Press release

Analyse the information explaining what a press release is and how to write it.

Write a press release about this year’s competition for the ICA website.

The aim of a press release is to draw a forthcoming event to the attention of the people who choose what is reported in the media. For commercial events like product launches, public relations agencies are often used to ensure good coverage in the relevant sections of the media.

Note that it’s important to provide a contact name and address for further information.

For: Business editors, national press; motoring press

Release date: 26 October

Subject: Revolutionary new car to be unveiled at Motor Show

After weeks of rumour and speculation, ITS will unveil their revolutionary new concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show on 3 November. The vehicle requires very small amounts of petrol and instead uses a combination of solar energy and hydrogen to power it. Massive public interest is expected in this vehicle of the future.

For more information, contact:

Sarah Wells, High Profile Communications

sarag@hpc-centre.com

TRANSLATION

A. Translate from English into Russian.

New products are often the outcome of research and development projects. When the development stage is complete, the project is ready to be launched. This stage is usually backed up by a marketing campaign to make consumers aware of it. In the growth phase of the product life cycle, sales and profits rise, as the product reaches maturity. At this stage, sales of the product reach a peak and profits are at their maximum. Many companies try to extend this phase of the product life cycle and use extension strategies such as finding new uses or new markets for the product, or changing its appearance. When the market becomes saturated with competing products, sales start to decline. At this stage the company needs to have a new product ready to begin a new product life cycle. Thus, development, launch, growth, maturity, saturation, and decline are the main stages of a product life cycle.

Developed by the Boston Group in the United States, the “Boson matrix” is a way of analyzing product life cycles. The Boston matrix shows how the product portfolio of a company can be described in terms of its contribution to present or future profitability. It does this by charting when the company’s products have entered various life cycle stages, described as: “problem child”, or “question mark” (introduction), “rising star” (growth), “cash cow” (maturity) and “dog”(decline).

B. Translate from Russian into English.

Исследователи рынка определяют потенциальных потребителей товара, т.е. лиц, которые, как они полагают, будут покупать его. Маркетинговое исследование проводится с целью определения наиболее подходящего сочетания элементов маркетинговой программы. После тщательного исследования каждого из четырёх составляющих маркетинговой программы вырабатывается стратегия маркетинговой деятельности. Если специалистом по маркетингу проведена хорошая работа по определению потребностей покупателя, разработке привлекательного продукта, установлению конкурентоспособной цены, нахождению удобных каналов распределения и продвижения товара, то такой продукт будет распродаваться успешно. Маркетинг является ключевым фактором в успехе бизнеса в условиях жёсткой конкуренции.

LISTENING

Why Brands Matter

1. Sandra greaves is a consultant at Wolff-Olins, a leading international brand consultancy based in London. In the first part of the interview she talks about why we need brands. Listen and complete these extracts.

1. Brands are all about ………….

2. You know what a brand is ………... what it …………, what it’s going to ………..

3. You actually trust it to ………. ……… …….. ……….. again.

4. One thing about brands is they add a lot of ……….. and ……….. AND ………….., as well as giving you the power to ……….. things.

2. Listen to the second part of the interview and tick the points below which Sandra makes.

1. People are very loyal to successful brands.

2. Even successful brands are seen as just a product or a service.

3. Apple was popular because it wasn’t a big corporation.

4. Apple customers felt that the Mac was an easy product to use.

3. Listen to the example Sandra given of how Wolff-Olins helped a company with its branding and answer these questions.

1. What was the company?

2. What is its business sector?

3. What advice did they receive?