How can discourse analysis be used to improve advertising language?

1 What is discourse analysis?

Discourse analysis is a broad and interdisciplinary field that draws from various disciplines such as linguistics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and communication. It is not a single method, but rather a set of approaches and perspectives that share a common interest in the social aspects of language use. Discourse analysis can be applied to different levels of language, from words and sentences to texts and conversations, and to different types of data, such as spoken, written, or multimodal. Discourse analysis can also be done from different angles, such as focusing on the structure, function, meaning, or interaction of language.

2 Why is discourse analysis relevant for advertising?

Advertising is a form of discourse that aims to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of potential customers. Advertising language is not neutral or objective, but rather loaded with values, emotions, and ideologies. Advertising language also has to adapt to different audiences, contexts, and media, and to compete with other messages in the market. Therefore, advertising language is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that requires careful analysis and evaluation. Discourse analysis can help advertisers understand how language works in advertising, and how it can be used to create more effective and persuasive messages.

3 How to analyze advertising discourse?

When analyzing advertising discourse, it is important to begin by identifying your research question or goal. This will help you determine which kind of advertising discourse to analyze, and which methods and tools to use. Qualitative or quantitative methods can be employed, depending on the research question and goal. Analytical tools such as textual analysis, discourse analysis, and multimodal analysis can be used to examine the linguistic features, social and cultural aspects, and interaction of different modes and media in the advertising text. Finally, interpret and evaluate your findings to answer your research question or goal, as well as inform practice or recommendations for improving advertising language.

4 How to improve advertising language?

When analyzing advertising discourse, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your own or others' language and suggest ways to improve it. You should consider knowing your audience, product, context, purpose, and competitors to tailor your language. For example, you can use different levels of formality or familiarity depending on your audience's age or gender. You can also highlight product features, benefits, and advantages with descriptive, emotive, or evaluative language. Additionally, you can adapt your language to fit the constraints, opportunities, and challenges of your context by using different lengths, formats, or channels. Moreover, you can align your language with your goals and objectives by using different types of appeals such as logical, emotional, or ethical. Finally, you can differentiate yourself from competitors by using different types of claims such as factual, comparative, or superlative.

5 How to test and measure advertising language?

After you have improved your advertising language, you may want to measure its effectiveness and impact. You can use pre-testing methods such as focus groups, interviews, surveys, or experiments to see how your target audience responds before launch. Post-testing can be done after launch to evaluate performance and outcomes, using feedback, ratings, reviews, or analytics. A/B testing can be used to compare two or more versions of your advertising language based on desired metrics such as clicks, conversions, or sales; split testing, multivariate testing, or sequential testing might be used depending on variables and criteria.