STEP 1

In this first step, you will read carefully the presentation of this unit (phrasal verbs have been highlighted in yellow). A full glossary below will help you understand it better. To get information in Spanish, just place the arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word without clicking.

Joanna Harvey, who got the job as Advertising Manager, has had plenty of time now to settle down. How is she handling her new job? Does she justify the faith placed in her by the management?
Today she goes along to John Martin's office to have a word with him about the firm's publicity programme (including the stand at an office equipment exhibition), and also to discuss the new advertising campaign.
Publicity is all about getting a company and its products known and talked about by the public. For example, Joanna's scheme to have a big launching party to unveil the new executive-type desk is a publicity stunt. She plans to invite a number of journalists to the launching ceremony of the new desk range. She hopes they will print photographs and give the desks a good write-up, write articles in their papers or magazines praising the goods.
Harper & Grant are also going to rent a special area in an exhibition hall to display the new desk range, and some of their well-tried and well-known products as well. Joanna has already booked a site for this display stand through the exhibition organisers. She then has to find an exhibition contractor to build the stand.
These are special firms who design and manufacture stands to suit their client's requirements. Sometimes these stands are pre-erected. This entails getting the work done earlier, erecting the stand and assembling and fitting all the furnishings required, such as lights, carpets, curtains, etc., and the cost is therefore higher. Joanna has authorised expenditure for the quarter in excess of her budget, so she decides not to have the stand pre-erected, with nearly disastrous consequences.
The contractors are working on a number of stands which they have to put up as soon as the exhibition hall is available. There are very often last-minute hold-ups and difficulties, with the result that quite often an exhibition opens with the paint hardly dry on some of the stands and a lot of hammering still going on as the doors are opened to the public.
For her advertising programme, Joanna has an overall plan for the coming year showing exactly where she plans to spend the advertising budget, or money set aside for buying space in newspapers, magazines, or (for larger firms) buying time on television or on the cinema screen.
In connection with launching the new desk range, Joanna has an idea for a teaser campaign to promote the product. This is a form of advertising in which a mystery is first created in the minds of the public, with the explanation, or complete advertisement, following later. Joanna planned to show a beautiful secretary in an ideal office, including everything except the desk, the desk she was actually selling.

GLOSSARY:
to settle down: to become settled or established, usually in a new position (establecerse, organizarse);
stand: the area occupied by a firm for display purposes at an exhibition (local o puesto en una exposición);
publicity stunt: publicity to get special attention (truco publicitario);
write-up: an article drawing attention to a product written by a journalist and appearing in a newspaper or magazine (crónica de prensa, crítica favorable);
well-tried: tested and proved useful or correct (bien probado);
well-known: famous (reconocido, famoso);
to book: to make a reservation (reservar un espacio);
exhibition contractor: sometimes called a "display contractor", is a firm which specialises in constructing stands for display purposes. They also design illuminated moving display units, supply a window-dressing service for shops, etc. (contratista de exposiciones);
pre-erected: put up at the place of manufacture to show the client exactly how they will look in the exhibition hall (previamente armado para clientes);
to put up: to construct, build, or erect (armar, levantar);
last-minute: just before a deadline; at the last minute (imprevistos de último momento);
hold-up: the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time (demora, interrupción de actividades);
hammering: noise of hammers being knocked (martilleo, sonido de martillos siendo golpeados);
teaser-campaign: a series of advertisements which catch the eye but "tease" the reader into wondering exactly what they are advertising. When the problem is solved the whole puzzle is likely to leave a greater impression than a straightforward advertisement (campaña publicitaria seriada).