Marketing Strategies through Linguistic Expression: A Multimodal Analysis of Sales Advertisements of Shoe Brands in Pakistan

Abstract

A tactical interplay of textual and visual rhetoric makes the most of persuasive meaning in advertising today. The present multimodal study analyses the way Pakistani static sales advertisements integrate linguistic and visual semiotic cues to inspire consumer behavior. To attain this objective, twenty static advertisements of sales in the footwear market were qualitatively explored drawing on Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar Framework (2006). Representational, interactive and compositional meanings were explored keeping in view how textual and visual rhetoric influence the viewer. The findings expose that the most dominant textual and visual technique is the typographic hierarchy, promoting the price-dominant language and persuading the consumer to avail the discount offer. Conceptual symbolic representation of discount figure along with high visual modality like saturated colour scheme increases the economic value of the offer. Moreover, the intentional spatial positioning of discount percentages and sales slogans in visually prominent zones highlight the promotional offer, creating a sense of urgency in customers. The tactful combination of visual composition and persuasive language guarantees strong consumer appeal. The study concludes that the synergia of textual and visual elements in sales advertisements shape consumer perception and stimulate urgency in taking purchasing decisions.

Keywords: Multimodal Discourse Analysis; Visual Grammar; Textual Rhetoric; Visual Rhetoric; Information Value; Salience; Framing; Typography; Pakistani Sales Advertisements; Persuasion