Lux Beauty Soap Advertisement: Critical Discourse Analysis of Linguistic Manipulation for Public Cognition Control through Norman Fairclough’s 3-D Model

Abstract

The primary objective of advertising is to persuade consumers. Essentially, advertising endeavours to attract consumers' attention and sway them into purchasing products by employing various persuasive techniques. Beauty soap has become a staple for many women, as everyone desires to appear beautiful. The discourse within advertisements plays a crucial role in persuasion. The current research has centered on the linguistic manipulation employed in Lux beauty soap advertisements. The researchers aimed to analyze the linguistic strategies advertisers use to captivate consumers' attention and examine the persuasive language techniques that influence consumers to make purchases. Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough’s 3-D Model) was utilized as the analytical framework within the qualitative approach to research. Data was gathered from Lux advertisements sourced from YouTube. The study delves into how social actors employ specific linguistic structures and contexts to construct reality and accentuate stereotypes that influence and sway the audience's perceptions and behaviours.