Download The Language of Advertising

The Language of Advertising
Advertisers use a variety of language techniques to get our attention
and make us remember their ads.
Alliteration: the repetition of the same sound in consecutive words
Example: Sassy, sexy, sophisticated Sassoon Shampoo (“S” is soothing, soft sound)
Rhyme: Rhyme gives the message in an upbeat, lively tempo, making it
more interesting and appealing. Rhyme also helps people to remember important
words from the ad.
Slogan: A slogan is a phrase that is repeated in a series of advertisements.
Because of the repetition, the slogan is easily remembered and is soon
clearly identified with the product.
Examples: American Express – “Don’t leave home without it.”
Kit Kat – “Have a break. Have a Kit Kat.”
Repetition: Besides the repetition of sounds in alliteration and rhyme, and
the repetition of slogans, advertisers also repeat the name of their
product or other key words throughout their advertisements.
Example: Sleeptight mattress ads repeat Sleeptight and words like quality and
comfort.
Pun or Word Plays: a pun is a play on words that sound similar, but have
different meanings. Example: “I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his
hammer and saw.”
Sentence Fragments: an incomplete sentence. Writers normally must avoid
using sentence fragments, but fragments are often used in
advertisements. Advertisers use fragments to make the language sound
conversational, chatty and informal.
Language of Advertising: Exercise
Find at least one example of advertising language techniques used in each sample ad.
a. Hi! George Pardy here. You know, we folks out here in Cumberland County really
like fried chicken. Home style. That’s why we head on over to Grandma’s Country
Barn whenever we get a hankerin’ for chicken. Yessir, that’s chicken. Country
style, or I’m a city-slicker.
Technique used: _____________________
b. “Just do it” (Nike)
Technique used: ______________________
c. Roads Scholar. The Volkswagen Jetta is the first affordable German road car.
Which makes it a very smart car to drive…The Jetta is not just a smart car to drive.
It’s also a very smart car to buy. The new Jetta. $7,995.
Technique used: _____________________
d. “Madame Grille. The first microwave oven designed by the first lady of
microwave. The Madame Grille satisfies my every requirement of an ideal
microwave oven…” Madame Grille, gourmet cook, cookbook author, and food
chemist…Panasonic…just slightly ahead of our time.”
Technique used: _____________________
e. “I’m lovin’ it” (Macdonald’s)
Technique used: _____________________
f. “Makes your soup souperb! You just can’t miss when you add a little Swiss. Don’t
forget the cheese.” (From an advertisement for the National Dairy Board).
Technique used: _____________________
g. “Crystal watch. For the time of your life.” (Watch company)
Technique used: _____________________
h. “Slim-fast – who has the time to slim slowly?” (Diet shakes)
Technique used: _______________________