ESL Podcast 872 - A Publicity Stunt
costume - clothing and accessories worn to change one's appearance so that one appears to be another person, character, or object, especially for Halloween
The children are going to be in a school play, but their parents have to make the costumes.
publicity stunt - an action or event designed to gain attention from many people and/or the media
As a publicity stunt, the bakery has announced that it will bake the world's largest cake and then let visitors eat a piece of it for free.
to dress up as - to put on special clothing and accessories so that one appears to be another person, character, or object
Harold is going to dress up as an elephant for the costume party.
media coverage - a measure of the number of articles and news stories reported in newspapers, magazines, television programs, and on the Internet about a particular person, business, or event
The event received a lot of media coverage last year, so we expect even more people to attend this year.
grand opening - an event or celebration on the first day (or the first few days) when a business opens, often with speeches and a party-like atmosphere
During the grand opening of the grocery store, shoppers received a lot of free samples and coupons.
to attract - to pull something toward oneself; to cause someone or something to become interested in oneself and move toward oneself
Yukihiro says that Judy's eyes were what first attracted him to her.
attention - a measure of how much people are noticing someone or something without being distracted by other things
Students, please pay attention. This is important.
on hand - available and ready; present
I don't have enough cash on hand to pay for lunch. Could you please loan me a few dollars?
sound bite - a short section of an audio (and sometimes video) recording with interesting information, repeated in news stories
The news programs are all repeating the same sound bites from the candidate. How can we find more detailed information about her ideas?
photo op - a photo opportunity; a situation or event that is attractive to photographers and makes a business or individual look good
Habitat for Humanity is an organization that builds homes for poor families, and whenever they give the keys to new owners, there's a great photo op.
to tie into - to connect or relate to; to be relevant to
Jeremiah has an interesting idea for a new product, but it doesn't really tie into our other products.
marketing campaign - a coordinated, organized effort to make people more familiar with a product or service, and to make them want to buy it
Many sugary cereals use cartoon characters in their marketing campaigns to appeal to young children.
along the lines of - similar to; related to; such as
When you said you were a college student, I thought you'd be taking classes along the lines of chemistry, history, and literature, not pottery and weight-lifting.
contest - a competition where people try to win something, sometimes based on luck and sometimes based on skill or achievement
The school is having a contest to see which child can guess how many candies are in the jar.
giveaway - something that is given away to people for free, especially to promote an organization or idea
Inexpensive pens with logos are a great giveaway for banks and other financial institutions.
media attention - articles and news stories reported in newspapers, magazines, television programs, and the Internet about a person, business, or event
Let's make sure the CEO is comfortable speaking to reporters about the new company changes before we get any more media attention.
to skydive - to jump out of an airplane with special equipment so slow down one's fall so that one can land safely
Sharon is too scared to go skydiving, because she's afraid the parachute won't open.