U N I T 2 SELLING STRATEGIES In this Unit we will look at some tips advertisers use to make their ads more interesting. In order to hook consumers, some of them include cultural references, like works of art and figures of speech. The aim of this Unit is to make students aware of the stylistic devices used to have a catchy advertising message. A. SOPHISTICATED AUDIENCE CULTURAL REFERENCES AND STYLISH ADS: For evident reasons, advertising is firmly related to the audience it aims to attract. Market researchers analyse all the important features that will affect the success of the advertisement and, consequently, the sale of the product. One of them is cultural reference. How do cultural references work? What are they based on? What are they going to share? Why do advertisers use them for selling? Culture and language are interlinked. People are more and more culturally sensitive. They are aware that there could be differences between their culture and another person s and that these differences could affect their relationship and the way they communicate with each other. Advertisers make use of metaphors in visuals, headlines and texts to capture the attention of the public universally. In our contemporary society image, rhetoric is widely used in the iconic language, linking with the verbal one and giving rise to the modern advertising message. More and more advertising messages are built on shared cultural references. They require a certain amount of collective knowledge among the readers. The reader is supposed to understand certain cultural and emotional features in order to grasp the final message. If the advertiser and the consumer do not share the same level of knowledge about the cultural elements in the advertisement, the cultural implication and the meaning of the ad will be lost. It is very important for the advertisers to choose the appropriate media where to publish the ads. It is necessary to recognize the consumer and the suitable newspaper or magazine he or she is used to reading. Advertisers generally use cultural references to increase the prestige of their products, but this is not the only reason. GLOSSARY to affect: influenzare aware: consapevole feature: caratteristica 96 to grasp: cogliere to increase: aumentare interlinked: intrecciati to require: richiedere to share: condividere suitable: adatto