Question

Advertisements online are very often accompanied by pictures. Some people say that these pictures are more effective than words. What is your opinion about this?

Model Answer

Online adverts are so common these days that people tend to just block them out. As a result, advertisers are constantly having to come up with new ways to attract our attention. Both text and images are important ways of doing this. Regarding which one works best, I believe this depends on the product being advertised.

There are some products that lend themselves to being advertised using photographs. The most obvious ones being clothes and fashion accessories. Photos allow us to imagine ourselves wearing something and help us decide if we want to buy it or not. Perfumes are another category where it makes sense to use photos. An image can quickly establish a perfume's brand identity. Advertisers choose images that are either sophisticated or ones that are more bold and colourful, depending on their target audience. A paragraph of text would not have the same immediacy.

On the other hand, when advertising some products you need to communicate more detailed information. Mobile phones are a case in point. These days, most phones look more or less the same. What distinguishes one from another is the technical specifications. Obviously, you need words if you want to communicate information about a phone's battery or camera. Additionally, if a mobile phone has an innovative new feature then you need words to explain what it does. In these cases, a photo is not much use.

In conclusion, I think that both images and words can make a product appear attractive. It is up to the advertisers to choose which one would be more effective for a particular campaign.

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