The Discursive use of Family Love: A Powerful Emotional Appeal in Advertisements

Abstract

The present research examines Pakistani advertisements from a distinct feature of Pakistani culture that continues to value and uphold familial bonds despite destabilizing notions of family love and bonding in the contemporary world. To illustrate this, the researcher examines advertisements from Pakistani media: Milk Pak, Coca-Cola, Tapal Danedar, Dalda Oil, and Sooper Biscuit advertisements. The analysis of these advertisements demonstrates how the portrayal of family love and bonding is strategically employed as a factor of persuasion in Pakistani media to enhance the attraction and desirability of their products. The researcher uses Critical Discourse Analysis model of Fairclough (2001) along with multimodal visual analysis by Machin (2007) as theoretical framework. The study finds out that advertisers strategically utilize particular text and visuals to tap into customers’ social and emotional needs, particularly their desire for family love and shared experiences. This strategic approach adds to the emotional impact of the advertisements which entices viewers and increases sales of the products. The current study paves a way for other researchers to analyze the different local and international advertisements from cultural perspectives using theories by discourse analysts, sociolinguists and anthropologists.