Abstract
This research investigates the use of English in luxury fashion print advertising, which continues to be the main channel to communicate new luxury fashion collections and products. The research aims to find cultural adaptations from the original Anglo-Saxon country to the target country. Further, this research examines the use of images in fashion magazines and, in particular, their capacity to deliver brand personality and aesthetics by creating a narrative engagement. By analyzing thirty print advertisements from U.S. and Spanish life-style magazines using the semiotic approach, checking for linguistic differences, and employing a robust, cross-cultural qualitative analysis, the authors conclude that each linguistic element in an advertisement may invoke an underlying message that can be comprehended by the majority of consumers, and that language selection itself can have a strong symbolic meaning.
Highlights
The modern marketplace is characterized by the emergence of post-modern brands, which are brands that consumers associate more to symbolic and emotional features than to utilitarian aspects (Lee, 2009)
In this regard, existing research suggests that the new luxury is based mainly on customers’ experiences and feelings as long as luxury products are no longer a means of “social” distinction, but rather a means for “personal distinction”: “new luxury goods are always based on emotions, and consumers have much more stronger emotional engagement with them than with other goods” (Silverstein, Fiske, & Butman, 2003)
In the case of Louis Vuitton, The body-copy elements were written in French in both the U.S and Spanish ads, most likely to emphasize the French origin and heritage, which is a deep-rooted leitmotiv for luxury brands with high perceived value (Hennings et al, 2012)
Summary
The modern marketplace is characterized by the emergence of post-modern brands, which are brands that consumers associate more to symbolic and emotional features than to utilitarian aspects (Lee, 2009) In this new situation, luxury brands have changed the way to position and communicate themselves in the market, so that the “new” concept of luxury as opposed to traditional luxury has more positive connotations and consumers buy luxury products for different reasons than the past. To increase the value delivered to the different segments of customers it is important for marketers and advertisers to understand the different reasons underlying the purchase of luxury goods (Wiedmann, Hennings, & Siebels, 2007) In this regard, existing research suggests that the new luxury is based mainly on customers’ experiences and feelings as long as luxury products are no longer a means of “social” distinction, but rather a means for “personal distinction”: “new luxury goods are always based on emotions, and consumers have much more stronger emotional engagement with them than with other goods” (Silverstein, Fiske, & Butman, 2003). While in the past, communication was just one element of the whole marketing plan, it is the main tool to enlighten the multiple facets of a luxury brand
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