Linguistic realization of Effectiveness appeal in- 123docz.net

CHAPTER 3 POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN AMERICAN AND

4.2. Linguistic realization of advertising appeals in American and Vietnamese

4.2.1. Linguistic realization of Effectiveness appeal in American and Vietnamese

In this part, linguistic realization of three most popular advertising appeals in American and Vietnamese advertisements are analyzed, then compared and contrasted. After that, more discussions and explanations about these similarities and differences are also provided.

4.2.1. Linguistic realization of Effectiveness appeal in American and Vietnamese commercial magazine advertisements

Semantically, both American and Vietnamese advertising use the same semantic domains when describing the effectiveness of the products. These domains include the two opposite ones, one denotes the positive aspects of the product that help to improve the customers’ health, beauty, or comfort while using the products; the other shows the way that the product reduces negative effects on the target customers.

Firstly, in order to show the positive effects of the products, the following words/ phrases are utilized in American and Vietnamese advertising:

(The product) offers/makes/ helps/ creates / protects/ improves/ provides/

supplies/ leaves/ enhances/ revitalizes/ rebalance/re-ignite/ … (things that are necessary for target customers)

These words/ phrases can be easily found in American and Vietnamese magazine advertisements as in the following examples:

 Neon mascara makes lashes look longer, fuller, and so freaking fun!

 REVITALIZE YOUR SKIN WITH VIBRANT SCENTS AND HYDRATING LATHER.

 Packed with natural shea butter, eos leaves your skin super-soft and irresistibly smooth.

 Giới thiệu bột ngũ cốc Nestlé® CERELAC® mới, loại bột ăn dặm đầu tiên dành cho trẻ em với thành phần tiên tiến Bifidus®BL, cùng các

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dưỡng chất vitamin A, C, Sắt, Kẽm, giúp tăng cường hệ miễn dịch tự nhiên cho bé.

(Introduce the new Nestlé® CERELAC® cereal powder, the first baby food powder with advanced ingredients Bifidus®BL, along with vitamins A, C, Iron, Zinc, to boost the natural immune system for baby.)

 BÉ TĂNG CÂN THẤY RÕ (BIO-VITAL) (The baby gain weight visibly)

 LÀM MỊN VÀ TRẮNG DA TĂNG CƯỜNG KHÁNG THỂ CẢI THIỆN TRÍ NHỚ

NÂNG CAO TINH THẦN, PHỤC HỒI SAU BỆNH

(NHAU THAI CỪU AVEYRON) (MAKE SKIN SMOOTH AND WHITE

STRENGTHEN RESISTANCE IMPROVE MEMORY

IMPROVE SPIRITUALITY, REHABILITATE AFTER THE DISEASE) However, there is still a little difference in the use of such positive words. In many of Vietnamese advertisements, the word “effective” is used while in American advertising, synonyms of this word are employed. Some examples of Vietnamese advertisements using the word “effective” are:

 Danospan TUYỆT CHIÊU TRỊ HO của mẹ ….

Siro ho từ thảo dược An toàn và hiệu quả. Dùng được cho bé và cả nhà (Danospan Mum’s secret to stop coughing

Siro from herbs. Safe and effective. Suitable for baby and whole family)

 Hiệu quả nhanh, uống 1 gói hết ngay chướng bụng. (Bio Vital) Efficacy is fast, take 1 pack; immediately stop distention

 Mâm giặt lớn với đường kính 510 mm được thiết kế giặt sạch các vết bẩn hiệu quả, đồng thời Hệ thống Chống rung kép giúp giảm đáng kể độ rung và tiếng ồn. (HITACHI)

(The large 510 mm diameter washer was designed to effectively remove stains, and dual vibration protection significantly reduces vibration and noise.)

On the other hand, American and Vietnamese advertising also employ words/ phrases that show the effectiveness of the product in eliminating or reducing problems to the target customers. Consequently, such words as “helps reduce/ reduces/ eliminates/ removes …” (things that cause problems to the customers) are apparent in American and Vietnamese magazine advertisements:

 Removes 99% of dirt, oil and even makeup, with no filmy feeling (Neutrogena® skincare)

 Our clinically proven formula reduces size, swelling and redness, in just 8 hours.( Neutrogena® Acne)

 Only Neutrogena® has exclusive Microclear® Technology that pushes medicine deep into pores to fight the acne you see and can't see.

 GIẢM CƠN ĐAU ĐẦU HIỆU QUẢ (Panadol) (Reduce headache effectively)

 Liều dùng 1 viên, diệt các loại giun, giun đũa, giun móc, giun tóc, giun kim (Fugacar)

(Dosage 1 tablet, kill the worms, roundworms, hookworm, and wormhole)

 Ngăn ngừa quá trình lão hóa, giảm Cholesterol xấu. (Neptune) (Prevent the aging process, reduce bad cholesterol)

Sometimes, both positive and negative words are used in the same utterances to affirm the benefits of the products as well as to attract the customers’ attention as in:

 In testing, OVER 90% of women agreed that it helped eliminate feminine odor and restore feminine freshness. (MONISTAT Fresh Gel)

 Với thành phần 100% nguyên liệu từ Nhật, tinh chất White Adiva dạng nước uống hấp thu nhanh, với công thức đặc biệt kết hợp giữa Glutatione

cùng các dưỡng chất Vitamin C, B, E hỗ trợ làm trắng da từ thiên nhiên từ bên trong, tăng cường sức đề kháng cho da dưới ánh nắng mặt trời, làm mờ các đốm đen, các vết thâm nám cho làn da trắng mịn toàn thân nhanh chóng và hiệu quả. (WHITE ADIVA)

(With 100% ingredients from Japan, White Adiva is a fast absorbing drink, specially formulated to combine Glutathione and Vitamin C, B, E to support natural skin whitening, enhancing the skin's resistance to sun exposure, blotting out black spots, dark spots for smooth and velvety skin.)

Interestingly, although both American and Vietnamese ad-writers utilize scientific proof with numbers and percentile to convince target customers about the efficacy of the product, the way of using this information is different. In American advertisements, the numbers and percentile are various, ranging from twenties up to 100. Take the following advertisement as an example.

Advertisement 19:

Product: Estee Lauder serum

Description: The image of the product in the middle, and part of a sexy young girl lying down

Text:

THE ONE SERUM THAT

RE-INVENTS BEAUTY SLEEP.

Advanced Night Repair

Women everywhere believe there's a strong link between a good night's sleep and beautiful skin. And now, a major independent sleep study shows they're right. See how this revolutionary serum helps skin maximize its natural nighty repair so you'll wake up looking more beautiful - every day.

INSTANTLY, SKIN IS: 63% more Hydrated, 34% more Radiant.

IN JUST 4 WEEKS, A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT:

43% stronger Moisture Barrier, 18% reduction in visible Lines, 21% improvement in Skin Texture, 20% more Even Skintone, 20% reduction in Redness.

Results based on clinical testing on over 160 women of every ethnicity.

ESTEE LAUDER

THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR SKIN - EVERY NIGHT.

FOR EVERY AGE, EVERY ETHNICITY.

The advertisement begins with introducing a product that can “re-invent beauty sleep.” It then explains the relationship between sleep and women’s beauty.

After that, the efficiency of the product is proved based on the scientific results of

“clinical testing on over 160 women of every ethnicity.” As can be seen, the improvement is clearly shown but in moderate proportions. After four weeks of using the product, “43% stronger Moisture Barrier, 18% reduction in visible Lines, 21% improvement in Skin Texture, 20% more Even Skintone, and 20% reduction in Redness” can be achieved. These figures can make the customers believe in the

“reality” of the benefits when using the product as the improvement can be achievable.

Additionally, together with the use of percentages to show the scientific proof, American advertisements also employ these percentiles in combination with comparison as in:

 VISIBLY RENEWED LIPS IN 1 WEEK:

88% HAD SMOOTHER LIPS

83% HAD BETTER-LOOKING LIPS 82% HAD LESS DRY LIPS

70% HAD SUPPLER LIPS

(Maybelline)

Sometimes in American advertisements, absolute or nearly absolute proportions are used as in:

 In testing, OVER 90% of women agreed that it helped eliminate feminine odor and restore feminine freshness. (MONISTAT)

 Removes 99% of dirt, oil and even makeup, with no filmy feeling.

(Neutrogena® Ultra Gently Daily Cleanser)

 100% of twins using the ProX Intensive Wrinkle Protocol said it helped reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, and made their skin look younger. 100% of the twins not using the protocol agreed it improved the overall look of their sister's skin.

In Vietnamese advertising, in contrast, not many scientific proofs are used. In case improvements are shown, vague numbers are denoted while absolute numbers/ percentiles are preferred:

 BÉ TĂNG CÂN THẤY RÕ (Bio Vital) (The baby gains weight clearly)

 CHỐNG NẮNG GẤP 30 LẦN (Vaseline) (30 times sunscreen)

 Nay việc loại bỏ các vết bẩn, các vết dầu mỡ lâu ngày và tiêu diệt đến 99.99% các loại vi khuẩn thường có trong bếp trở nên đơn giản và nhanh chóng hơn. (Zonrox)

(Now it's easier and faster to remove stains, grease stains and kill 99.99% of the bacteria found in the kitchen.)

Syntactically, American advertisers tend to use noun phrases together with comparative structures in order to reveal the effectiveness appeal while Vietnamese ad-writers prefer employing full sentences and sometimes complicated sentences to show in detail the effectiveness of the products. This phenomenon can be explained by the low-context culture of American in contrast with high-context of Vietnamese culture, which leads to the preferences of using more words in Vietnamese advertisements. The following advertisements taken from the selected data will illustrate this point.

 CLEARER SKIN IN ONE WEEK WHEN USED TOGETHER (Bioré)

 richer, longer-lasting color

silkier, shinier, nourished hair (GARNIER)

 Với công thức 4 thành phần kết hợp độc đáo, viên nang mềm Nhau thai cừu Camila Lady 12000 tác động mạnh mẽ và hiệu quả vào việc hỗ trợ cung cấp dưỡng chất giúp da tươi trẻ từ bên trong, cho làn da được căng mịn, rạng rỡ và cải thiện các vấn đề lão hóa da (như da nhăn, khô, sạm) một cách hữu hiệu. (Camila Lady)

(With its unique 4-component formula, Camila Lady 12000 Shea Butter is a powerful and effective moisturizer that helps to nourish and moisturize the skin, radiant and improve the skin aging problems (such as wrinkles, dryness, tanning) effectively.

 Lớp phủ đặc biệt trên bề mặt ngoài lồng giặt ngăn ngừa bụi bẩn, cặn bột giặt hay dầu mỡ bám trên bề mặt suốt quá trình giặt, mang đến hiệu quả kháng khuẩn tuyệt đối cả bên trong lẫn bên ngoài, giữ quần áo sạch sẽ với hương thơm dài lâu. (Toshiba)

(Special coating on the outer surface of the laundry cage helps to prevent dirt, laundry detergents or grease on the surface throughout the wash cycle, providing antibacterial with long lasting fragrance.)

As can be seen clearly from the four advertisements above, in the two first advertisements taken from American data, noun phrases are employed in combination with comparatives, which shows the improvement that the skin or the hair of the target customers can get when using the advertised product.

Additionally, the language of the advertisements is rather brief and concise with just few words. In the two last advertisements, however, a more complicated sentence structure is used. Moreover, the advertisers once again remind the customers the reasons why the products are so beneficial by explaining the components of the products as well as their efficacy. In short, the advertisements help to show the differences in the language use of two different cultures.

Linguistic realization of Effectiveness appeal in American and Vietnamese

Previous studies of advertising from cross-cultural pragmatic

Previous studies of advertising appeals