles trying to decipher your comment so I asked Chat GPT for a hand. I'm amazed that he seems to have made sense of it all. Haha
Can you correct my student's homework for me?
Sure, I'd be happy to help correct your student's homework. Please provide the text or the details of the homework assignment that needs correcting.
Notes:
- Utilize is more commonly used than "utilise" in American English, though "utilise" is correct in British English.
- Impact on consumers instead of impact in consumers.
- Stand out to people instead of stand out of people.
- Message that the advertisers want to convey adds clarity.
- Not for Tunisian people instead of nor for Tunisian people.
- As mentioned in the article for clearer attribution.
- Being killed instead of were killed for grammatical accuracy.
- Eliminate the fear for clarity.
- Campaign was successful instead of was a successful.
- Tourists came back instead of the tourists come back for tense
consistency.
Here's the corrected version of the text:
"I believe that advertising agents, sponsors, and advertisers often use provocative adverts to make an impact on consumers and stand out among others. Through this approach, they effectively convey the message they intend to deliver, making it an effective strategy for selling products or services.
The campaign targets foreigners rather than Tunisian people, and it emphasizes the importance of tourism to Tunisia's economy, as mentioned in the article. Following a dictatorship that lasted approximately 23 years, during which at least 200 people were killed and others were tortured, tourists, especially those from Europe, were apprehensive about visiting Tunisia. Therefore, it became necessary to dispel this fear, which is the primary objective of the campaign.
In my opinion, this campaign was successful because it encouraged tourists to return to Tunisia, demonstrating that the controversial advert achieved its intended purpose."
Let me know if you need further assistance!
I think Chat GPT does a far better job than me.
You are the teacher and you must act as a teacher. I´m student and I must act as student. The teacher and the student must look for the best to student. I sure that you agree.
See you.