Is art advertising for what we really need?

In this advanced ESL lesson, the student will learn and practice using vocabulary related to art and advertising.

What does art have to do with good advertising? What do we need art for? What do we need advertising for? Do we need either of these at all? A lot of questions and so little time! Let’s jump right into this lesson and learn some adjective-noun collocations that we can use both in business corporate meetings or standing in front of an art piece in a gallery. Ready to ride this two-headed horse? Just Do It!

Warm-up: advertising fun facts

Some fun facts about the advertising industry are presented for the student to decide whether they are true or false. This is followed by a discussion about advertising.

Video: The secret science of advertising

After watching the video about the science of advertising, the student answers questions about tricks and techniques advertising agencies use. Then, they complete sentences mentioned in the video by choosing the correct options.

Vocabulary: advertising

The student learns new vocabulary items related to advertising (clickthrough, soft cell, branding, hype) by matching them to their meanings.
They learn adjectives that can be used to describe an ad (e.g. alluring, catchy, sexy, etc.) as well as phrasals used for the same purpose (e.g. knuckle down, get ahead, cash in, hold off).

Imagine a situation

The student imagines they have opened a flower shop and comes up with some low-budget advertising methods.

Video: Art is advertising for what we really need

The student figures out what different artists, such as Hockney or Kobke, and their masterpieces advertised for. Then, they express and explain their opinion about different statements from the video.

A child’s art project or a million-dollar masterpiece?

In an exercise designed mostly for fun, the student decides whether the paintings shown were painted by children or renowned artists.

Vocabulary to talk about art

In the last part of the lesson, the student is introduced to some advanced vocabulary used to talk about artwork (e.g. thought-provoking, seminal, highbrow, etc.) and then uses it in a speaking exercise.