IELTS Intermediate Sample Lesson

Humor is used in advertising to connect with people with the goal of selling a product or service.  Some people believe that this is positive but some people believe this is negative. Tell us what you think about funny ads by leaving a comment on the message board.  

Consider this commercial for insurance: 

The commercial is about a camel who is very happy because it is Wednesday.  Wednesday is also know as “hump day” because it is in the middle of the week.  A camel has several humps on its back and thinks that the day is for him. He goes around the office (presumably every week) getting his co-workers to say that it is “hump day.”  This is pretty funny, but what does it have to do with insurance?

Well, really, nothing!  Insurance is kind of a boring subject that people don’t want to think of.  The use of humor makes the subject easier to approach for the company and makes the person watching the commercial more receptive to the company’s message. 

On one hand, it is way more interesting to watch a funny commercial than a dull, boring one.  On the other hand, this type of commercial doesn’t really tell you why you should buy this type of insurance.  It could be said that humor is used to distract the consumer.  

What kind of advertisements do you prefer? 

Advertisements can be: 

Funny 

Informative 

Emotional

Exciting 

...and more 

Post your written response in a new discussion topic. 

Explain why you prefer that type of advertisement.