Advertising - the Features

Advertising Language is characterised by the following features. In any given advertisement these features may appear or be largely absent, such is the great variety of advertising copy. However these features may be said to be typical of advertising in general. even advertisements which do not use the traditional features to attract inform and persuade may be described as being in contrast to the traditional features. Some modern advertisements appear to be almost dissuading consumers from their product - but this is a technique used as a determined way of not conforming to tradition. See Benetton, Marmite. Hyperbole - exaggeration, often by use of adjectives and adverbs. Frequent use of adjectives and adverbs A limited range of evaluative adjectives includes new, clean, white, real, fresh, right, natural, big, great, slim, soft, wholesome, improved .... Neologisms ( coined word or phrases to extend the existing meaning) may have novelty impact, eg Beanz Meanz Heinz, Cookability, Schweppervescence, Tangoed, Wonderfuel ... Long noun phrases, frequent use of pre and post modifiers for descriptions. Short sentences for impact on the reader. This impact is especially clear at the beginning of a text, often using bold or large type for the "Headline" or "slogan" to capture the attention of the reader. Ambiguity is common. This may make a phrase memorable and re-readable. Ambiguity may be syntactic (the grammatical structure) or semantic (puns for example). Weasel words are often used. These are words which suggest a meaning without actually being specific. One type is the open comparative: "Brown's Boots Are Better" (posing the question "better than what?"); another type is the bogus superlative: "Brown's Boots are Best" (posing the question "rated alongside what?") Look out for the following Weasel words: helps enriched tested traditional like worth guaranteed home-made virtually fresh scientific organic

Use of Imperatives: "Buy Brown's Boots Now!" Euphemisms :"Clean Round the Bend" for a toilet cleaner avoids comment on "unpleasant" things. The classic exampe is "B.O" for "body odour" (in itself a euphemism for "smelly person") Avoidance of negatives (advertising normally emphasises the positive side of a product - though see Marmite, Tango, Benetton, for whom it seems that all publicity is good) Simple and Colloquial language: "It ain't half good" to appeal to ordinary people, though it is in fact often complex and deliberately ambiguous.

Familiar language: use of second person pronouns to address an audience and suggest a friendly attitude. Present tense is used most commonly, though nostalgia is summoned by the simple past Simple vocabulary is most common, my mate Marmite, with the exception of technical vocabulary to emphasise the scientific aspects of a product (computers medicines and cars but also hair and cleaning products) which often comes as a complex noun phrase, the new four wheel servo-assisted disc brakes. Repetition of the brand name and the slogan, both of which are usually memorable by virtue of alliteration, finger of fudge, the best four by four by far; rhyme, mean machine, the cleanest clean it's ever been; rhythm, drinka pinta milka day syntactic parallelism, stay dry, stay happy association, fresh as a mountain stream Humour. This can be verbal or visual, but aims to show the product positively. Verbal Puns wonderfuel and graphic juxtapositions are common. Glamorisation is probably the most common technique of all. "Old" houses become charming, characterful, olde worlde or unique. "Small" houses become compact, bijou, snug or manageable. Houses on a busy road become convenient for transport. A caf with a pavement table becomes a trattoria, moving up market aspires to be a restaurant, too cramped it becomes a bistro. Not enough room to serve it becomes a fast food servery. If the menu is English food it is likely to be traditional, home-baked or home made; if the menu is French the cake will be gateau, the potted meat pat, bits of toast in your soup will be croutons. The decor will be probably chic, possibly Provenal. Finally potency. David Ogilvy identifies the following words as giving news value, novelty and immediacy to a piece of copy. free suddenly it's here improvement remarkable miracle quick challenge bargain now announcing just arrived amazing revolutionary magic easy advice to hurry how to introducing important development sensational startling offer wanted compare last chance

Vance Packard (1960) memorably said: "The cosmetic manufacturers are not selling lanolin, they are selling hope ... we no longer buy oranges, we buy vitality. We do not just buy an auto, we buy prestige."

Make a scrapbook of advertisements you have collected showing how all the above are used in practice. Make the scrapbook large enough to hold a full page advertisement in the centre and make notes in the margin around it. What is the greatest number of the above features you can find in a single advertisement?

How effective are the features in persuading or inclining you towards the product or service?

Spelling in Advertising
In the twentieth century spelling (traditional orthography) has undergone few changes. The dictionary, accepted as the guide to intelligent usage, has enshrined a fixed spelling to virtually all our words. US English has given us some uses such as program which have been adopted together with their US spelling, into British English. Some words take -ise and others -ize, while in some cases either can be used. Look at advertise, surprise, synchronize and criticize. Words using ligatures such as "" have recently been simplified into encyclopedia and medieval. Trade and product names, however, are not held back by the dictionary and frequently demonstrate creative spelling and blending of words. Here are some words recently found in a Yellow Pages directory. What conclusions do you draw from reading these words? What kind of products or market is being targetted? Are these neologisms effective? What linguistic devices do these names use for their effect? Filofax Persil Color Bettacars luxicabs Fenfones (East Anglia) U-Drive Mobiloo Rentaloo Aussie Drycoat Klix (drinks) Eye Spy Security Services Excell (cellnet telephones) Budjet (cut price air flights) Klearvu Glazztek (car windows) Easiclean Dur-a-clean Duracell techniflo Ecowater Morvend (vending materials) MaxPax (vending materials) Signrite Walkrite Xpress Bar BQ BBQ Geoff's Plaice (fish and chip shop)

while-u-wait Kwik Fit Fast-Fit hozelock kleeneezee fish 'n' chips spud-u-like Tack 'n' Togs Rentokil Drizabone Toys r Us Turf Is Us Oz-Icle (Australian-made container for cooling drinks) Grin 'n' wear It (tattoos)

In groups, find two advertisements and comment on the language used in the oral presentation.
Language aspects: Headlines / slogans does it capture attentions? Whos attention? Is it informative /emotional/ arouse curiosity? Neologism (coined words) words that are put together to extend the existing meaning eg: Cookability, Wonderfuel, Fantabulous, Imperatives eg Buy Browns Boots Now! Hurry! While stocks last! Use of adjectives Use of adverbs Use of compound words eg: blackbird, cookbook, Literary devices such as repetition, rhyme, personification, methaphor.