Taboo in Advertising

241 Pages·2008·3.08 MB·English

by  Elsa Simões Lucas Freitas

Taboo in Advertising
Pragmatics & Beyond New Series (P&BNS)
Pragmatics & Beyond New Series is a continuation of Pragmatics & Beyond and
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University of Zurich, English Department
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Associate Editors
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University of Southern Belgian National Science Belgian National Science
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Editorial Board
Shoshana Blum-Kulka Susan C. Herring Emanuel A. Schegloff
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Jean Caron St.Paul’s (Rikkyo) University Deborah Schiffrin
Université de Poitiers Georgetown University
David Holdcroft
Robyn Carston University of Leeds Paul Osamu Takahara
University College London Kobe City University of
Sachiko Ide
Foreign Studies
Bruce Fraser Japan Women’s University
Boston University Sandra A. Thompson
Catherine Kerbrat-
University of California at
Thorstein Fretheim Orecchioni
Santa Barbara
University of Trondheim University of Lyon 2
Teun A. van Dijk
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University of Trieste
Volume 179
Taboo in Advertising
by Elsa Simões Lucas Freitas
Taboo in Advertising
Elsa Simões Lucas Freitas
Fernando Pessoa University
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Taboo in advertising / by Elsa Simões Lucas Freitas.
p. cm. (Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, issn 0922-842X ; v. 179)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Advertising--Social aspects. 2. Advertising--Moral and ethical aspects. 3. Taboo,
Linguistic.
HF5831 .F74 2008
659.1/042--dc22 2008018018
isbn 978 90 272 5423 8 (Hb; alk. paper)
© 2008 – John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America · P.O. Box 27519 · Philadelphia pa 19118-0519 · usa
Table of contents
List of tables ix
List of figures xi
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgements x vii
Introduction 1
chapter 1
Taboo 23
Introduction 2 3
The origins of the word 2 4
Taboos about the categorisation of the individuals in given situations 2 6
Taboos about dirtiness and bad language 3 3
Taboos about threats to traditional social institutions 3 5
A working definition of taboo 3 7
chapter 2
Advertising 4 1
Introduction 4 1
The functions of advertising 4 2
Taboo as an element in the communication strategy 4 3
Taboo in advertising? 4 5
A framework for the analysis of taboo ads 4 6
How ads deal with taboo issues 5 0
Bodily issues and disease in ads 5 1
The polluting potential of dirtiness and bad language in ads 5 5
When taboo is an advertising strategy 5 8
Conclusion 6 1
chapter 3
Words & images 6 3
Introduction 6 3
 Taboo in Advertising
Taboos in magazine ads and strategies used 6 4
Taboo ads 6 5
Visual softening of the taboo: Canesten Oasis ad and Lactacyd ad 6 5
Visual and textual cues for softening and foregrounding taboo:
Sloggi and SPA ads 6 8
Visual emphasis on taboo: Health Education Authority anti-smoking
and Renova ads 7 1
Non-taboo ads 7 8
Visual cues of taboo: Total Recall and CECE Ads 7 9
Visual and textual cues of taboo: Rover 75 ad 8 5
Textual cues of taboo: FCUK and Zero Films Ads 8 7
Conclusion 8 8
chapter 4
Images, words & humour 103
Introduction 103
Humour in advertising 104
Specific issues in the use of humour in advertising 106
Humour in ads for taboo products 110
Humour in ads with taboo approaches 111
A humorous outdoor campaign: the Super Bock ads 111
Sexy message in a bottle: the Miss Playbock (legs and buttocks) outdoor ad 113
Another sexy message in a bottle: the Miss Playbock (breast) outdoor ad 114
The message of the unusual cleavage: the Wonderbeer outdoor ad 116
The message of the absent label: the Topless outdoor ad 117
The message of the half-torn label: the Latin Lover outdoor ad 119
Conclusion 120
chapter 5
Words, images, sound & narratives 127
Introduction 127
Taboos in television ads and strategies used 129
Taboo ads 129
Visual softening of taboo 130
Developing pictorial metaphors: Skip ad 130
Softening of taboo through the use of animals and children: Scottex and Col-
hogar ads 132
Textual softening of taboo 133
Softening of taboo through intertextual narrative: Harpic ad 135
Textual and visual softening of taboo: Fibre 1 ad 136
Table of contents 
Visual emphasis of taboo: Abraço ad 140
Visual and musical cues for playing up taboo: Impulse and Sanex Ads 142
Non-taboo ads 145
Visual cues of taboo: Skip Aloe Vera 145
Visual and textual cues of taboo through humorous narrative: TMN ad 148
Sounds and speech as cues for taboo: Combi ad 151
Visual and musical cues for playing up taboo: Martini ad 152
Conclusion 153
chapter 6
Summarising: Sanpro ads 169
Introduction 169
The social dimension of menstruation 170
Taboo-evading strategies in ads for sanitary products 173
Analysing the sanpro ads selected 174
Menstrual taboo in magazine ads: o.b. ad 174
Menstrual taboo in television ads 176
Downplaying of taboo through intertextuality: Renova First ad 177
Downplaying taboo through visuals and music: Carefree Black 180
Downplaying taboo with pictorial metaphors: Carefree Respirare “hothouse” and
Carefree Respirare “cheeks” 182
Summing-up: downplaying taboo with pictorial metaphors, proto-narrative,
narcissistic format, external counselling: o.b. Comfort 184
Conclusion 187
Conclusion 197
References 203
Index 211

List of tables
Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of the different media 14
Table 2. Chart of ads in Chapter Three 18
Table 3. Chart of ads in Chapter Four 19
Table 4. Chart of commercials in Chapter Five 20
Table 5. Chart of ads in Chapter Six 21
Table 6. Transference of characteristics in the metaphoric process 67
Table 7. Items of the second domain that allow the existence of a visual 69
metaphor
Table 8. Oscillation of taboo readings according to the channels 70
available
Table 9. Doctored version of the ad illustrating schema alteration 75
Table 10. A double set of pictorial metaphors working in conjunction 75
Table 11. Intermediate inferential chain inside the metaphor 82
Table 12. Passive / active transformation in a “information offer” 86
Table 13. The sentence’s informational content as a subject, finite and 86
residue structure
Table 14. Spatiotemporal flow of indirectness in the dialogue 139
Table 15. Structural axis, inferences and forms of conveyance in the ad 143
Table 16. Evolution of metaphorical meaning in a visual metaphor 143
Table 17. Comparing the humour in the television ad with the tradi- 150
tional formula of the joke
Table 18. Processes of mediation in primitive and contemporary western 171
societies
Table 19. Extreme positions of directness and indirectness in raising 173
taboo
Table 20. Interrelated meanings conveyed by different means with the 176
same goal
Table 21. Normal linguistic structure of the advertising promise 180
Table 22. Subversion of reading schema of the advertising promise 180