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News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 1

September 2010
Level ≥ Advanced
Style ≥ Individual or group activities
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of
English. Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to
practise English language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: Advanced and Lower Intermediate.
These worksheets can be downloaded free from guardian.co.uk/weekly/. You can also find more advice
for teachers and learners from the Guardian Weekly’s Learning English section on the site.
Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould

Tobacco firms target music festivals to attract young

Roll up ... Rizla papers at Lovebox in London Lisa Rocket/Barcroft Media

• packaging eg health messages on packets


Before reading As a class discuss and confirm your ideas. Do you
1 The article is about the cigarette and tobacco think there will be any new restrictions in the
industry. What restrictions does the government future?
put on tobacco products in your country?
For example: Tobacco firms aren’t allowed to advertise 2 Verbs from the article. Match the phrases to make
on TV. definitions.
Work in groups and make notes. Consider the a If you condemn something,
following areas: b If you circumvent a law,
• marketing eg TV and press advertising c If you sponsor an event,
• public use eg smoking in restaurants d If you quit something,
• sale eg selling cigarettes to children e If you promote a product,
f If you target a group of people, ≥2
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 2

September 2010

1 you find a way of avoiding it. says that they provide powerful marketing
2 you stop doing it. opportunities for cigarette manufacturers
3 you say strongly that it is wrong. to establish “a potent but unconscious bond
4 you try to have an effect on them. between their brands and the intense experience
5 you help to pay for it in exchange for the right to of the festival”.
advertise.
6 you make it popular by advertising it.
4 Several of the UK’s biggest festivals have allowed
Who might do the above actions in the article – a
tobacco firms to sell their products on site in
tobacco firm, an anti-smoking organisation or an
individual smoker? ways that have been condemned by health
experts. The Lovebox festival in east London’s
3 Look at the headline, photo and caption. Work with Victoria Park in July, headlined by Roxy Music,
a partner and complete the sentences below with was co-sponsored by Imperial Tobacco’s Rizla
your own words. rolling paper, which is exempt from the ban on
a Cigarette firms in the UK are now focusing on tobacco advertising.
outdoor events such as ...
5 An Imperial spokesman said the brand had
sponsored a number of festivals. “It’s all part
of creating brand awareness and it’s entirely
b The firms are probably targeting these events
legitimate.”
because ...
6 At last year’s Latitude festival in Suffolk, only
Marlboro cigarettes could be sold. The cigarettes
c Young people are an important target for these firms were available in black-and-red kiosks that lit up
because ... at night and were sold by young, attractive staff
wearing “Marlboro Red” T-shirts. This year’s
festival saw a similar exclusive deal signed with
John Player Special cigarettes, made by Imperial
Tobacco.
Article 7 “The tobacco industry needs to recruit new
Tobacco firms target music young smokers as their existing customers either
festivals to attract young quit or die,” said Deborah Arnott, chief executive
of Ash. “Most forms of advertising are illegal
1 Tobacco companies in Britain are using in the UK, so the industry plays a clever game
increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques staying at the edge of the law, but in truth they
to circumvent the law and promote their brands are engaged in a fierce battle to capture the illegal
to young people, according to health experts. teen market.”

2 Cigarette advertising is banned in the European 8 Outside Europe, the promotion of cigarettes
Union, but tobacco giants are increasingly to young people is more blatant. The Camel
targeting young people at music festivals to brand has sponsored the Creamfields festival in
create a “buzz” around their products. Buenos Aires. In 2008, the Indonesian unit of
Philip Morris International was forced to cancel
3 A survey of the major youth-orientated summer its sponsorship of an Alicia Keys concert after
festivals held across the UK has revealed that complaints from anti-smoking campaigners and
the events have become a key target for tobacco the singer herself.
firms. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) ≥3
Jamie Doward
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 3

September 2010

c Why can the Rizla brand be used for festival


sponsorship?
Glossary
youth-oriented (adjective) mostly focussed on young
people
headline (verb) to be the most important singer or
band performing at a festival
rolling paper (noun) small pieces of paper for making
d How does the spokesman for Imperial Tobacco
cigarettes
justify the Rizla sponsorship?
potent (adjective) powerful
legitimate (adjective) acceptable and allowed
according to the law

While reading e According to Arnott, why do the companies need to


1 Read the article. How are tobacco companies attract customers?
targeting young people in the UK? Tick the correct
sentences.
a Entire music events are now sponsored by
cigarette brands.
b Some festivals are partly sponsored by a brand of
rolling paper.
c Rolling paper is given away free to create brand f According to Arnott, what is the real reason behind
awareness. the marketing activities?
d Cigarette companies have agreements to sell only
their products at festivals.
e Young, attractive staff are selling T-shirts with
cigarette slogans.
f Singers are promoting international tobacco
brands.
g How is cigarette marketing different outside Europe?
2 Read again. Answer the questions. Give an example.
a Why do the tobacco companies need to use
“sophisticated marketing techniques”? After reading
1 Marketing vocabulary. Use the words to complete
the synopsis below.
target, brand, company, deal, giants, ban, key,
market, opportunities, sponsorship

Cigarette companies have begun to


b What do the companies want to establish in the
(a) outdoor events in a bid
minds of young people?
to capture the important youth
(b) . UK music festivals
have become a (c) target
for the international tobacco
(d) because they ≥4
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 4

September 2010

provide a range of powerful and legal marketing


(e) .

Tobacco firms have managed to circumvent a


(f) on cigarette advertising
and (g) in a number of
ways. For example, one (h)
has used tobacco rolling paper to sponsor events and
also signed an exclusive (i)
to sell its particular (j) of
cigarettes at one of the most important festivals

Activity – Discussion
a Students work in pairs and read the statement
below. Half the pairs in the class will be in favour of
the statement and half against.
The government should stop cigarette companies from
targeting young people at music festivals.
b The pairs in favour prepare arguments to explain:
why the government should stop the companies; what
exactly the government should do to stop them.
The pairs against prepare arguments to explain: why
the government should leave the present situation as it
is; why trying to stop companies won’t work.
c Students debate the statement with a pair of the
opposite opinion.
d Students then reflect in their pairs on their
performance, try to improve their arguments, then
conduct the debate again with another pair.

e Because existing smokers quit or die.


Answers f There is a battle for the illegal teen market.
g It’s more blatant. Camel sponsored a festival in Buenos Aires.
Before reading
2a3b1c5d2e6f4 After reading
Possible answers: tobacco firm – circumvent, sponsor, promote, target; anti- 1 a target b market c key d giants e opportunities f ban g sponsorship h company
smoking organisation – condemn; individual smoker – quit. i deal j brand

3 a music festivals. b and c students’ own ideas.

While reading
1 b, d.

2 a Because cigarette advertising is banned in the EU and they need to find ways
to circumvent the law.
b A bond between their brands and the intense festival experience.
c Because it is exempt from the ban on tobacco advertising.
d He says that it’s part of creating brand awareness and it’s legitimate.

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