Task 3. Reading
Read the text and answer the questions:
Brands In many ways, logos have become a kind of international language. Most people around the world could identify the Shell or Esprit logo: we are united by what companies sell to us. Not surprisingly, perhaps, an increasing number of people complain that 'there is no escape from brands'. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, big brands tend to squeeze out small, independent businesses. In addition, their branches tend to spread rapidly and occupy more and more space in our cities. Another reason is that advertising today is not just about selling products: it is about selling a dream, a message. The point of brand-stretching is that you do not really build brands around products, but around reputation. So, for example, you can go to your Virgin bank, visit a Virgin record shop, buy a Virgin cola, and get on a Virgin train. Naturally, such a strategy has its risks. Dissatisfaction with one product can reflect badly on the brand: if Virgin trains are late, people may lose confidence in Virgin banks. Or if you discover that your expensive pair of trainers are made by underpaid teenagers working in terrible conditions in a third-world country, you may begin to question the brand that claims to sell to you 'a healthy way of life'.
Questions:
4. What is a potential risk of brand-stretching, according to the text?