Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Brand and Media Strategy
Date of Award
5-2020
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Anthony, Chase Mitchell
Committee Members
Melanie Richards, Susan Waters
Abstract
Advertising often employs metaphor because of its rhetorical utility. By drawing on analogous imagery and language, metaphor has the potential to elicit emotional responses. As the digital age is increasingly saturated with commercial messaging, advertising experts leverage the persuasive power of metaphor and emotion to produce creative, compelling, and memorable commercials. German automobile company Audi employs metaphorical language and imagery in their video advertisements to arouse consumer emotions. In this study, I conduct rhetorical analyses of Audi’s online video commercials in order to: identify instances in their ads that employ metaphorical language and imagery; investigate how those metaphors function rhetorically; and discuss the complex rhetorical interplay between metaphor and emotion. My findings suggest that Audi leverages the power of metaphor to build audiences’ emotional investment in the brand, and therefore, be more likely to purchase Audi vehicles.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Amoako, Richard Opoku, "Metaphors and Emotions in Advertising: A Rhetorical Analysis of Audi’s Online Video Commercials" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3768. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3768
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Advertising and Promotion Management Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons, Visual Studies Commons