Reading text 2

The power of advertising

When we look at the history of advertising over the last one
hundred years, certain companies have always seen the
importance of it, spent billions of dollars on it, and created some
really memorable campaigns. In Europe, one of the great
innovators in advertising is the automobile company, Citroën.

The founder of the company, In the fifties, photography became

André Citroën, was always aware
of the importance of publicity. His
company symbol is still used today,
and its chevron shape is instantly
recognizable. In 1922, to increase
public awareness of this symbol,
and as a public service, he offered
the French government 150,000
new road signs. The following
year, he started manufacturing toy
versions of his cars. Over the next
ten years, Citroën sold over
2,000,000 of the miniature models.
Soon after, he had an another
brilliant idea – he paid to have the
company name written in lights on
the Eiffel Tower. So when Charles
Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic
in 1927, the name Citroën was the
first thing he saw when he landed
in Paris. In front of the world’s
press, Citroën then gave the
famous pilot a tour of his factory.
More great public relations.
very fashionable, and Citroën
published beautiful, glossy
brochures to launch the new series
of cars, the DS. Citroën and
fashion became linked in the mind
of the consumer.
In the seventies, Peugeot bought
Citroën, and used TV spots to
launch their new cars. They started
using stars to endorse the cars,
and for the last thirty years, this
has continued with people like
Grace Jones, Cindy Crawford, and
Claudia Schiffer. The latest must-
have for companies is the website,
and the PSA group has been a
pioneer in that too. With its very
carefully managed corporate
identity, Citroën is a perfect
example of brand management
and advertising.

When André Citroën died in 1935,

Michelin bought the company.
They immediately reduced the
advertising budget. When the
famous 2CV was launched in 1948,
the company produced just a small
black and white leaflet, and relied Glossary
on the best advertising in the awareness – knowledge that something exists
world – word of mouth. synonymous – meaning the same thing
rely on – be dependent on

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 Reading text 2

Comprehension
1 What is Citroën a great example of?
2 What did Citroën do to publicize the new logo?
3 What did Lindbergh see as he arrived in Paris? Why?
4 What did Michelin use to advertise the launch of the 2CV?
5 How did their advertising change in the fifties?
6 How is Claudia Schiffer linked to Citroën?

Vocabulary
Look at the text and complete the sentences using one of the words in the
box below.

leaflets advertisements campaign corporate

endorse sponsors mouth relations

1 We don’t do much advertising. We rely on word of .

2 McDonalds and Coca-Cola are huge of football.
3 We need a good starting three months before the launch.
4 I have a small company and print small black and white .
5 Companies need to manage their identity carefully.
6 My favourite are made for Adidas.
7 Celebrities are paid millions to a product.
8 Sponsoring a local team is good for public .

Speaking
1 Find a memorable newspaper or magazine advertisement and describe it
to your colleagues. Would it work in English?
2 What is your favourite TV ad?
3 Can you think of any good slogans? Discuss them with your colleagues.
4 Think of a slogan for the school you are studying with.

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