Elsa Simões Lucas Freitas

Taboo in Advertising

Taboos are much more than just a synonym of ‘forbidden’. Proof of the concept’s complexity can be found in the way ads often try to hide the taboo inherent to their products or, conversely, in the way certain taboo readings are foregrounded on purpose in other ads. This volume shows why and how that happens, using print and television ads to exemplify (a) the elaborate strategies used by ads for certain products to cleverly hide the taboo inherent to them, and (b) the deliberate recourse to taboo references in ads for products that do not present any taboo connotation. The linguistic analysis undertaken takes into account the different modes (verbal language, music, sound effects, moving and static images) that convey meaning in ads. Taboo is very often conveyed or disguised through one of the channels while the others play the opposite role, thus achieving a balance that prevents the ad from being too obscure to be understood or too daring for the general public to accept it. For this comprehensive approach, concepts are drawn from different disciplines: textual and semiotic analysis from linguistics, theories of taboo from anthropology, and background to advertising from media studies.

Similar Concepts, Different Channels

Abstract The main purpose of this article is to study the way in which the same concept is conveyed in different media involved in the advertising campaign for a given product or service, considering advertisements as semiotic entities and thus translation as an intersemiotic process. Three sets of recent Portuguese campaigns are analyzed, which include television, magazine and radio advertisements. The article demonstrates that some elements can be kept in an almost unchanged form, whereas others have to be altered to achieve similar effect. The ads conveyed by different media strive for an effect of equivalence in their results, making the most of whatever resources the specific languages can offer. Detailed analysis of the advertisements also shows that the meaning of the advertising texts, i.e. the main concept of the campaign, is construed by the viewer in an integrated way, as part of a whole discourse in which the media has a complementary function.AbstractThe main purpose of this article is to study the way in which the same concept is conveyed in different media involved in the advertising campaign for a given product or service, considering advertisements as semiotic entities and thus translation as an intersemiotic process. Three sets of recent Portuguese campaigns are analyzed, which include television, magazine and radio advertisements. The article demonstrates that some elements can be kept in an almost unchanged form, whereas others have to be altered to achieve similar effect. The ads conveyed by different media strive for an effect of equivalence in their results, making the most of whatever resources the specific languages can offer. Detailed analysis of the advertisements also shows that the meaning of the advertising texts, i.e. the main concept of the campaign, is construed by the viewer in an integrated way, as part of a whole discourse in which the media has a complementary function.

Crude and Taboo Humour in Television Advertising: An Analysis of Commercials for Consumer Goods

This chapter reflects on the uses of humoristic approaches in the specific area of TV advertising, focusing on those that deliberately privilege risky uses of humour as a persuasive strategy. Apart from debating the overall advantages and disadvantages of the use of laughter in ads, the essay specifically analyzes the potential of such commercials for alienating their (primary or secondary) audiences. This often means that taboo references are mitigated and softened with the use of other strategies, so as to make them more acceptable to all the viewers. In conclusion, the analysis of a number of commercials shows how this careful balance is exemplified and achieved.