Critical Discourse Analysis of the Advertorial - Case Study Example

Case study development and presentation Contents I.Introduction 4 Client objective 4 Ideal Reader 4 Social practice 5 II.Analysis 5 A.Get a Mac– Advertorial 5 Ease of use and Human interface 8 B.Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) 9 1.Framing 9 2.Foregrounding/Back grounding 10 3.Omission 11 4.Presupposition 11 5.Discursive differences 12 6.Intertextuality 14 III.Additional research to reconstruct the campaign 14 IV.Discursive practices 15 V.Social Practices 16 VI.Conclusion 16 References 17 I. Introduction An advertorial is usually published as a form of advertisement that is based on editorial content. The advertorial published by Apple for their perfect substitution for Mac computers is given in publications as an advisement which has the form of an article and is designed to act as a brief infomercial promotion of the specific product of the company. The main objective of the advertorial is to act as an infomercial which would also provide suitable level of information about the product and the target consumer groups. As such, the advertorial of Macs works as an “infomercial” which actually commercializes the product by providing appropriate and transparent information to the target audience groups, Client objective The client objective behind the launch of the advertorial is to provide suitable information about the improved features found in the Mac gadgets but not available in other PC. This advertorial is aimed at attracting the target customer groups, especially the corporate entities by leveraging on the innovative and new functionalities introduced in the product. Ideal Reader The ideal reader or audience group of the advertorial is the corporate houses. the young and old corporate in companies are the ideal reader groups of the advertorial of Apple in which different features of the product are focused upon which are likely to attract different mindsets of people working in the corporate environment. Social practice The social practice enhanced in the advertorial is based on multimodality in which the technology used by Apple to install numerous features in the Mac are highlighted by considering the presumptions of the social entities regarding the useful technology. The intended influence of the advertorial is to attract the potential customer groups, including mainly corporate advert institutional clients to buy and use the Macs computers in their office houses. II. Analysis A. Get a Mac– Advertorial The advertorial published by one of the largest technology products manufacturing and selling companies, known as Apple a good choice for the critical discourse analysis. The advertorial is designed for advertising and promoting the very popular Mac computer manufactured and sold by Apple. The image of the advertorial as published in the corporate website of Apple is given below. (John Hodgman (left) as PC and Justin Long (left) as Mac) This advertorial is aimed at highlighting the features of the Mac computers that are unique and hence portray them as a superior model as compared to other brands from other company. The Mac computers are renowned for their vibrant effectiveness and user-friendliness that make the Apple a leader in the market of different models of computers. According to the ad pulled by Apple Company, the Mac computer provides for innovations that the user can see as well as enhancing the speed and quality of the experience with the Mac The Mac computer launched by Apple is expected to bring about transformations in the way computer’s operating system works. The “Get a Mac” tag is given as a form of expression for emphasizing on the importance of a fourth-generation Intel Core processor computers. The main features of the Mac pc is that it has enhanced reliability as Apple makes both software and hardware, great interior and exterior features including IPS technology, LED backlighting and true-to-life color among others. Some of the features captured in the advert are discussed below: Reliability There are numerous companies that manufacture computers. However, it is only Apple that manufactures its hardware and writes and designs its own operating system. In this case, the compatibility of the software is very high and hence the entire system is fully integrated and hence reliable. The latest design of Apples OS installed in the Mac tablets, OS X Mavericks, clearly shows how Apple is able to obtain the most out of the hardware by building new tools and designs into the operating system. These technologies and innovations combine with the quality hardware for the most excellent performance of Mac PC. For instance, technologies like Power Nap denote that your Mac can update itself even though the hardware sleeps. Apple is also able to obtain better battery life out of the Macs due to power-saving features that are created into the operating system Lowered Cost as compared to quality Apple products are usually criticized due to their high cost. It is certainly true that Apple products have higher figure on the price tag. However, when someone compares the quality and many features that are incorporated in the Mac pc, it is clear that they are comparatively cheap computers. The features that are installed in the Mac pc are far much better compared to brands such as Dell and Microsoft among others. As such, the price of Mac pc is very favorable when placed in comparison with the competitors’ computers. Ease of use and Human interface Apples consideration to the human interface denotes that Macs are simple to use. However, a user who has spent a long-term with other PCs may need to spend some time getting familiar with slightly different ways of working. To help such users, each Macs set piece comes with a user manual and a complete guide with all shortcuts. As such, a person is able to learn real quickly due to simplified steps required to give commands to the computer. B. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) The critical discourse analysis of the advertorial of Apple can be done by using the appropriate CDA analysis tools like framing, foregrounding and back grounding, presupposition, omission, discursive differences and intertextuality. 1. Framing The Apple Company has the framed the content in the new advertorial on the basis of multi-modality and polarization. The polarization in the content is established through the use of an elite discourse format in which the features of the product are highlighted to use them as the polarization factors for the existing social beliefs regarding the use of Macs. The set-up of the advertorial is built up on information providing content and includes suitable citations of polarization by highlighting how the features of the product can help to modify the existing views of the people towards quality computers. The tone of the text and the contents used in the advertorial is decided with the use of informative words that are formed in simple patterns to provide appropriate and adequate information about the product to the target audience group without actually stretching on the descriptions. The contents written are much precise, clear and to the point, thereby making it certain that the framing of the advertorial is done in an effective and content rich manner which would also appeal to the ideal reader group of the advertorial. The framing of the advertorial has been done in an informative manner. Also, the use of extended metaphorical contents is done as a framing technique for establishing textual coherence. In the engagement versus estrangement analysis, the pros of the advertorial in relation to discursive writing can be highlighted because the engagement factor seems to have been adequately integrated into the work while the estrangement factor is completely nullified in the advertorial (Yang and Grunig, 2005). 2. Foregrounding/Back grounding Foregrounding in the case advertorial is done by highlighting the features of the new Macs by the Apple Company. The claims done by the company regarding the quality of the new product are backed up by suitable reasoning as to how it has been possible to overcome the constraints associated with computers. The key design approaches and functionalities of the product and the innovation that has been integrated in to the design and development of the Macs Computer are highlighted as a means of foregrounding the advertorial in the most impactful manner. All the issues raised in the advert against other computer manufacturers are backed by the use of technical features and ways in which these are implemented in the product. The use of the foregrounding features of content formation in the writing of the discourse are adeptly used in the writing of the advertorial, thereby making the advertorial a content and information rich piece of work(Sriramesh and Vercic, 2003). Textual prominence is achieved in the writing of the advertorial through the use of appropriate foregrounding mechanisms in which the features of the product are highlighted through short contents and the look and design of the product is put forward through the mentioning of Macs repeatedly. Additionally, the use of the catchy tag line of “Get a Mac” adds to the suggestive and catchy tone of the advertorial. Foregrounding in the advertorial has been done by pointing out the main problems and drawbacks associated with the PCs from other companies moving on to how the Mac computer supersedes the competitors Back grounding of the contents is also done through the use of the omission tool of content and discourse formation and presentation. Small references to relevant issues have been made but no direct linking to problems of using other types of computers have been mentioned. The comparison with other types of PCs in the same category has been back grounded with the pros of the product been highlighted and the challenges of the competitive PCs not being mentioned at all (Ledingham and Bruning, 2000). 3. Omission Omission is used as a tool of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for identifying the suppression and avoidance of critical aspects linked to the topic of the discourse; in this case the Apple’s Macs. It can be identified in the discourse analysis that the case advertorial does not include any direct comparison with other product categories that may act as replacement or substitute products for the Macs PC launched by Apple. Omissions have been made in the citation of any kind of examples, instances and multicultural voices that may seem to be direct challenge sand the other competing or substitute product of the Macs computer. The effectiveness of the advertorial lies in the way the contents and ideas have been presented by highlighting the advantageous features of the computer. Any kind of debatable statements have been completely omitted in the process of writing the advertorial. The crispness and the point information provision have strengthened the validity of the content and enhanced the theoretical impact of the advertorial (Young and Harrison, 2004). In the Macs advert, the Apple Company has made the audience believe that their computer is the best and that is supersedes the competitors’ they have failed to tell us that there are still some products are of equivalent quality with other companies. 4. Presupposition The presupposition tool is an interesting and significant parameter that can be used to examine a discourse (Toth, 2007). In this discourse analysis, it can be identified that the presupposition factor has been associated with the challenging of the existing beliefs and attitudes of people towards this particular technological device. The presuppositions of the advertorial have been developed upon the view that Macs are difficult to sue, are high cost incurring and that the interface quality is not as good as other types of computers. The presupposition factor of social construct has been used as a means of creating a platform on which the information new product are presented. These acts in a two way manner, where in, the information contents are highlighted and at the same time, the challenges made to the existing beliefs and constructs are underplayed. The presentation of truth reflecting statements are amply done because the advertorial is infomercial in nature. The advertorial focuses on providing information to the ideal audience group so as increase the commercialization and acceptance of the product among the target customer group (Domingo and Heinone, 2008). No kind of manipulations are used in the advertorial and the use of existential presuppositions; context bound and inter-subjective cognitive and social beliefs are done, thereby making the contents of the advertorial presented as an attractive, catchy and informative writing among the reader groups. Further, certain ideas and views are taken as granted, established as well as propagated in the advertorial. The use of proper linguistics is also done to capture the interests of the readers and also put forward the messages of the advertorial in the most understandable and assimilative form (Grunig, Grunig and Dozier, 2002). Presupposition is related to both shared knowledge and appropriateness in this advertorial which makes the discourse a content as well as context rich piece of writing. This format is in line with the foregrounding and back grounding formats used in the case advertorial. 5. Discursive differences The Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework as presented by Fair clough suggests that there are dialectic relationships existing between social reality and language which can be realized through the social practices linked to the orders of discourse and social structures and social events linked to texts (Fairclough, 2001). As per this theory of the dialectic links between linguistics and social reality, the discursive practices of this advertorial is highly appropriate. This is because both power patterns and ideological formats are explored in this advertorial and the linguistics uses are rich in context and are used to describe the formal properties of the content. Also, the discursive interactions can be interpreted to conclude that an inherent relationship between the socio cultural reality and the discourse can be firmly established. The ideologies embedded and established in this advertorial leads to the appropriate exploration of the social aspects and power relations as existing in the community or society. All the three factors discursive practice including production, distribution and consumption are adequately include in the advertorial by using suitable strategies of explanation, description and interpretation that are sued to the connect the concepts of the discourse or the advertorial with the existing social constructs . 6. Intertextuality There are two main types of intertextuality as used in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) which are vertical intertextuality and horizontal intertextuality (Huckin, Andrus and Clary-Lemon, 2012). Horizontal intertextuality has been suitably intercepted in the conceptions of the discourse. The subjective frame of technological information and product related information are referred to in the horizontal intertextuality imposition (Weiss and Wodak, 2003). The use of horizontal intertextuality has been aptly done by the author by embedding the power relation structures of discursive practices as proposed by the works of eminent writers like Fair clough and Foucault in the entire format of the writing (Kim and Grunig, 2012).However, vertical intertextuality has not been significantly implemented in any part of the write up. Vertical intertextuality refers to the sourcing of supportive information from different mediums to establish the proposition of a particular write-up. In the case advertorial, no use of vertical intertextuality has been done because the advertorial is mainly aimed at providing information that would help improve the product awareness and product acceptance among the target audience group as a part of the commercialization process of the Apple Company. III. Additional research to reconstruct the campaign Some additional research work has been carried out that can help to reconstruct the advertising campaign of the Macs PC in a more value reaping manner. The use of more effective and innovative advertorial strategies as a part of the advertising campaign can help higher levels of association of the potential client with the brand and the product. IV. Discursive practices The main discursive practices that are used in this advertorial include building on social beliefs by supporting some of the existing beliefs and opposing some others. The existing beliefs related to the particular product which is Macs PC are challenged in a subtle manner by highlighting on the technological advancements and innovations that have been used in the features of this technological product. This advertorial publication is done to propagate the new product as the most preferred choice in the among the corporate customer groups. This publication is done by using suitable content as well as appropriate contextual formats. The use of the image of the product is done to ensure that the advertorial is attractive in nature and catches the attention of the readers. Additionally, the advertorial is made short and crisp in nature in which key points are highlighted in a focused and concise manner so that the exact messages of the company regarding the product can be conveyed to the target reader and audience groups. The publication is mainly done in the corporate website of Apple Company in some other print media like newspapers, business magazines and online media. These media are chosen as the hand-picked media of promoting the product because of the nature of audience that they cater to. The target audience group for the Mac PC is the corporate entities rather than the individual users. That is the reason why more corporate relevant mediums like official website of the company, business magazines and newspapers are chosen as the formal media for publishing the advertorial. V. Social Practices The agent patient relationship is highly focused upon in this discourse. A critical approach of discourse writing seeks to create proper links between the texts at the micro level with the existing power structures within the macro social formats and structures. This can be done through the use of discursive practices and skills which help to draw inferences from the meso level of the social formats and writing constructs. VI. Conclusion The final thought that can be presented from the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the advertorial as conducted above, is that this advertorial is an all-inclusive advertorial which is likely to have quick and great impacts in the target audience groups or the ideal reader groups as decided for the advertorial . The advertorial seems to be rich in terms of contents, use of language, images and ideas. The power relationships inherent to social discourse writing and discursive practices are appropriately implemented in the advertorial in a subtle and underplayed manner wherein no direct inferences have been made to any of the existing beliefs and ideas of the society. 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