Presenting a product

I. Write down some words and expressions from the film.

1. To be committed to smth – to be willing to work very hard at something; to give hard work and loyalty to an organization, activity etc; e.g. Bibury Systems are so committed to this new venture.

Translate into English:

Он верен своей фирме.

Он весь в работе (он целиком предан своей работе).

Он увлеченно занимается новым проектом.

2. To capture – to get something that previously belonged to one of your competitors; e.g. Japanese firms have captured over 60% of the electronics market.

Translate into English using the verb “to capture” in its other meanings:

Он завоевал ее сердце.

Преступник был пойман и препровожден в тюрьму.

3. To appeal to smb – if someone or something appeals to you, they seem attractive and interesting; e.g. The product would appeal to both parents and children.

Translate into English using the verb “to appeal” in its other meanings:

Мы апеллируем к запросам (т.е. вкусам) населения.

Я обращаюсь к вашему здравому смыслу.

Мы рассчитываем на спрос среднего класса.

4. Breakthrough – an important new discovery in something you are studying, especially one made after trying for a long time; e.g. Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of cancer.

Translate into English:

Это настоящий прорыв в разработке препаратов против гепатита (hepatitis).

Полет Гагарина открыл новую веху в космических исследованиях.

5. Mark – a particular type or model of a car, machine etc; e.g. mark 2/6.

6. Ingenious – an ingenious plan, idea, invention etc is the result of clever thinking and new ideas, and works well; e.g. an ingenious way of making money

Translate into English:

Искусная работа, гениальный шедевр, искусная игра, искусное вождение, гениальное изобретение.

7. Treated plastics – plastics exposed to some technological processing to give them some new features.

8. Fortune – a very large amount of money; e.g. It will cost a fortune to develop.

Translate into English:

Эта машина стоит целое состояние.

Он унаследовал свое состояние от своего отца.

Я потратил целое состояние на эту эксцентричную особу.

9. To sell up-market – to sell something at a high price to a high social class or rich target group.

10. There is nothing that can touch it. – Nothing can compare with it.

11. To match the price – to compete in the price.

12. Coast to coast – both in Europe and the US, on both coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.

13. Peak hours – prime time.

14. Wording – the words and phrases used to express something; i.e. the exact wording of the contract.

15. Still – a peace of film equal to one photograph.

16. Contact sheet – a photograph.

17. To be camera-ready – to be ready for shooting a film.

II. Translate the new vocabulary into Russian.

III. Watch the film for the 1^st time.

IV. Give a proper Russian interpretation of the following sentences and phrases from the film. Try and avoid over-literal rendering.

1. I am going to introduce you to a completely new concept. – Я познакомлю вас с совершенно новой концепцией.

2. I shall outline our recommendations. – Я предложу наши рекомендации.

3. To make the product a success – обеспечить успешную реализацию товара.

4. Let’s begin with the background … – Давайте начнем с предыстории …

5. Oh no. – Не может быть.

6. So to sum up, … – Таким образом, …

7. To decide the character of the toy – решить, какая именно игрушка человеку нужна.

8. Let me introduce you a breakthrough in toy technology. – Разрешите представить вам новшество в технологии производства игрушек.

9. You can take a share in my incredible success. – Вы сможете разделить мой невероятный успех.

10. It’s a development of Big Boss. – Это усовершенствованный вариант Большого Босса.

11. At the touch of a button or even by voice control – при прикосновении к кнопке или даже при команде голосом.

12. It does look ingenious. – Он действительно выглядит очень искусно.

13. I think it’s a real breakthrough. – Я считаю, что это выдающееся достижение / настоящий прорыв.

14. They are much more adaptable than the Big Boss material. – Они гораздо более податливые, чем материалы, из которых изготовлен Большой Босс.

15. It will cost three times as much as Big Boss. – Это будет стоить в три раза больше, чем Большой Босс.

16. It is selling up-market. – Он реализуется по высшей ценовой категории.

17. There is nothing that can touch it. – Нет ничего, что могло бы сравниться с ним.

18. They cannot match our price. – Они не могут конкурировать с нами в цене.

19. Big Boss is going to be coast to coast at peak hours every day in the new year. – Большой Босс будет появляться на телеэкране по обе стороны океана в самое популярное время в течение всего следующего года.

20. These colours work very well. – Сочетание этих красок производит хороший эффект.

21. On the display – на выставочном стенде / на показе.

22. There are plenty of options. – Есть масса вариантов.

V. Watch the film for the 2^nd time.

VI. Answer some questions on the film.

1. Where did Kate hold the presentation?

2. Who formed the audience?

3. What was the objective of the presentation?

4. How did Kate begin the presentation?

5. What was the agenda of the presentation? (a. market research that preceded the emergence of Big Boss; b. technical developments, the production and the marketing strategy; c. special recommendations on dealing with the new product on the American market.)

6. What result of the presentation did Kate anticipate? (Perhaps the audience was supposed to trust in Big Boss and its great future on their market, as well as to know how to achieve a success.)

7. What was the aim of Jenny Ross’ call to Phil Watson?

8. What kind of background information did she give Phil?

9. What exactly did she request Phil to do?

10. Let’s return to the presentation. Do you remember the conclusion Kate made after stating the background of the market research? (The market was ready for the new hi-tech product.)

11. As we know, just after that Kate got down to a physical demonstration of Big Boss. So what did the toy say?

12. Meantime, what was Derek Jones going to negotiate with the Managing Director?

13. In your opinion, did he choose the right time to present Big Boss Mark 2? Why do you think so? (A decent opinion is that it was not a proper time to get scattered onto fantastic future projects when everyone else in the company was thinking about the launch deadline of Mark 1.)

14. How did the 2nd model compare with the 1st one? / How did it differ from the 1st one? What emotions did it have? (happiness, sadness, anger and fatigue) How could the emotional state be activated by a user?

15. Did Clive approve the idea of Derek? How did he convey his admiration with the fruit of Derek’s efforts?

16. How did Derek himself estimate his advanced modification?

17. Were there any technological problems to manufacture Big Boss Mark 2? What plastics were to be used? What new feature were they supposed to give to Big Boss?

18. How did Clive estimate the costs of the new toy?

19. Did Derek have the same viewpoint on the prospective expenses?

20. Could the Research and Development Manager over-persuade the Managing Director that Mark 2 could make profits?

21. Once again let’s get back to Kate’s presentation. What did the Sales Manager emphasize to conclude the presentation? (strengths of Bibury Systems and weaknesses of their rivals.)

22. Will you please repeat after her what the company’s strengths are? (a. exclusivity and originality of the product, a breakthrough in the toy industry; b. extensive and heterogeneous target group).

23. Now will you please outline the competitors’ weak points? (a. they cannot provide a similar technology level; b. they cannot match Bibury Systems’ prices; c. they cannot compete with their television advertising campaign).

24. By the way, what did Ms. McKenna tell the audience about their TV advertising campaign in the US?

25. Did Don approve the wording and colours of the display unit during his talk with Phil Watson?

26. Was Don happy about all the 3 pictures of Big Boss? Were there any alternatives to the 3rd still?

27. Did Mr. Bradley suggest postponing or bringing forward the day of shooting a commercial?

28. What deadline did Don set up? Was it feasible for R.U.Y.J. Advertising to meet it?

VII. Please devise some subject of a presentation you could arrange as a manager of Sales and Marketing Department. This subject could be whatever striking novelty you might have heard of lately, or just a pen with some innovative feature that makes it somewhat unique, washing powder, make-up etc. You can use the product itself or just its picture. It’s up to you. You are not expected to describe technical characteristics in detail because you have done it in the unit “Explaining how something works”. Make a focus on the marketing concept of SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as USP: unique selling proposition, that is to say what makes your product different from your competitors’ goods[13].