In the modern world, organizations and companies use many practices to attract the target audience. This scientific paper aims to consider ways that can be used by commercial businesses. Moreover, it is of interest how organizations address potential consumers in particular ways and associate their services and products with things that people value in social and cultural contexts. To do this, discourse analysis becomes an effective method, which implies studying the language used by companies in relation to social context.
Therefore, special attention in this work will be paid to those visual and written symbols that are used in advertising for the purpose of maximum monetization and profit. Assistance, in this case, is provided by discursive practices of promotion through which means associated with a consumer brand are conveyed. In scientific understanding, discourse is a method that conveys the meaning of communication processes through social and cultural aspects (He, 2017). It is of particular value for scientific research, as it helps in analyzing discernible patterns and how their representation is evident around particular issues and situations.
Henceforth, primary textual materials relevant to the promotion of a brand Nike was selected for this study (Figure 1). This manufacturer of sportswear and footwear is known all over the world and often creates advertisements for its products with very inspiring slogans. Hence, the selected advertising poster uses a photo of the 2019 Olympic champion Simone Biles with the words “Do things history can only dream of” (“Nike releasing all-female athletes ad featuring Simone Biles during Oscars,” 2019). This step was taken in order to motivate people and show what people can achieve and how necessary their actions can be.
The use of a particular social or cultural message in advertising is determined by many factors. In particular, this aspect can be influenced by the culture that the promotion is aimed at. Research shows that “brands are mechanisms that enable a direct valorization (in the form of share prices, for example) of people’s ability to create trust, affect and shared meanings: their ability to create something in common” (Arvidsson, 2005, p. 236). It is also worth noting that “consumerism has been both stretched and undermined by globalization, the internet, social media, and other cultural changes” (Gabriel & Lang, 2015, p. 2). In this case, the company primarily directs efforts to the American market, and then to the rest, since it is based in the United States of America. The Hofstede six dimensions model can help in understanding this nation. Further, one of the essential characteristics inherent in Americans is individualism. It is expressed in the fact that people concentrate their forces on themselves. This has a significant role in performing certain functions achieving a personal goal or dream. Similarly, the advertising understudy focuses on this point, motivating people to the fact that they can achieve a lot by making efforts for this.
Another critical indicator of American culture, according to the Hofstede model, is masculinity. This aspect is expressed in “the degree of independence a society maintains among its members” (“What about the USA?”, n.d.). Thus, it also shows the level of how much people like to be separated from everyone and prefer to work themselves. Moreover, a high degree of masculinity brings a particular drive to the American population, which, mixed with individualism, can make representatives of this country unstoppable.
As already noted, the linguistic component plays a unique role in any advertising and promotion. This aspect is one of the most effective means of communication and transmission of the main idea and message to the target audience of the company. It has an extraordinary power that can both improve the organization’s performance and worsen it. The choice of the linguistic component is critical since the choice of words can hurt the feelings of minorities or offend another group of representatives of the community. Thus, the role of language in advertising is so vital that it cannot be considered only from one side but treated as an integrated approach.
Language plays a vital role in the advertising of the global company Nike. This is due to the fact that when selling sports products, it is crucial to engendering in people a desire to play sports and take steps to meet a healthy lifestyle. Advertising uses language to try to convince people to buy this product; this is an important marketing strategy to get their message across. The peculiarity of this advertisement is the absence of direct advertising, which thereby expands the possible base of the company’s buyers. Henceforth, it can be concluded that the organization emphasizes that every individual, regardless of age, can make both a positive personal contribution to his life and to the environment.
The definition of cultural themes is essential for the promotion of any brand. This is since culture plays a key role in the international marketing of any company (Grossberg & Radway, 1991). Despite the fact that Nike is an American company and pays a little more attention to this particular audience, it is also aimed at a global buyer. For this organization, it is necessary to constantly study and monitor the culture of various countries, understand the audience to which it aspires and create an appropriate product. Moreover, in order to form effective and efficient communication and communication with customers, it is necessary to send a presentation of advertising and message in accordance with the culture, customs, and views of the recipient. On the way to this process, some difficulties may arise for which the company should be ready. One of the most significant ones is a criterion of self-esteem and ethnocentrism, which can be perceived as an effective marketing policy of the organization. To avoid it, the company’s marketers must carefully study the local culture before offering them a product.
Social factors, along with cultural factors, can largely determine how successful a brand’s advertising campaign will be. This is due to the fact that this indicator is associated with the influence of people and groups influencing each other through culture, social class, and other factors. Thus, the Nike organization must take into account many social factors when advertising and offering its products. These include hobbies and interests of people’s lifestyle trends. Moreover, the level of availability of such essential resources as time and money is of particular importance. In addition, advertising of the sports brand understudy is associated with institutionalized discursive marketing practices, as it aims to create economic value from symbolic value. In addition, advertising of the sports brand understudy is associated with institutionalized discursive marketing practices, as it aims to create economic value from symbolic value.
References
Arvidsson, A. (2005). Brands: A critical perspective. Journal of Consumer Culture, 5(2), 235-258. Web.
Gabriel, Y., & Lang, T. (2015). The unmanageable consumer. SAGE Publications.
Grossberg, L., & Radway, J. (1991). Cultural studies. Association for Cultural Studies, 5(2).
He, A. W. (2017). Discourse analysis. The Handbook of Linguistics, 445-462. Web.
Nike releasing all-female athletes ad featuring Simone Biles during Oscars. (2019). ABC7News. Web.
What about the USA?. (n.d.). Hofstede Insight. Web.