A Multimodal Analysis of Persuasion in English Billboard Advertisements

Abstract

The exploration of multimodal strategies in commercial billboards is beneficial for understanding how advertisers use these techniques to persuade and influence viewers’ purchasing behavior. The current study aims to explore multimodal persuasive strategies, incorporating both visual and rhetorical elements, in commercial billboard advertisements. It also seeks to examine how the integration of visual and rhetorical elements enhances the persuasive and manipulative impact of the advertised product. The dataset comprises two commercial billboards: one from the world-famous fast-food brand McDonald’s and the other from the well-known English tea brand Twinings of London. The visual data is analyzed using Kress and van Leeuwen’s (1996) visual grammar framework. Additionally, the identification and analysis of rhetorical figures are conducted according to Leech’s (1966) rhetorical classifications in English advertising. The study’s findings indicate a strategic integration of visual and rhetorical multimodal strategies in the two selected billboards. Both advertisements incorporate distinctive visual and rhetorical techniques to persuade viewers of the value of the promotional products. The results of the analysis show that formal schemes were the most frequently used category of rhetorical figures across the analyzed billboards. Overall, the findings suggest that McDonald’s and Twinings’ commercial billboards are both visually and rhetorically persuasive and effective.