The Power behind Images: Advertisement Discourse in Focus

Abstract

This paper aimed at analyzing six different advertisements (product/non-product ads) to investigate the intentions and techniques of consumer product companies to reach more consumers and sell more products. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) appear as a useful approach for they offer excellent methods, not only for analyzing texts and images adequately, but also for putting them in analyzable relations to socio-cultural processes and changes. Norman Fairclough’s 3-D model and Kress and van Leeuwen’s grammar of visual design were used to analyze the data. Thus, the results of the present study showed that when a private producer intends to persuade the viewer to buy a special product, s/he gives the power to the viewer. While the producer of the ad is the government, she tries to show her power. However, it could be understood from the results that the producers, generally tend to use their power and ideology to change people’s behavior and thought.