DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

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ABSTRACT

Discourse of advertisements, especially in printed ads, has shown the development of an extraordinary language phenomenon. A copywriter is able to exploit the language to be used as the media of communicative ads, which is very interesting and persuading. This exploitation of language, especially the mixture of verbal and non-verbal signs, makes discourse of ads an interesting subject to explore and analyze. This study is aimed at analyzing the meaning, the purpose, and the message, behind the advertisement of Dove Beauty Campaign by looking its structure and the language of the advertisement. This study also analyzes the implication of the beauty campaign for Dove itself. To study the exploitation of the language in the discourse of advertisement, the verbal sign and non verbal sign are analyzed to find the language used and the meaning, purpose, message, and the implication behind the advertisement. The structure and the language of three Dove Beauty Campaign advertisements are analyzed. The study shows that these three advertisements have three kinds of structure of an advertisement that are: (1) headline; (2) illustration; and (3) body copy. The language use in those advertisements are kind of propaganda. The meaning of “Real Beauty” is that the beauty that represents from all women in this world. The purpose of the “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” is that this is a campaign for changing the beauty stereotype of fashion models to the real women with a wider range of skin types and body shapes. The message behind these campaign advertisements is that Dove cares about the real women beauty by creating thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty. The implication of this campaign advertisement for Dove itself is that Dove might have special place in their customers’ part of life because they think that Dove cares about them.

1. INTRODUCTION

Language is an essential part in human being’s life. Through language either spoken or

written people can communicate with others. Crystal (1992) defined language as the systematic,

conventional use of sounds, signs or written symbols in a human society for communication and

self-expression. Language has a great impact towards people and their behavior. This is mainly

true in the fields of marketing and advertising. In advertising, language as a tool of

communication is used to deliver specific messages with the intention of influencing,

convincing, and informing people. These specific messages mostly aim to persuade people to

buy certain products or services. Language in advertising is very important because it helps

people to identify the product and remember it.

The language of advertising, according to Crystal (1987), is generally laudatory, positive,

unreserved, and emphasizing the uniqueness of a product. Typically, it emphasizes why one

product stands out in comparison with another. Advertising which is defined as “any paid form

of non-personal communication through the mass media about the product by an identified

sponsor” (Wells, Burnett & Moriaty: 2003) has become part of our everyday life. The function of

advertising can be viewed into basic ways: as a tool of marketing and as a means of

communication (Wright, Winter & Zeigler: 1982) thus, advertisements which are the products of

advertising are delivered to different kind of societies in order to convey these two basic ways of

function.

There are three general forms of advertising which close to human’s life either in the

form that simply use sound (radio advertising), vision (printed advertising), or both sound and

vision (television advertising). Printed or electronic (radio and television advertising)

advertisement is one of media in communication which grows as the developing of technology.

According to Susanto in Mulyawan, at first, people advertise their products by shouting or

producing sounds to gain consumers’ attention. This kind of advertisement is called direct

advertisement in which the sellers advertise using spoken language that simple and advertise

their product directly to the target market.

In nowadays, advertisement is presented in various kinds of media such as printed media

and electronic media with interesting, creative, attractive, as well as persuasive appearance. As a

media of communication, every advertisement has message to be delivered to the customers.

Leech (1996) stated that in general, every advertisement has five structures; headline,

illustration(s), body copy, signature line, and standing details. Advertisements have a lot of signs

or illustrations which have meaning behind it. Advertisements use a sign system which is

comprised with verbal or non-verbal signs. In advertisements, language is the verbal signs, while

illustration, color, etc is the non-verbal signs

Discourse of advertisements has shown the development of an extraordinary language

phenomenon. A copywriter is able to exploit the language to be used as the media of

communicative ads, which is very interesting and persuading. This exploitation of language,

especially the mixture of verbal and non-verbal signs, makes discourse of advertisements an

interesting subject to explore and analyze.

Dove, one of toiletries products of Unilever Company, is now trying to advertise their

beauty campaign named “Campaign for Real Beauty”. Emphasizing on celebrating women

beauty, Dove presents many advertisements to gain people’s attention on its campaign. This

study is aimed at analyzing the meaning, the purpose, and the message, behind the advertisement

of Dove Beauty Campaign by looking its advertisement structure and the language of

advertisement. This study also analyzes the implication of the beauty campaign for Dove itself.

To study the exploitation of the language in the discourse of advertisement, the verbal sign and

non verbal sign are analyzed to find the language used and the meaning, purpose, message, and

the implication behind the advertisement. Using Van Dijk and Kelly-Holmes theories of

structure of advertisement as well as the language of advertisement, three kinds of

advertisements are analyzed.

2. METHODOLOGY

In order to know the meaning, the purpose, the message, and the implication behind the

advertisement of Dove Beauty Campaign, the structure and the language of advertisement as

well as the verbal sign and non-verbal sign of the advertisements are analyzed. This study also

analyzes the implication of the beauty campaign for Dove itself. Using Van Dijk and Kelly-

Holmes theories of structure of advertisement as well as the language of advertisement, three

kinds of advertisements are analyzed.

Three kinds of Dove Beauty Campaign advertisements were picked from the

website of Dove. Then those three advertisements were analyzed from the

structure of discourse analysis proposed by Van Dijk (in Eriyanto: 2001; Sobur: 2001):

macro structure, superstructure, and micro structure) and the language of advertisement as

well as the verbal sign that lies in the headline, body copy, signature line, and the

standing detail and the non-verbal sign that lies in the illustration.

3. LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Advertisement

Advertising has become a promising business nowadays. It appears everywhere in

various forms: printed, radio, or television advertising. Wells, Burnett & Moriaty (2003) defined

that advertising is a paid non-personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass

media to persuade or influence an audience. Advertising is a powerful communication force vital

and a marketing tool. The function of Advertising can be viewed in two basic ways: as a tool of

marketing and as a means of communication (Wright, Winter & Zeigler: 1982). It means that the

role of advertising is not only to communicate the message to the reader (communication) but

also to sell the product (marketing tool).

Advertising is a form mass communication that informs, persuades, or influences people

to buy goods or services. In marketing field, the role of advertising is to carry persuasive

messages to actual and potential customers. Thus it is important to know the target market of an

advertisement in order to know the marketing techniques to sell the products.

A successful advertisement, according to Vestergaard & Shrodder (1985) is expected to

accomplish five functions: (1) attracting attention; (2) commanding interest; (3) creating desire;

(4) inspiring conviction; and (5) provoking action. All these five functions are related each other

and serve to promote the selling power of the advertised product.

2. Structure of an advertisement

2.1. Headlines

Headline is the most important of an advertisement. It is the very first thing read and

should arouse the interest of customer. Headline usually appears in the top of an

advertisement and printed in the bold types of different sizes.

2.2. Illustrations

These can be photographs or drawings and should show the product in use (if

possible) and with the brand name. illustration also can strengthen the concept of the

advertisement.

2.3. Body copy

Body copy is the text of the advertisement. It includes the main part of the advertising

message. It is usually smaller sized type and written paragraph or multiple lines. Its

purpose is to explain the idea or selling point. Body copy is a logical continuation of

the headline.

2.4. Signature line

This is the brand message conveyed by trademarks, logos, slogans, brand names, or

packages.

2.5. Standing details

A standing detail in a print ad might include cut-out coupons and purely practical

information appearing in small print. For example contact information of a firm,

instructions where further information can be acquired or legal footnotes. This type of

information generally appears in an identical form in different advertisements of the

same product (Leech 1966: 59).

3. Advertisement as a text and a discourse

An advertisement can be said as a text when it is seen as a product of advertisement

maker. An advertisement is a creation of a product that is bounded of semiotic structure and the

social function as a media of communication and marketing. Meanwhile an advertisement can be

said as a discourse when it is seen as a media of communication and marketing of a product or

service. At this time an advertisement is not only seen as a unification of semiotic but it is also

seen as a media of communication that involves contextual aspect besides the element of textual

component.

Advertising can be seen as an interaction between pictures, language or text,

paralanguage and so forth. These components are considered to form the discourse of

advertising. More specifically, the elements that are considered to be a part of the advertising

discourse are subordinate concepts of text and context. The text in advertising discourse refers to

linguistic forms and is separated from context for the purposes of analysis (Cook 2001: 4).

Context on the other hand, includes components such as substance, paralanguage, co-text,

participants, and the functions of advertisements.

4. Language of advertisement

Advertising language has been described as a ‘functional dialect’, which refers to the

result of the process where language is chosen to be used for a particular purpose, and

consequently the product becomes a variety of its own (Kelly-Holmes 2005: 8). Moreover, the

language used in advertisements is described to be colloquial and simple rather than formal and

complex. This implies that advertising vocabulary is fairly concrete and comprehensible. (Leech

1966). Further, standard advertising English is a concept which can be defined as a loaded

language, i.e. it aims to change the will, opinions, or attitudes of its audience.

The choices concerning language in market-driven discourses, such as advertising, are

rarely made without careful consideration, as Kelly-Holmes (2005: 8) claims. Consequently,

language can have various functions in advertising, for instance informational, expressive and

vocative ones. The informational function of a language refers to its aim to inform or to report, to

describe and to emphasize in an advertisement. Moreover, feelings or emotions can be expressed

through language and thus it can have an expressive function. (Kelly-Holmes 2005: 8). Advising,

recommending and persuading are considered to act as language’s directive or vocative function.

In advertising discourse, the informative and the directive functions, that is informing and

advising, might be considered the most common purposes of language (Kelly-Holmes 2005: 8).

5. Van Dijk’s structure of discourse

Van Dijk (in Eriyanto: 2001; Sobur: 2001) proposed a framework of discourse analysis

which have three structures: macro structure, superstructure, and micro structure

5.1. Macro structure

The macrostructure of a discourse is the structure of its global meaning, topic or

theme. Macrostructures are derived or inferred from the local meanings (the

propositions, or semantic microstructure) of discourse by a number of rules or

strategies that reduce complex information. The topic of the text is not seen explicitly

in a text but it is bound in the overall text as a unity in a form or coherence.

Therefore, the topic of the text can be identified by reading the whole text as a social

discourse that can be drawn one main idea or topic which developed the text.

5.2. Superstructure

Superstructure is a basic outline of a text which includes the composition or series of

structure or elements of a text in forming a coherent unity of form. In other words,

the analysis of superstructures is an analysis of the scheme or the plot of the text. Just

like in a building, the superstructure of a text is the organizational

pattern or outline that the author used in writing the text, and this

textual structure has been dictated by the nature and structure of

the author's thinking. In an advertisement, the superstructure is;

headline, illustration(s), body copy, signature line (logo), and standing details.

5.3. Microstructure

Microstructure is an analysis of a text based on the intrinsic elements. The intrinsic

elements are:

a. Semantic

The semantic in this case is categorized as a local meaning which comes from

words, clauses, sentences, and paragraph as well as their relationship such as the

relationship between words, between clauses, between sentences, and between

paragraphs that develops meaning in one text.

b. Syntactic

Syntactic structure is an arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and

phrases, and the study of the formation of sentences and the

relationship of their component parts. Eriyanto (2001) said that:

“Unsur sintaksis merupakan salah satu elemen yang membantu pembuat teks untuk memanipulasi keadaan dengan jalan penekanan secara tematik pada tatanan kalimat. Manipulasi tersebut dapat berupa pemilihan penggunaan kata, kata ganti, preposisi, dan konjungsi, serta pemilihan bentuk-bentuk kalimat seperti kalimat pasif atau aktif”

c. Stylistic

Features of stylistics include the use of dialogue, including regional accents and

people’s dialects, descriptive language, the use of grammar, such as the active

voice or passive voice, the distribution of sentence lengths, the use of particular

language registers, etc. In addition, stylistics is a distinctive term that may be used

to determine the connections between the form and effects within a particular

variety of language. Therefore, stylistics looks at what is ‘going on’ within the

language; what the linguistic associations are that the style of language reveals.

d. Rhetoric

Rhetorical emphasizes the style in a text that is closely related to how a text

message to be delivered, which includes hyperbole style, repetition, alliteration or

other style.

4. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

This commercial made by Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign, addresses the ever prevalent

issue of body image for young women. Here is the analysis:

1. Dove Beauty for Real campaign advertisement 1

a. Headline

The headline in this advertisement is “All this talk about fashion models and extreme dieting”In this headline, the ads maker tries to increase customers and readers sight. This headline also uses propaganda that can be seen from the choice of words “All this talk”. From this choice of words, the writer infers that the ads maker uses bandwagon technique by generalizing on what people think to persuade the target audience to join in an issue. It gives the information that nowadays all people talking is about fashion models and people who is on extreme diet.

b. IllustrationThree blue doves are the illustration of this advertisement. The doves represent the brand of Dove itself.

c. Body copy The body copy of this advertisement is “How did our idea of beauty become so distorted?” in this body copy the ads maker chose the same style with the headline. The ads maker generalized what people think by using word “our”. This body copy gives more information about the advertisement that is people’s ideas about beauty is now distorted by the perfection of body image that is portrayed in the fashion models.

Conclusion:Form the language of the advertisement, the ads maker uses bandwagon technique to persuade the customers or readers to believe in the issue arose by Dove. From this advertisement, the proposition that can be inferred is that Dove concerns with the distortion of body image in which people idolize fashion models as their perfect body image, therefore many people go on extreme diet. The purpose of this advertisement is to awaken people mind that beauty is not about fashion models. The message behind this advertisement is that Dove wants to change people’s ideas about perfect body image.

2. Dove Beauty for Real campaign advertisement 2

a. HeadlineThe headline is “We see beauty all around us”. This headline also uses generalization idea from the choice of deictic register of “We” and “Us”. Yet, this choice of words gives meaning that ads maker wants to make the customers or readers as a unity.

b. Illustration Three women from different sizes, shapes, colors, and ethnics are smiling with confidence makes the headline’s intention become clear. It gives meaning that the beauty all around us is like those there women represented in the illustration. In this illustration, the ads maker uses Transfer and Plain Folks technique of propaganda. Transfer means trying to improve the images of the products or in this case, is the campaign by showing symbols or illustration. Plain Folks means using people from plain folks instead of people who have power or higher than others. In this campaign, the ads maker uses an image of average-looking women. From the illustration above, it can be inferred that Dove is trying to persuade customers or readers to join in a new image of beauty that is women from different types of skin and body shapes.

c. Body copy“At Dove, we want to free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. It’s this message that’s at the heart of our Campaign for Real Beauty and Self Esteem Fund, and it’s why we continue to create thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty” is the body copy of the 2nd advertisement. In this body copy, the ads maker didn’t use generalization because of the choice of words “At Dove” this indicates the next subject of “We” is Dove people. In the first sentence, the ads maker opens its body copy by stating the purpose of the advertisement that is giving people and the next generation freedom from the beauty stereotypes. This also indicates that dove wants to make changes not only for now but on the future for beauty stereotypes by choosing the words “next generation”. In the second sentence, the ads maker tries to convince the customer or readers of Dove’s aim. By choosing the words “at the heart of our campaign”

indicates that Doves want wholeheartedly making their promises. In this 2nd sentence the ads maker also gives evidence on how they will make their promises; by creating thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty.Conclusion: From this advertisement, Dove gives clear ideas about their purpose of campaign and how they do their campaign. Changing the beauty stereotypes by showing three

happy women from a wider range of skin types and body shapes is the purpose of this advertisement. Dove appreciates the beauty of real women, and wants to build women confidence on what they are is the message of this advertisement.

3. Dove Beauty for Real campaign advertisement 3

a. Headline “Rethink Beauty” is the headline of this advertisement. The ads maker uses two words simple headline. The ads maker also wants the customers or readers to do certain action that is rethink about beauty. This headline might be vague for the consumers or readers, yet if they have seen the previous advertisement they become clear what kind of beauty that they are asked to rethink about, that is the stereotype of fashion models beauty.

b. IllustrationA mother hugging and kissing her smiling daughter and a smiling teenager girl is the illustration of this advertisement.

c. Body copyThe illustration above depicts the body copy:“Believe in your own unique beauty and guide your daughter to believe in hers”. This body copy gives meaning that we should be proud of our unique beauty and

also this body copy gives message to the mothers that they should take care of their daughter to be always confidence of what they look like.Conclusion:From this advertisement, Dove wants to give the realization on their previous campaign (see 2nd advertisement) that is “create thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty”. This advertisement is aimed at creating thought-provoking ads by choosing the headline “Rethink Beauty”, confidence-building programs by saying “believe in your own unique beauty”, and creating messages that embrace all definitions of beauty by “guide your daughters to believe in hers”. The message behind this advertisement is that Dove cares about the beauty image of fashion models that might impact the young generation. Therefore Doves reminds the mothers to guide their daughters to be confidence on their unique beauty.

5. CONCLUSION

Dove beauty for real campaign is aimed at provoking people to change the beauty

stereotype of fashion models to the real women beauty with a wider range of skin types and body

shapes. Three kinds of this campaign advertisement have been analyzed. Based on the three

advertisements of “Dove Beauty for Real Campaign” analyzed above, it is found that the ads

maker use three kinds of structure of an advertisement that are: (1) headline; (2) illustration; and

(3) body copy. The language use in those advertisements are kind of propaganda in which Dove

ads maker wants to influence the customers or the readers’ attitude towards an issue of changing

the image of beauty stereotype. It is also found that the headlines, the illustrations, and the body

copies are connected each other. The illustrations are appropriate for the messages of the

campaign.

Finally from the analysis above the writer can infer the meaning, the purpose, and the

message, behind the advertisement of Dove Beauty Campaign as well as the implication of the

beauty campaign for Dove itself. The meaning of “Real Beauty” is that the beauty that

represents from all women in this world that can be depicted from the

advertisement illustrations. The purpose of the “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” is that

this is a campaign for changing the beauty stereotype of fashion models to the real women with a

wider range of skin types and body shapes by presenting several images of beautiful women who

have slim body, medium body, fat, white skin, and dark skin. The purpose of this campaign is to

realize women in this world that beauty is all around us, beauty is appreciate on your uniqueness,

beauty if for all of us no matter what size and shapes you are. The message behind these

campaign advertisements is that Dove cares about the real women beauty by creating thought-

provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of

beauty. The implication of this campaign advertisement for Dove itself is that Dove might have

special place in their customers’ part of life because they think that Dove cares about them.

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