Advertising text is a textual production with the objective of draw attention of potential consumers about a product or service, persuading them to buy.
Advertising text may vary depending on the communication strategy chosen. Although the ultimate goal is to persuade the reader to acquire or do something, this goal can be achieved through argumentative, narrative or descriptive texts. Argumentatives express the reasons why a person should buy something; narratives present the product or company telling a story and descriptives indicate specific characteristics about the product or company.
Advertising text can be divided into two parts: a Apollonian, which is based on arguments and rational narrative and the Dionysiac, able to arouse emotions in the reader.
Writing a good advertising text requires creativity, because it is intended to seduce and create a bond of complicity with the reader, often changing their attitude. Nevertheless, to write a good advertising copy is not only necessary creativity, it is necessary to know the context of the product or company, and to know the best ways and techniques of persuasion.
According to Scottish psychiatrist James AC Brown, in advertising copy persuasion is achieved through the following techniques:
- Use of stereotypes;
- Substitution of names or isomorphy;
- Identification of common enemies, which are fought with the help of the product and company;
- Repetition or affirmation;
- Invocation of an authority.
Characteristics of advertising text
To attract the reader's attention, the advertising text usually contains figures of speech such as metaphors, metonyms, antonyms (antithesis), etc.
Also, there are some effects that are used to cause emotions in readers.
- Banality vs Surprise Effect - When an apparently normal situation evolves and comes to an unexpected conclusion.
- Surprise effect allied with humor or irony.
- Different phonic forms, marked by the musicality. Ex: Dress to Impress
Advertising text structure
Advertising texts are altered according to the medium for which they are created. There are texts for television, radio, written press, billboards, Internet, mailing, catalogues, etc.
Many advertising texts are made up of:
- Headline or title: which indicates the key idea or promise of the text;
- Body copy or body text: short, easy-to-read text, a summary of the main ideas it informs;
- Slogan: identifying phrase that expresses a philosophy of the company or product in question, indicating the positioning of the company or brand. Ex: Nike: Just Do It / MacDonald's - I'm Loving It / Redbull - Gives You Wings!