A Semiotic Analysis: Exploring the Verbal Signs Found in Fast Food Online Advertisement

Abstract

The linguistic landscape has changed due to social media platforms which provide real-time interaction and high dynamism. Moreover, the emergence of new media has left a profound impact on the techniques adopted by businesses to maintain a relationship with customers through digital marketing. Online advertisement is a sort of on social media platforms. Every advertisement contains signs. The language cues used in fast food ads will be examined in this study. The two objectives of this study are to identify the verbal signs in fast food commercials and examine the importance of those verbal signs. A descriptive qualitative approach is used in this study which will utilise Leech's theory of meaning and Saussure's theory of semiotics for the data analysis. The study's findings indicate that language cues were presented in the selected fast-food advertisements. Declarative sentences are used as verbal cues. The results will contribute to the current knowledge in the area pertaining to social media advertisement and its significance.