How Does an Ad Mean? Language in Services Advertising

Abstract

Abstract Abstract The methodology of poetic explication is used to explore the meaning of services advertising. The analytical method of explication is discussed, and the function of an advertising persona as the ad speaker is described. An abridged poesy framework for figures of speech (figurative language) is presented. Two explications of services ads reveal the way the company persona is conveyed by the figures of speech chosen and the dramatic experience created in the advertisement's text. Relationships between the consumer, the firm, and the benefit/values fit in the sample ads are described. Suggestions for future advertising research based on literary analysis are made.