A Multimodal Semiotic Study of product Advertisement in Nigerian Online shopping Outlets
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Date
2019
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Obafemi Awolowo University
Abstract
The study identified and categorised the dominant semiotic resources in online shopping outlet advertisements. It analysed the identified resources deployed by online shopping outlets to persuade prospective buyers, and then examined the inter-semiotic contribution of the semiotic resources (verbal and visual) to the meaning-making process. This was done with the aim of providing an understanding of how online shopping outlets utilise the semiotic resources in the advertisements to persuade prospective online buyers.
The study employed both primary and secondary sources of data. The primary source comprised 25 advertisements selected from the websites of Nigerian online shopping outlets: Jumia, and Konga. The selection of the online shopping outlets was based on the fact that they are pioneers and the largest in the Nigerian e-commerce sector. Furthermore, the primary data were purposively sampled in five categories: fashion products; beauty and personal care products; children’s products; mobile phones products; and electronic appliances. The data selection was based on a simple categorisation of the range of products marketed on the online shopping outlets. The secondary source included books, journal articles, and the Internet. The data were analysed using Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar framework while insights were drawn from Barthes’ semiotic principles of ‘anchorage’ and ‘relay’.
The results showed that the declarative mood, the imperative mood, verbal anchorage, alphabetisation, punctuation, image, colour, typeface, gaze, posture, dressing, gesture and facial expression were the dominant semiotic resources in online shopping outlet advertisements. The study revealed that they were categorised into verbal and visual categories. It further showed that the verbal resources were used to provide product information, popularise brands and convey emotionally-motivating strategies such as discount offers and sales promotions. The study discovered that the visual resources were used to create visual representations of the advertised products and archetypal representations of the target consumer groups. Also, it revealed that the visual resources were used to convey celebrity endorsements through the visual representation of celebrities. Finally, the results revealed that the inter-semiotic orchestration of these resources in the advertisements has the potential to aid the prospective online buyers in the meaning-making process.
The study concluded that the peculiar utilisation of semiotic resources by online shopping outlets in their advertisements communicates different messages about product affordability, advantages, efficacy and user benefits that are capable of having persuasive effects on the prospective online buyers.
Description
xiv, 218
Keywords
Multimodal Semotic,, Product Advertisement, Nigerian Online Shooping, Konga, Jumia
Citation
Ejabena.H.O. (2019). A multimodal semiotic study of product advertisement in nigerian online shopping outlets. Obafemi Awolowo University.