Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS a study on mataphorical expressions in english advertising slogans from the semantic approach

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - - NGUYỄN THỊ CHI MAI A STUDY ON METAPHORICAL EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH ADVERTISING SLOGANS FROM THE SEMANTIC APPROACH (NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC BIỂU THỨC ẨN DỤ SỬ DỤNG TRONG CÁC KHẨU HIỆU QUẢNG CÁO BẰNG TIẾNG ANH TỪ PHƯƠNG DIỆN NGỮ DỤNG HỌC) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60.22.15 HANOI – 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - - NGUYỄN THỊ CHI MAI A STUDY ON METAPHORICAL EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH ADVERTISING SLOGANS FROM THE SEMANTIC APPROACH (NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC BIỂU THỨC ẨN DỤ SỬ DỤNG TRONG CÁC KHẨU HIỆU QUẢNG CÁO BẰNG TIẾNG ANH TỪ PHƯƠNG DIỆN NGỮ DỤNG HỌC) Field: English Linguistics Code: 60.22.15 Supervisor: Asoc.Prof Nguyen Xuan Thom, PhD HANOI – 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES Figure 1: A model of interpersonal verbal communication (Roman Jakobson, 1960) Figure 2: Vaseline Intensive Care Blend Figure 3: Red Bull Blend Figure 4: Lexus Blend Figure 5: Citi Bank Blend TABLES Table 1: The calculated frequency of advertising slogans in each metaphor type Table 2: The general frequency of each metaphor type in the whole forty slogans of four groups Table 3: The frequency of each sub-types of Conceptual Metaphor in each group Table 4: The analysis of target domain, source domain and metaphor concepts in 11 slogans of new and mixed conventional metaphors LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY OF STUDY PROJECT REPORT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale 2 Research questions and aims of the study Scope of the study Research methodology Design of the study CHAPTER I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: METAPHORS AND THE USE OF METAPHORS IN ADVERTISING Definitions of metaphor and promotional metaphor Kinds of metaphors Previous studies on Metaphor in Advertising CHAPTER II AN ANALYSIS ON METAPHOR EXPLOITATION IN ADVERTISING SLOGANS 14 Advertising slogan: A crucial part of an advertisement 14 The exploitation of metaphors in advertising slogans 16 Hypotheses 18 Procedures 19 The analysis 21 CHAPTER III RESULTS AND FINDINGS 27 The result 27 Discussion and findings 30 Conclusion 33 CHAPTER IV SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 35 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com INTRODUCTION “Advertising, your right to choose!” American Advertising Association-CNN Despite the best-seller position of “The fall of advertising, the rise of PR” (Alries Rises & Laura Rises), advertising has been remaining an integral part in the global economy As an old slogan has put it, “Advertising, your right to choose!” advertising has been always considered as one of the most crucial tools in any marketing campaign Advertising, through the process of informing customers, spreading and enhancing brand awareness, helps offer consumers a freedom of choice for various products To fulfill these tasks, advertising needs the exploitation of language as the foundation to realize all creative ideas In fact, advertising‟s linguistic creativity is most effectively expressed through advertising slogans, where its functions of spreading information and enhancing brand awareness are well semantically served The number of linguistic devices exploited in advertising slogans has been truly increasing owing to the marketers‟ preference to convey their product messages in an implicit, rather than explicit way Metaphor “Let your fingers the walking” (Yellow pages-1964) Simile “Sleeping on a Seely is like sleeping on a cloud” (Seely mattresses) Contradiction ”Annoy the neighbors Turn it down” (JFM Radio Station) Imperatives “Just it!” (Nike) Chiasmus "I am stuck on Band-Aid, and Band-Aid's stuck on me." (Band-Aid bandages) "You like it It likes you." (Seven-Up soft drink) In this implicit way of expressing ideas, the slogans‟ messages become more impressive and persuasive It really helps marketers assert their comparative advantages in comparison with both LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com their direct competitors and new entrants in the industry Among of different linguistic features namely simile, metaphor, chiasmus, implicature or even presupposition, metaphor is preferably used owing to its ability of generating belief, and enhancing products‟ and services‟ images from Semantics perspective Yet, quite little research on marketing literature and linguistic appliance has discussed about the nature and effectiveness of metaphors in advertising in general and in slogans in particular This study, hence, is carried out to discuss the effectiveness of metaphor in English advertising slogans and its comprehension in promotional context Rationale Advertising slogans have proven their importance in both generating sales volume and creating a great impression on customers‟ mind In any companies-whether they are of small, or medium size, and any industries-service or trade, advertising slogans turns out to be the very first thing to add further values to the products To create an understandable, meaningful and useful slogan, the exploitation of most fields in language is involved These include pragmatics, lexicology, phonology, syntax and so on The linguistic features help transmit the message in an implicit way, avoiding the violation of the Law of Truth Based on the acknowledgement of all linguistic devices exploited in slogans, the study is conducted to investigate the employment of metaphors in advertising slogans from a Semantic approach Research questions and aims of the study 2.1 Research questions Dealing with the study of different kinds of metaphor, the researcher has established several research questions to ensure the orientation of the roadmap In fact, based on the business context, studying advertising slogans requires quite specific research questions as well as clear study aims With the foundation of all the literature review studied and the samples collected, three research questions have been established: What kind of metaphor represents the most frequently chosen by advertisers and marketers? What are the strengths (or weaknesses, if any) of each kind of metaphor exploited in advertising slogans? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 What kind of metaphor represents the wisest choice for the slogans in specific classified groups? 2.2 Aims of the study The study deals with the employment of different metaphor types based on Lakeoff and Johnson‟s theory (1980) In this work, a classification of metaphors is presented, and then is applied in the study of a collection of 40 advertising slogans from English-speaking countries or global brands To find out the answer for the research questions proposed, the study specifically aims at: (i) quantitatively identifying the frequency of different metaphor types exploited in slogans to find out which kind is most favored by advertisers and marketers (ii) investigating the target domain, source domain and metaphor concepts in each slogans to discover the strengths (or weaknesses, if any) of each metaphor type when applied in advertising (iii) placing the analysis of each metaphorical slogan in its group context to see which type represent the smartest choice for each classification of products Scope of the study In this study, the analysis is (i) a semantic analysis which bases itself on a semantic approach and Lakeoff and Johnson‟s theory of metaphors and (ii) a hypothesis-testing analysis on each type of metaphors used in international advertising slogans For this reason, the study primarily deals with researching matters from a semantic approach Furthermore, since the study takes hypothesis testing as one of the two main methods, it is somehow deductive and subjective Nevertheless, all the predictions and inferences are made based on the theory and previous studies of linguistics and advertising As the exploitation of linguistic features in advertising slogans is quite huge and diversified, and the number of slogans has been increasing year after year, the analysis is supposed to be selective rather than comprehensive in three senses: (i) only four groups of products and services are chosen, (ii) only 10 slogans of each group are selected as typical samples and (iii) in each group, just some cases are picked up for a further in-depth study Research methodology The research is based on the combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods The choice originates from the fact that the use of quantitative method helps us to build up a general LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com picture over all the selected cases and the exploitation of qualitative analysis allows us to painstakingly research each specific case Hence, a quantification to synthesize all metaphor patterns in each case In fact, it really helps us to fulfill the task of defining frequencies of each type of metaphor in use After using quantification and classification to identify the frequencies and divide selected slogans into groups of types and sub-types, three predictions would be made and proven later based on the result of the classification Design of the study Apart from the Introduction and Conclusion to begin and conclude the study, the thesis comprises three chapters, each of which is supposed to serve a specific function The Introduction serves as an explanation for the reason why the study is conducted, and worth being carried out In addition, the thesis also states the aims and objectives of the study, as well as the research questions and the scope of the study, which are considered as a significant roadmap for the research Chapter one will begin by stating the definition of metaphors and promotional metaphor In addition, the typical classification of metaphors by Lakeoff and Johnson is asserted as a theory base for the specific classification of metaphor types exploited in 40 selected slogans This chapter also reflects different previous studies on advertising and advertisements, in which the linguistic devices receive the greatest attention Chapter two centers on the slogans‟ significance to advertising and to the producers‟ reputation Also, in this chapter, an analysis of 40 slogans selected from four fields is conducted As it is carried out in the form of a hypothesis-testing research, some predictions are proposed beforehand and latter on, are proved through the classification Finally, chapter three presents all the results and findings, which have been proved and obtained from the analysis conducted in chapter two This chapter plays the role of a harvest for all what have been achieved The last part Conclusion provides a full summary of all what have been gained through the study and suggest some prospects for future researches The study is covered by a list of advertising slogans that are selected for study and a table analyzing the target domain, source domain and typical metaphor concepts of conceptual/conventional metaphor-the type of the most frequent use LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: METAPHORS AND THE USE OF METAPHORS IN ADVERTISING Definitions of metaphor and promotional metaphor Metaphor expressions abound in most aspects of life: in daily conversations, in literature, and even in other fields In fact, according to Lakeoff and Johnson, “metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action.” (1980:3) Owing to its mass appearance in different fields, the study of metaphor has long been of great interest to other disciplines These prominently include philosophy (for a review of historical and recent perspectives see Johnson 1981), psychology (for reviews see Billow 1977, Ortony 1979), or linguistics (e.g., see Lakeoff and Johnson 1980) In general, metaphor is a figure of speech concisely expressed by an implied analogy between two objects or ideas, conveyed by the use of a word instead of another Or, stated in a “working definition”, metaphor in Murray Knowles and Rosamund Moon‟s eyes is viewed as “the use of language to refer to something other than what it was originally applied to, or what it „literally‟ means, in order to suggest some resemblance or make a connection between the two things” Usually, three components are included in a metaphor: the tenor (or object), the vehicle (or image), and the ground (or sense) Let‟s analyze the following example to further understand how these components work In accordance with I A Richards‟example, these components are more clearly understood: All the world‟s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; — William Shakespeare, As You Like It In this metaphoric example, "the world" is compared to a stage, describing it with the attributes of “the stage”; hence, "the world" is the tenor, and "a stage" is the vehicle; "men and women" is a secondary tenor, "players" is the secondary vehicle In George Herbet‟s poetic sentence: “Hope is the poor man's bread.”, “hope” is the tenor, “bread” is the vehicle and the ground is “the necessity of poor man” As a socio-economic facet, advertising also exploits this figure of speech to the full for its purpose of informing and persuading customers in the process of selecting products In fact, this is quite understandable since the "Truth in advertising" laws make it highly desirable for advertisers to avoid making explicit statements that could be judged true or false; therefore LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com metaphors (and apparently other devices) are chosen to convey the manufacturers‟ messages In advertising, promotional metaphor is divided into visual metaphor (or pictorial metaphor) and textual metaphor In advertising, the latter, which is also my study‟s focus, in http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu, is defined as “a metaphor used to associate a product with a semantic domain which has positive connotations.” Kinds of metaphors Ways to classify metaphors vary greatly based on different approaches From Semantic approach, I think it‟s better to comprehend metaphors in Lakoff and Johnson‟s classification 2.1 Conceptual/Conventional metaphors Conceptual Metaphor Theory, sometimes called Cognitive Metaphor Theory, was developed by researchers within the field of cognitive linguists It became widely known with the publication of Metaphors We Live By, by Lakoff and Johnson, in 1980 Conceptual metaphor theory has since been developed and elaborated According to this theory, conceptual metaphor is perceived as a figurative comparison in which one idea (or conceptual domain) is understood in terms of another The fundamental basis of Conceptual Metaphor Theory is that metaphor operates at the level of thinking Conceptual metaphors link two conceptual domains, the „source‟ domain and the „target‟ domain The source domain consists of a set of literal entities, attributes, processes and relationships, linked semantically and apparently stored together in the mind The „target‟ domain tends to be abstract, and takes its structure from the source domain, through the metaphorical link, or „conceptual metaphor‟ Target domains are therefore believed to have relationships between entities, attributes and processes which mirror those found in the source domain At the level of language, entities, attributes and processes in the target domain are lexicalized using words and expressions from the source domain In the example: “Time is Money”, the metaphor uses everyday experience with money-the source domain to conceptualize time, an abstract entity, and herein, recognized as the target domain However, since the link between the target and the source is the metaphorical conceptualization, it is not always necessary to conceptualize time as money since according to many cultures‟ and societies‟ other concepts, time is not merely or priorly money and vice versus, money is not often metaphorically linked with time, but with other entities, as affirmed by Murray Knowles and Rosamund Moon, “Conceptual metaphors may be culture-specific” LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 30 just muscle (ABN AMRO Bank) "Some only Bank Person An object is a person offer umbrellas But Bank Julius Umbrellas Safety Abstract entities are Baer offers entities more” (Jullius Baer Bank) New Conventional Metaphor (Slogans and Metaphor Concepts) Transparent Drink Person An object is a person with a plastic (Red Bull) body No wonder it goes down well in Hollywood (Evian mineral water) Satisfaction Feeling Person comes from choosing your own road in life and sticking to it (Lexus) physical Table 4: The analysis of target domain, source domain and metaphor concepts in 11 slogans of new and mixed conventional metaphors Discussion and findings After all the 40 metaphorical slogans are analyzed and synthesized with all the facets-target domain, source domain, metaphor concepts as well as the meaning-in consideration, this section will have a look back at hypotheses proposed earlier 2.1 Finding 1-Hypothesis In general, the first hypothesis is proved to be obviously clear based on the data of 40 slogans selected and also gives a meaningful answer to the first research question Among three major types of metaphors, conceptual metaphor represent the most frequently selected by advertisers and marketers As seen in table 1, the number of conceptual metaphors employed is 28 out of 40 slogans, equivalent to 70 percent, as calculated in table In Fashion and Cosmetics, all ten slogans selected are conceptual metaphor expressions (100 per cent), and in the three other LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 31 groups, the percentage, although much lower, is still found quite a greatly outstanding favoritism: out of 10 slogans (60 percent) This certainly confirms an absolutely high frequency of conceptual metaphors in a certain quantity of advertisements in specific groups of commodities and services In all these slogans, typical conceptual metaphor concepts namely “Abstract is concrete” in ontological metaphor or “An object is a person” in personification or other types of more particular concepts ranging from “Physical objects are living entities” to “Feelings/Emotions are objects” are employed Put the fun back into driving-Vauxhall (Abstract is concrete) The Citi never sleeps-Citibank (An object is a person) The hypothesis‟s accuracy is proved through 40 English slogans taken from four selected groups, nevertheless, in order to apply the hypothesis for all English slogans in all other groups of traded commodities, manufactured products and services, it is still an open question that is in need of further in-depth updated researches (owing to the birth of new slogans every year) and a larger quantity of typical advertisements from all groups of worldwide products 2.2 Finding 2-Hypothesis The statistics obtained proves the partial accuracy of the hypothesis As stated in table3- the frequency of each sub-types of conceptual metaphor in each group, onto-logical metaphor accounts for 27 out of 29 conceptual metaphor slogans, whereas only one representative is recorded in both orientational metaphor and structural metaphor -Sight for Soaring Eyes-TransWorld Airways (Orientational Metaphor-Good is Up) -Life can get heavy Mascara shouldn‟t.-Maybeline (Structural Metaphor-Difficulties are Burdens) Certainly, this proved the accuracy of the hypothesis‟s very first part “there is an outstanding favor towards the ontological metaphor, where we find the typical concept: Abstract is Concrete,” but not the second one “and structural metaphor, where once concept is structured in terms of others, rather than the orientational metaphor, which involves the spatial orientation” In fact, as stated above, the onto-logical metaphor with the Abstract is Concrete concept really works when advertisers wish to seek a way to avoid the violation of the Law of Truth since every value of the product (feelings, emotions and even the effects) is understood by a concrete object or person that they quite know, trust or feel reliable Furthermore, this type of metaphor also LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 32 facilitates the consumers‟ involvement in the initial evaluation of the product through senses and feelings Nevertheless, the prediction that structural metaphor is preferred than orientational metaphor in English advertising slogans cannot be proved since they both have the equal quantity Hence, it can merely be concluded that a part of the hypothesis proposed is accurate, but not all This springs from advertisers‟ hope to assure the success and understandability of the slogans In fact, the statistics also indicates the strengths and weaknesses in a clear cut manner when we take all types of conceptual metaphors onto the scale As in the Finding 1-Hypothesis 1, the high frequency of conceptual metaphors applied in advertising slogans indicates their own strengththe familiarity and understandability However, as mentioned above, when it comes to analyzing sub-types of conceptual metaphors, structural metaphor concept, where one concept is structured in another concept, seems to be too difficult to perceive and easy to lead to ambiguity while orientational metaphor appears to be too showing-off with obvious positive trend: Good is Up, and Bad is Down 2.3 Finding 3-Hypothesis According to the statistics synthesized in table 1, and 5, the accuracy of the third hypothesis applied on 40 slogans selected is clearly proved There are totally slogans of mixed metaphors and slogans of new metaphors In the analysis of target domain, source domain and metaphor concepts of 11 slogans of new and mixed conventional metaphors, all of them are found to lend typical conceptual metaphor concepts namely Abstract is Concrete, or An Object is a Person or Abstract entities are Physical Entity More specific, let‟s first consider some samples of mixed metaphors exploited in the classified slogans -Some only offer umbrellas But Bank Julius Baer offers more-Jullius Baer Bank -Today's Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America.-Chevrolet In Jullius Baer Bank, we may immediately recognize the personification through the word “offer” A bank, a physical entity may conduct one kind of human-being actions:” offering” Here, the typical conceptual metaphor: An Object is a Person or exactly, A Physical Entity is a Living Entity is applied However, this is merely the first layer of the metaphorical expression‟s meaning The second layer lies in the metaphorical word: “umbrellas” In these slogans, “umbrellas” are understood as the things bringing you the protection and safety since it, in literal LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 33 meaning, can shield you from the rain, or the sunlight that threatens to burn your skin In the second layer, “umbrellas are safety” exploits the typical concept metaphor concept: Abstract is Concrete or Abstract Entities are Physical Entities Similarly, in Chevrolet‟s advertisement, America, a nation is understood as a person having a heart and the car is hiddenly compared with the heart-the most valuable health asset of a human-being In this case, the typical concept “Physical Entities are Living Entities” is tactfully applied to send the desired message In terms of new metaphors, although the number of slogans out of 40 is not so much for this type, the outstanding presence of conceptual metaphor concept in these slogans is undeniable -Satisfaction comes from choosing your own road in life and sticking to it.-Lexus The conventional metaphor “Life is a Journey” is employed in the slogans Nevertheless, the novelty added herein is elaborated through the action of urging the driver to choose the less traveled road and stay focused on it to reach the destination, rather than the preferably chosen route To be frankly, the mixture of different conventional conceptual metaphors or the novelty created by the elaboration, extension or combination based on typical metaphor concepts can not create an strangely poetic masterpiece as we often see in poems, however they really work in advertising Consumers surely find the slogans both familiar and extraordinary at the same time New and mixed conventional metaphors with conceptual concepts come naturally as the colors in daily life expressed in a rainbow frame Conclusion Along with the synthetic analysis, three hypotheses focusing on the frequent use of each metaphor type and sub-type have managed to answer to the research questions established in the beginning Whereas the first wonder about the most frequently chosen metaphor type is solved with the 70 per cent of appliance (28 out of 40 slogans analyzed), the second question still cause a confusion until the second hypothesis is done The understandability and familiarity of conceptual metaphors overweight the beauty of that the remaining types, which are often used in poets and novel since they are somehow quite an obstacle when consumers try to reach an indepth understanding of the product‟s message or values In fact, the main weakness that can be recognized of two types of metaphors-New/Novel Metaphors and Mixed Metaphors is its abstractness, which often leads to misunderstanding and ambiguity in the product‟s message LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 34 To answer the final research question, it is the consideration of all three hypotheses‟ findings and statistics Apparently, with the most frequent use, conceptual metaphors represent the most favored by marketers However, in terms of sub-types, compared to orientational metaphor and structural metaphor, ontological metaphor is the wisest choice With higher familiarity of personification, container metaphor, entity metaphor and the typical concept “Abstract is Concrete”, which customers often encounters in daily life, it can transfer the values of the product as well as the producer‟s message to consumers in a way that can both avoid the violation of the Law of Truth and give them a comfortable feelings LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 35 CHAPTER IV SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION In this final chapter, I would like to give a summary of the analysis of the data collected and draw out some conclusion that can be made, as well as add some prospects for further research This is quite necessary since it plays as an overview of the whole research, not for moving ahead but entirely serving the aim to stand back and reflect what have been gained so far To discover the use of metaphors in advertising context and also the strengths and weaknesses of each type, the thesis has provided a classification of metaphors, according to types and subtypes The classification is based on the theory of Lakeoff and Johnson (1980), putting slogans of conceptual/conventional metaphors, mixed metaphors and new metaphors into group Following this classification, another minor dissection of conceptual/conventional metaphors is conducted to further conceptual/conventional slogans classified into sub-types of onto-logical, structural and orientational As for mixed metaphors and new metaphors, this classification is not applied owing to the limited quantity of relevant slogans For the purpose of the classifying and analyzing job, this thesis choose 40 advertising slogans, all of which originates from international brands In order to get a comprehensive picture of advertising slogans in the marketing context, the slogans are selected from four different fields ranging from Fashion & Cosmetics, Food and Beverages, Transportation and Finance & Banking The number of slogans is equally distributed (10 slogans) in each field To provide a sound view over selected slogans, the thesis has chosen advertisements from the essential commodity type, which often has a great influence on customers‟ reaction and own a great contact with consumers in daily life After all 40 slogans are classified into types and sub-types, an analysis of the target domain, source domain and metaphor concept is conducted This step proves quite effective to confirm the right classification In fact, all 40 slogans have the conventional/conceptual sense in their metaphor expressions; hence, the mistake between new conventional metaphor, mixed conventional metaphor and conventional/conceptual metaphor is quite visible The analysis of target, source and metaphor concept somehow helps the writer avoid being off the track in classifying metaphor types When done with the classification, the thesis turns to proposing some LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 36 predictions of the analysis There are three hypothesis suggested herein Most of them focus on the frequency of each type of metaphor over the others To be frank, although these are mere predictions, it is quite vital to prove their accuracy since it can help to define which type is suitable for slogans in some specific groups The result, amazingly appears to be quite matched with the hypotheses stated earlier, especially in the sense that conventional metaphors are favored than other types of metaphor The results attained from the analysis also enable us to discover some notable issues which are presented hereafter First, the number of conceptual/conventional metaphors exploited in international advertising slogans is quite huge, in all four selected fields However, the percentage of conceptual metaphor in Fashion & Cosmetics is quite outstanding-100 per cent, compared to 60 per cent in Food and Beverages, and Finance & Banking and 70 per cent in Transportation This has truly reflected the high approachability of conceptual/conventional metaphorical expressions in marketing context Obviously, the conventional expressions appear to be quite familiar with customers since they base themselves on the consumers‟ acknowledgeable things and views The exploitation of conceptual/conventional metaphors, therefore, enables advertisers to transmit the messages in an amazingly understandable way, by which the customers feel the familiarity with their daily lives in an advertising sense Second, in these conceptual/convention metaphors, the superiority of on-to logical sub-type, rather than structural and orientational is recorded This helps strengthen customers‟ ability to understand advertising slogans, presented in typical metaphor concepts ranging from personification, entity metaphor or container metaphor It also reveals the fact that advertising slogans expressed in Abstract is Concrete is quite more easily approachable and consumersfriendly than other sub-types Moreover, the favoritism towards personification shows the tendency of turning the products into human-being or pathetic creatures, which are quite closed to their daily contacting LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 37 Third, the exploitation of typical conceptual factors is acknowledged in new metaphors (often elaborated and extended) and mixed metaphors This, again, proves the tendency of prioritizing customers‟ understandability Every advertising slogan is a creative masterpiece, however, in the condition that consumers can understand the transmitted messages, even when the messages are expressed in new metaphors or mixed metaphors In 23 per cent of mixed metaphors and percent of new metaphors exploited, the convention factors prove their strength when bringing customers a sense of familiarity and novelty at the same time The research has proven both the highly frequent use of metaphors in advertising slogans and the application of their sub-types in each field of products and services In terms of prospects for further researches, the research can be continued in quite many ways For example, there can be a research conducting an in-depth analysis on all kinds of metaphors, or just one type, or subtype used in each separated field mentioned in this thesis Or, there may be a study on the different use of metaphors in English and Vietnamese advertising slogans, or the influence of metaphor use in advertising on culture In fact, metaphor is quite like a “mine”, in which we can never reach the bottom or discover all related matters This, also, confirms the rightness of advertisers‟ choice when exploiting metaphors in advertising contexts With one stone, they are able to kill two birds: transmit the value and make a great impression on consumers‟ mind LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com I APPENDIX LIST OF SELECTED ADVERTISING SLOGANS Fashion & Cosmetics 1-One drop of perfume, one ocean of love (Mori-Perfume) 2-Without perfume, the skin is mute (Perfume) 3-Quench Your Thirst Skin (Lancome) 4-J‟, beauty lies within (J‟) 5-Johnsons and Johnsons: Say Hello to your child‟s new body guard 6-The shoe your feet is aching for (Bata) 7- Life can get heavy Mascara shouldn‟t (Maybeline) 8- Comfort is in the eye of the beholder (Focus Contact Lense) 9- It‟s always nice to rub it when someone‟s feeling a bit rough (Vaseline Intensive Care) 10-Lifts and Separates (She Weds Bra) Food and Beverages 1-It Gives You Wings (Red Bull) 2-Obey your thirst (Sprite) 3-Refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach (Heineken) 4-Keep hunger locked up till lunch (Shreddies Cereal) 5-The joy of Cola (Pepsi) 6-The pause that refreshes (Coca-Cola) 7- Transparent with a plastic body No wonder it goes down well in Hollywood (Evian mineral water) 8-Bags of taste without the handles (Weight Watchers frozen desserts) 9- Pleasure is the path to joy (Haagen-Dazs, ice cream brand) 10- Because Life‟s full of surprise (Life) Transportation 1-Introducing Sedan with the heart of a lion (Sedan) 2-Volvo cut the prices of parts and eases labor pains (Volvo) 3- Fly the friendly skies (United Airlines) 4- Sight for Soaring Eyes (Trans World Airways) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com II 5- Put the fun back into driving (Vauxhall) 6-Let the train takes the strain 7- Satisfaction comes from choosing your own road in life and sticking to it (Lexus) "Today's Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America." (Chevrolet) "The lion leaps from strength to strength" (Peugeot) 10 "Nissan Trucks: The Hard Bodies." (Nissan) Finance & Banking 1-For vigorous growth, plant your money with us (Legal and General insurance company) 2-The citi never sleeps (Citibank) 3-The bank that likes to say Yes (Trustee Saving Bank) 4-The future takes VISA (VISA) 5-The listening bank (Midland Bank) 6-When EF Hutton talks, people listen (EF Hutton brokage firm) 7-The expanding world of the treasurer In Treasury Management a bank should show brains, not just muscle (ABN AMRO BANK) 8-"Some only offer umbrellas But Bank Julius Baer offers more” (Jullius Baer Bank) 9-It 's time you reaped the benefits of Jersey 's fertile financial environment (Abbey National Bank) 10-Get a piece of rock (Prudential Insurance) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com III APPENDIX Table 5: The analysis of target, source and metaphor concepts in 28 slogans of conceptual metaphor Conventional/Conceptual metaphors (Slogans and Metaphor Concepts) Target Source Concept One drop of Perfume Love Abstract is concrete perfume, one ocean of love (Mori-Perfume) Without perfume, Perfume Person An object is a person the skin is mute (Perfume) Quench Your Skin Person An object is a person Thirst Skin (Lancome) J‟, beauty lies Beauty Person/Object An abstract concept is an within (J‟) object/person Say Hello to your Baby‟s Person An object is a person child‟s new body cosmetic guard Johnsons & Johnsons The shoe your feet Feet Person An object is a person is aching for (Bata) Life can get heavy Difficulties Burdens One concept is structured in terms Mascara shouldn‟t of another concept (Maybeline) Comfort is in the Comfort Object Abstract is concrete eye of the beholder (Focus Contact Lense) It‟s always nice to Feeling Object Abstract is concrete rub it in when (Nice) someone‟s feeling a Body Container An object is a container bit rough (Vaseline Intensive Care) 10 Lifts and Underwear Person An object is a person Separates (corset) (She Weds Bra) 11 It Gives You Drink Person An object is a person Wings (Red Bull) (Red Bull) 12 Obey your thirst Feeling Person Abstract is concrete LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com IV (Sprite) 13 Refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach (Heineken) 14 The pause that refreshes (Coca-Cola) 15 Keep hunger locked up till lunch (Shreddies Cereal) 16 Because Life‟s full of surprise (Life) 17 Introducing Sedan with the heart of a lion (Sedan) 18 Fly the friendly skies (United Airlines) 19 Put the fun back into driving (Vauxhall) 20 Let the train takes the strain 21 The lion leaps from strength to strength (Peugeot) 22 Nissan Trucks: The Hard Bodies (Nissan) 23 The Citi never sleeps (Citibank) 24 The future takes VISA (VISA) 25 The listening bank (Midland Bank) 26 When EF Hutton talks, people listen (EF Hutton brokage firm) 27 It 's time you reaped the benefits of Jersey 's fertile financial environment (Abbey National Bank) Beer (Heineken) Person (A feeling is a living entity) An object is a person/living entity Drink (Coca-Cola) Hunger Person An object is a person/living entity Container Feelings are objects Life Container Abstract is concrete Sedan Body An object is a person Skies People An object is a person Fun Object Abstract is concrete Train Person An object is a person Bike (Peugeout) Lion An object is a living entity Trucks People An object is a person/living entity Bank Person An object is a person Future Person Bank Person An concept is a person/living entity An object is a person Bank Person An object is a person/living entity Benefits Fruits Abstract is concrete LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com V 28 Get a piece of Safety rock (Prudential Insurance) 29 Sight for Soaring Soaring Eyes (Trans World Airways) Rock Abstract is concrete Good Based on the orientational concept: Good is Up LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VI REFERENCES Books and Journals Barthes, R (1957) Mythologies New York: Hill & Wang Barthes, R (1974) S/Z (R Miller, Trans.) New York: Hill and Wang Barthes, R (1988) The Semiotic Challenge New York: Hill and Wang Billow, R (1977) Metaphor: A Review of the Psychological Literature Psychological Bulletin, 84 (1), 81-92 Dyer, G (1988) Advertising as Communication London: Routledge Hermerén, L (1999) English for sale: A Study of the Language of Advertising Lund University Press Hjelmsley, L (1961) Prolegomena to a Theory of Language (Translated by Francis J Whitfield) Madison: University of Wisconsin Press Jakobson, R (1960) Linguistics and poetics Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Johnson, M (1981) Introduction: Metaphor in the Philosophical tradition, Philosophical Perspectives on Metaphor MN: University of Minnesota Press Knowles, M Moon, R (2006) Introducing Metaphor London and New York: Routledge Kövecses, Z (2002) Metaphor: A Practical Introduction Oxford: Oxford University Press Lakoff, G.& M Johnson (1980) Metaphor We Live By Chicago: University of Chicago Press Lakoff, G (1987) Women, Fire and Dangerous Things Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press Lakoff, G.& M Turner (1989) More Than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor New York: Mouton de Gruyter Lakoff, G.& M Johnson (1999) Philosophy in the Flesh The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought New York: Basic Books McCabe, A (1983) Conceptual Similarity and the Quality of Metaphor in Isolated Sentences Versus Extended Context Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 41-60 Ortony, A (1993) Metaphor and Thought 2nd ed Cambridge: CUP LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VII Pollay, R W (1984) The identification and distribution of values manifest in print advertising, 1900-1980 MS: Lexinton Press Shinjo, M and J Myers (1987) The Role of Context in Metaphor Comprehension Journal of Memory and Language, 226-241 Wiliamson, J (1978) Decoding Advertisements London and Boston, Massachusetts: Marion Boyars Zaltman, G & Couter, R H (1995) Seeing the voice of the consumer: Metaphor based advertising research Journal of Advertising Research, 35-50 Internet Sources http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu www.nowsell.com/ /list-of-advertising-slogans.html LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... types in international advertising slogans selected and analyzed The effectiveness of metaphor application in the advertising industry will be pointed out in a painstaking presentation and an analysis... “affective meanings” rather than the ambiguity or meaninglessness LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 14 CHAPTER II AN ANALYSIS ON METAPHOR EXPLOITATION IN ADVERTISING SLOGANS Advertising. .. research The aim is to present the way all the slogans are analyzed before the synthesization of the data and the presentation of data in statistical tables For all advertising slogans, the procedures