Psycholinguistic Tools for Analyzing Advertising Text

¶ … advert employed psycholinguistics in its aim to manipulate readers to buy the product. The 'Fairy Soap' advertisement was used and investigated for the use of concrete imagery -- a strategy of psycholinguistics. Psycholinguistics says that concrete imagery not only forges associations but also makes imagery more vivid and helps reader comprehend and faster remember words. Analysis of the advert in terms of the concrete imagery used showed that all applied. Discussion sums up result and concludes that that readers can be more readily manipulated into buying the product -- unless they were aware that they are being deliberately manipulated by people who know how to make words sound psychologically appealing.

The Concrete Appeal of Soap

None of us wish to be manipulated, but unfortunately, advertisements -- the world of marketing -- uses techniques that indiscernibly manipulates us and influences us in certain way. People tend to think that is only certain cultures that indoctrinate their products -- not Western cultures. However, most of us fail to realize the creeping influence that advertisement has on our hearts and minds. Marketers are well versed in psychology of marketing and in semiotics that have a psychological impact. They use these to create their text and pictures. Understanding the subtext of psycholinguistics can help us not only get ahead of the game and fail to be influenced but can also help us create our own persuasive copy.

Advertisements also reduce people -- feminists say, women -- to objects. We can become dehumanized by advertisements and brand names. Understanding this may make us less immune to the results. As example, Janice Winship (1981) cites the humorous example of a poster for a car which proclaimed: 'If it were a lady it would get its bottom pinched', and which was defaced with this rejoinder; 'If this lady were a car she'd run you down'. Advertisements reduce us to the status of objects. For this reason, too, insight into psycholinguistics may reduce their impact. (SEMIOTICS AND IDEOLOGY)

Some of the most important theoretical models of language processing (include the trace model, the cohort model, and phonological neighbour and sound similarities. These are auditory models. The trace model refers to repetition of units and connections for the same semantics / chain of words. The cohort model says that upon hearing the start of a word, all consequent candidates become activated and those that are dissimilar drop out. The word has to be unique for speed of recognition.

Phonological refers to the sound patterns of the language.

Visual models include those by Vanden et al. (1987) and Klink (2000) who point out that brand names are more likely to begin with a consonant and vowel or plosive in order to be remembered more easily. People too like sound symbolism in brands., As regards meaning representations of words, this is how language is used in a social context.

There are numerous strategies that marketing experts us to 'push our head under the water' and cause us to absorb the message. For this essay, I will only use one:

Concrete vs. abstract -- psycholinguists point out that recognition takes place faster for concrete than it does for abstract words. Concrete words are also more positively associated with comprehension and association (Larry, 1982). Concrete words furthermore provide us with imagery value and this in turn, according to consistent research, enhances communication. Words that have concrete value are easier for reader to understand than terms that do not. Larry (1982) quotes the research of Williams (1979) who found that high imagery syllogisms were faster and more accurately solved than the same syllogism made up of low imagery value words.

Concrete semiotics is especially used in terms of comparison where one company wants to place itself as more superior to the other.

This essay will provide an example of just such an advertisement and how it uses concrete semantics of psycholinguistics in its attempt to influence the reader to buy its product.

Method

I conducted an online research to find an advertising copy that used concrete words to enhance its image. I especially looked for one that used comparison and employed concrete words to embellish its distinction. I focused on the predictable products: soap, planes, drinks (particularly coke), cars, motorbikes, washing powder, and food. I was unable to find one that boosted itself in comparison to another. I found many, however, that used concrete words -- often feminine ones, and all too many that used a woman as part of their imagery. I noticed, too, in passing, that adverts of the 1950s (or an earlier age) employed semantics that had different connotations and meanings to those used today. The adverts of the 1950s, for instance, were far more sexist.

Materials

Data. I am attaching a copy of the advert that I selected. I particularly selected it for its frequency of concrete words and its use of evocative description in these words.

The advertisement comes from A Pictorial History of Fairy Soap Advertising (http://www.fairiesworld.com/fairy-soap-adverts.shtml).

Programs. I investigated each word checking for concrete formalization and interpreting the semantics used. I also counted the number of times concrete words were used. I also analysed the advert in order to assess whether the following theories may be relevant in this case:

That recognition takes place faster for concrete than it does for abstract words.

That concrete words are more positively associated with comprehension and association.

That concrete words provide us with imagery value at which, in turn, enhances communication since they are easier for reader to understand than terms that do not.

Results

The 'Fairy soaps' advert was investigated for concrete words in order to demonstrate and analyse how marketing experts use psycholinguistics to influence readers to buy their produces.

Psycholinguistics attributes concrete words with certain qualities, and the experiment her was to see whether the concrete words in this advert contained these characteristics.

Recognition takes place faster for concrete than it does for abstract words - almost every other word is a concrete term. 'Human skin' is just one and it certainly sticks in the mind. This by the way is also a demonstration of the previous point made that concrete words are particularly used by comparisons. The advert notes that the soap is used "on what is more delicate than the finest fabric -- the human skin" -- it contrast skin to fabric (making us feel complimented at the same time by use of the description 'finest fabric')

Concrete words are more positively associated with comprehension and association. The terms 'delicate' are paired with 'fabric'. Concrete terminology that makes the fabric more immediate to our senses.

Concrete words provide us with imagery value which, in turn, enhances communication since they are easier for reader to understand than terms that do not. Look't this appealing image: "The floating oval cake fits our hand" -- we can touch and smell the image of the soap, almost feel it tangible through use of the concrete words that the copyist employed.