Pictorial metonymy as creativity source in “Purificación García” advertising campaigns

Abstract

This article examines “Purificación García” advertising campaigns from 1999 to 2013, showing them to be consistently driven by pictorial metonymy. The campaigns systematically use pictorial images, dispensing with ad hoc explanatory linguistic material and do not portray end commercial products. Initial puzzlement is offset by the perception of a metonymic link that leads to the textile world in all cases. Our analysis reveals three recurrent structural patterns: two distinct metonymy sources, metonymic blends arising from the co-occurrence of the two metonymic sources and metonymy motivating metaphor. We argue that the maintenance of this strategy over the years establishes a family resemblance with successive campaigns setting up an anaphoric relationship with preceding ones, thereby mitigating puzzlement and favouring understanding. Creativity derives from the figurative twists given to literally mundane objects, from the metonymic sources, their blends and from the resulting metaphors.