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Point, Click, Buy: Online Advertising 网络在线广告：一指神功搞定买卖

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Since the World Wide Web was introduced in 1993, the Internet has become yet another medium through which advertisers flog goods and services. Hypertext linking, the Web’s core innovation, introduced unheard-of possibilities for advertisers, as well as increased disruptions for users.

自从1993年全球信息网问世以来，因特网就成为另一个可为广告主促销产品与服务的媒介。运用超链接──网络的创新核心价值──让广告主见识到闻所未闻的商机，也替网络用户带来愈来愈多阅读上的不便。

The main advantage of online advertising is its interactivity. By placing ads on websites deemed interesting to a specific population, advertisers are able to reach their intended demographic with unprecedented accuracy. Furthermore, users viewing an ad can click on it and be taken to that advertiser’s webpage, known as a clickthrough, in order to learn more or order a product -- all of which provides advertisers with detailed market information.

在线广告主要的优点就是其互动性。把广告摆在某个特定族群有兴趣的网站上，广告主可以接触到他们想接触的目标客户，而且是史无前例地精准。再者，用户要看广告，可以用鼠标点它（专业术语叫做点击）就能进入广告主自己的网页内，进一步了解细节或订购产品──这些都能提供给广告主详细的市场信息。

The scrolling text of banner ads is the original form of Web-based advertising. However, following the dot com crash of 2000-2001, business became dissatisfied with their clickthrough rates, inspiring pop-up and interstitial ads. Pop-up ads appear when specific websites open up a new browser window that displays an ad. Interstitial ads are akin to TV ads in that they are inserted between the pages of a non-advertising website.

网络广告最初的类型是要用滚动条卷动的横幅广告。不过自从2000年到2001年间网络公司泡沫化以后，业界对横幅广告的点击率开始不满，因此使得弹出式广告和插页广告应运而生。进到某些特定网站时，网站会新开启一个里面是弹出式广告的浏览窗口，而插页广告则和电视广告类似，因为它们被插在未刊登广告网站的网页与网页之间。

Although these latest innovations have improved clickthrough rates, they often provoke the user’s ire. Nevertheless, in the words of one publicist, “No PR is bad PR.”

虽然这些最新发明增加了点击率，但它们通常会让使用者气得跳脚。不过，套用一位公关人员的话：「有公关【注】宣传总比没有好。」

【注】公关PR，是Public Reations的缩写。

Vocabulary

单词发音

flog [flɑg] n. 出售; 卖掉 Brit slang to sell

hypertext [ˋhaɪpɚˋtɛkst] n.【计算机】超文件   

unheard-of 前所未闻的

disruption [dɪsˋrʌpʃən] n. 中断; 扰乱

deem [dim] v. 认为，以为；视作

intended [ɪnˋtɛndɪd] adj. 打算中的，预期的，未来的

demographic [͵diməˋgræfɪk]  n. (尤指特定年龄段的)人群; adj. 人口统计学的

unprecedented [ʌnˋprɛsə͵dɛntɪd] adj. 无先例的，空前的

clickthrough  n. 点选连结；点击进入

scrolling 滚动, 卷标

banner [ˋbænɚ] n. 旗帜；横幅

dot com  形容由网络进行交易与获利的公司

dissatisfied [dɪsˋsætɪs͵faɪd] adj. 不满的

interstitial [͵ɪntɚˋstɪʃəl] adj. 空隙的,裂缝的,有空隙的

akin [əˋkɪn] adj. 于…是同族,类似于…[(+to)]

provoke [prəˋvok] v. 诱导，导致

ire [aɪr] n.【文】愤怒

publicist [ˋpʌblɪsɪst] n. 宣传人员，广告人员；公关人员

Sentence of the Day

Pop-up ads leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.

弹出式广告让人留下坏印象。

a bad taste in one’s mouth  坏印象

课文讲解

Jane, a successful young restaurateur, is discussing an online advertising proposal with her friend Charlie:  珍是位有成就的年轻餐厅老板，她正在和朋友查理讨论一项网络广告计划案：

C: So this entertainment website is trying to sell you advertising space? Word-of-mouth is already working pretty well for you.

所以这家娱乐网站想向妳推销广告版面？妳的餐厅口碑已经做得那么好了。

J: It is. And word-of-mouth is free. But these guys approached me very professionally, and their media kit looks good.

没错，而且口碑不用钱。这些人找我谈话时显得很专业，而且他们的媒体套件看起来很赞。

C: What’s in the media kit?

媒体套件中有些什么？

J: It’s basically advertising for advertisers. It describes a website’s demographics, volume of traffic, clickthrough rates for similar advertisers, etcetera.

基本上都是一些给广告主看的宣传资料，说明网站对其他性质相近的广告主做的族群分析、流量、点击率等等。

C: If it seems worthwhile to advertise with these people, then the next step is to decide what medium works for you. Most people ignore banner ads nowadays.

如果向这些人刊广告看来值得的话，下一步要决定哪一种媒介最适合妳使用。现在大多数人都不看横幅广告了。

J: Exactly. I need something more innovative to make this a winning move. Pop-up ads really get in people’s faces, but most browsers block them nowadays, except for Internet Explorer.

的确。我需要比较创新的广告，好让我一出手就能出奇致胜。弹出式广告确实会让人看到，但是现在除了微软IE，大多数的浏览器都会把它们挡掉。

C: And they generally leave a negative impression. But pop-under ads aren’t as bad – they just sit on people’s desktops.

而且弹出式广告通常会给人留下坏印象。但是背显示广告就不会让人那么讨厌，因为它们只会出现在桌面上。

J: Good point. Also, giveaways are a great way to create a positive advertising buzz, so I’m thinking of offering a couple of free meals a month to those who clickthrough to my site.

说得好。还有，送赠品是很灵的办法，肯定能让广告讯息迅速地流传开来，所以我想每个月提供几顿免费餐点给那些点进我网站浏览的人。

C: Now, you’ve just got to expand your website and start selling ad space yourself.

现在，妳只需要扩充妳的网站，然后就可以开始卖自己的广告版面了。

J: Hey, one step at a time.

嘿嘿，一步一步来吧。

－by Iain Ferguson & Lyle Wagner

Vocabulary

单词发音

restaurateur [͵rɛstərəˋtɝ] n.【法】餐馆老板

proposal [prəˋpoz!] n. 计划；提案

word-of-mouth 口碑

approach [əˋprotʃ] v. 与…接洽；找…商量

kit [kɪt] n. 成套的组合部件〈如家具〉

advertiser [ˋædvɚ͵taɪzɚ] n. 刊登广告者；广告客户

etcetera【拉】等等，及其他等等 (= et cetera)

medium [ˋmidɪəm] n. 新闻媒介，传播媒介

ignore [ɪgˋnor] n. 不理会；忽视

pop-under ad 背显示广告 An ad that displays in a new browser window behind the current browser window.

buzz [bʌz] n. （谣言等）流传

Sentence of the Day

Most Internet users are fed up with advertising.

大多数上网的人都受够了广告。

be fed up  感到厌烦的；忍无可忍