Marketing Identities through Language English and Global Imagery in French Advertising

by Martin, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9781403949844
• ISBN10: 1403949840
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-04-30
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Marketing Identities through Language offers a unique perspective on the global spread of English and the many visual and verbal strategies used by advertisers to entice the French consumer. Drawing on a semiotic and sociolinguistic framework, Elizabeth Martin takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour of advertising in France, illustrating how English functions as a global language but also as a locally brewed variety specifically tailored to French audiences - despite legal restrictions. Through interviews with French advertising agencies and a wealth of detailed examples from television and print media, she illustrates the delicate balance involved in redesigning international advertising to appeal to the French market while highlighting the impact of globalization on the French consumer's identity and perceptions of language. With its interdisciplinary approach, this book will appeal to students and researchers in sociolinguistics, language planning, and international marketing. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Martin is Assistant Professor of French and Director of Commercial French Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	x
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(7)
Linguistic Analyses of Advertising	8	(39)
Linguistic theoretical framework	8	(14)
Context of situation	8	(3)
Social semiotics	11	(4)
The multiplicity of meaning	15	(2)
The World Englishes paradigm	17	(5)
Approaches to advertising	22	(25)
Ideology in advertising	23	(5)
Word play	28	(4)
Use of foreign languages	32	(1)
Imitation varieties	33	(5)
Advertising bloopers	38	(2)
English as a pair-language	40	(2)
Language, culture, and identity	42	(5)
The Global Consumer	47	(38)
Globalization and advertising	47	(17)
Advertising industry's perspective	48	(3)
Cultural representation and identity	51	(3)
Consumer reactions to globalization	54	(7)
Post 9/11 debates	61	(3)
Advertising with global discourse and imagery	64	(21)
Global media and communication technologies	64	(6)
Multiracial casting	70	(3)
Mood imagery, illusion, and `the best of both worlds'	73	(3)
Cultural identity, stereotypes, and foreign languages	76	(9)
Seducing the French with Americana	85	(41)
French perceptions of `America'	86	(9)
American culture as experienced in France	86	(3)
French intellectuals' visions of America	89	(3)
Reactions to American media	92	(3)
`Slices of Americana' in French advertising	95	(31)
American landscapes	96	(6)
American celebrities	102	(7)
American way of life	109	(4)
Elements of American culture	113	(4)
Fictional TV and movie characters	117	(3)
Hollywood musicals and TV dramas	120	(6)
Adaptations for the French Market	126	(38)
Approaches to international advertising	127	(2)
Testimonials from ad agencies in Paris	129	(2)
Advertising a la francaise	131	(17)
Symbolism and cultural references	134	(3)
Humor and sexual appeals	137	(2)
Word play	139	(3)
Natural ingredients	142	(2)
Environmental protection	144	(2)
Logic and intelligence	146	(2)
Global campaigns tailored to French audiences	148	(16)
Addressing the French as Europeans	148	(6)
Advertising specifically designed for the French	154	(10)
Language Mixing and Translation in French Advertising Copy	164	(48)
Motivations for using English	166	(7)
English as a global language	166	(1)
English as a mood enhancer	167	(2)
English as a vehicle for cultural export	169	(1)
Humor, brand recall, and origin	170	(3)
Audiences and product categories	173	(13)
Product categories favoring English	173	(4)
Gender-specific English	177	(4)
Youth Frenglish	181	(3)
Advertising for tourists	184	(2)
Bilingual creativity	186	(16)
Linguistic innovations	186	(4)
Word order and punctuation	190	(3)
Phonological cues and pronunciation	193	(1)
Semantics	194	(2)
Bilingual puns	196	(4)
Multimodal mixing	200	(2)
Translations	202	(10)
Direct translations	202	(2)
Slightly modified translations	204	(4)
Code-mixed translations	208	(4)
French Resistance to English	212	(30)
Language planning in France	212	(3)
The Toubon Law	215	(2)
French public's attitudes towards English	217	(4)
The advertising industry's reaction	221	(5)
Circumvention of the legislation	226	(16)
Print size of French translations	226	(1)
Music soundtracks	227	(3)
Product names, labels, and assimilated borrowings	230	(1)
English-language product features	231	(4)
Use of copyright	235	(3)
Referencing legislation in advertising copy	238	(4)
Conclusion	242	(5)
Appendix 1: Sample List of Authorized Anglicisms Issued by the BVP	247	(2)
Appendix 2: Web Resource Directory	249	(3)
Notes	252	(15)
Bibliography	267	(13)
Index	280