appunti esame inglese 2, in particolare relativo al testo consigliato: The language of advertising

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The language of advertising

The nature of advertising

The aim of all these advertisements is to draw attention to particular products or services through announcements paid for by an individual or a group wishing to inform or influence a particular audience. To succeed in a competitive market, they must be better or more persuasive than their rivals. Their marketing campaigns seek to encourage ‘customer loyalty’ by establishing a clear and distinctive image and identity which will make their products or services stand out from equivalent brands produced by other companies.

Advertisers focus their advertising on particular groups of people. They may divide people by age, gender, race, or social class. Such groupings help advertisers to target the people most likely to buy their products. Research has shown that people remember particular advertisements if the product is different, if the advertisement itself is unusual, or if the advertisement has some personal relevance. Often the initial impact will be caused by the visual content and the overall design, but it is the use of language that will ensure that the product or service identity and the brand name are remembered. Typically, the language of advertising is positive, unreserved, and colloquial. Advertisers choose vivid concrete words and make their copy memorable by using figurative language and non-standard spellings.

Because advertisements are designed to appeal to ‘typical’ members of certain groups, they use stereotypes.

The function of advertising

The main function of advertising is to persuade; its subordinate function is to provide information. Different kinds of advertising use different techniques to persuade and inform. In each case, the function of the advertisement is to persuade you to buy.

• Charities (collecting funds; attracting support and voluntary helpers);
• Commercial companies (selling goods and services);
• Government (giving information);
• Media (attracting a target audience);
• Event organisers (promoting events and demonstrations);
• Political parties (winning votes);
• Private individuals (selling and purchasing goods and services; announcing personal events and occasions);
• Schools, colleges, universities (informing prospective students of courses, facilities, and future career possibilities).

Features of advertising language

It’s always important to establish:

• The advertiser (logo, slogan, brand name, distinctive colour or image);
• The target audience (age, gender, social status);
• The function of the advertisement or its message;
• The selling techniques: a product-based approach praises the features of a product or service, an audience-based approach.