Advertising in public places – B2 English Reading Test

Which person says that advertising

1   can be uninteresting if there’s a lack of variety?

2   has a mostly negative impact on the urban landscape?

3   can damage the appearance of the countryside?

4   may be a waste of energy resources?

5   can lead to a break of concentration in a job?

6   should not be allowed in certain public places?

7   can be a source of potential danger?

8   can sometimes make you feel better?

9   is good if it makes you think about something?

10   is useful in providing work for talented and creative people?

Advertising in public places.
like it or love it?

We asked five people for their opinions

A   Rob Stevenson, lorry driver

The main problem is that the location of posters can be a safety hazard if they block your view of junctions or road signs. I’m not distracted from driving by the content so much, just by the fact that a poster is there. I’ve no time to read them or study them, though the names of products must stick in your memory. Posters in fields get a lot of attention because you certainly notice them as you drive down the motorway. They must be a bonus for the farmer who gets an income from them, but I suppose they do make a bit of a mess of the rural environment. On the whole, there aren’t too many posters on the roads – not compared with some countries I’ve driven through.

B   Josie Pelham, cabin crew

Walking through airports in uniform, I tend not to look around too much. That’s because I run the risk of being asked questions by confused passengers who mistake me for ground crew, but helping them is not my job. But adverts in airports have a captive audience because people end up hanging around waiting for delayed flights in lounges or at boarding gates, so in those places they must work well for the advertisers. When travelling, an amusing advert can brighten up my day, but I do tend to see endless dull adverts for banks round the airport and they don’t fit into that category! Planes are even being painted externally to carry advertising. I saw one decorated to advertise house music in Ibiza. How cool is that?

C   Damian Stenton, lawyer

To be honest, I can take or leave street advertising – I don’t pay it much attention and posters aren’t that obtrusive. I don’t even mind posters in the countryside, though I know that’s an issue for some groups in society. Some of the paper posters are being replaced by TV screens. I guess that enables the company to make more money, as they can switch adverts easily – and it also saves paper. But it’s rather environmentally unfriendly as each advertising screen obviously has to be powered by electricity. At a time when we’re all being urged to cut down on consumption of precious resources, putting up TV screens everywhere seems rather counterproductive.

D   Danni Rochas, interior designer

I often feel surrounded by posters and advertising, it seems to be taking over our city. I am reminded of an episode of The Simpsons where the town’s outdoor advertising comes to life and hunts down the residents. I’m resigned to the fact that posters are ‘necessary’ commercialisation, but I find them less annoying when they ‘give’ something positive in exchange for being such an intrusive presence on the urban landscape. Occasionally, though, advertisers find a new angle on an issue that’s really thought-provoking and that must be positive. So maybe I’d prefer it to exist rather than not.

E   Naomi Hesketh, student

I try to walk straight past most posters as if they weren’t there, but some do manage to grab your attention nonetheless. I really like those that are colourful or imaginative. I think advertising allows lots of clever people to reach a wide public with their ideas, and we all benefit from that. Why would you even look at a boring poster? I think production values are important, too, in making you trust the advertiser. I agree with banning posters from parks and on historic buildings, but there’s nothing wrong with them in shopping streets and main roads. They make the environment brighter.