Phonostylistic means of car brand image creation

Abstract

The current paper presents an overview of phonostylistic devices (alliteration, assonance, rhyme, onomatopoeia) most commonly used in slogans and taglines of the modern car industry. The advertising slogan, being limited by space and time, is viewed as an important part of any marketing campaign. In a similar manner to previous studies, this paper confirms that a slogan is an effective type of storytelling for brands. However, it differs from the tagline, which is supposed to be long lasting. In an endeavour to convey some characteristics or information about the product and make it memorable for the consumer, brand designers resort to various linguistic devices that make the advertising language effective. The analysis of commercial advertising slogans and taglines demonstrated that such phonological devices as assonance and rhyme are infrequent, while alliteration is the most productive sound technique. As for onomatopoeia, it appeared to be the rarest device in the analysed bulk of slogans and taglines. The obtained results show the capacity of these sound techniques to enhance brand image. Numerous examples provided in the paper are tailored to support this statement. Moreover, the paper addresses the issue of sound symbolism, since the interest in its manifestation in marketing is on the rise. Thus, from a phonosemantic vantage point, the most productive phonemes are sibilants, plosives and sonorants. Their recurrent character contributes to the creation of a brand image. The overall results may have significant implications for marketing teams that seek to create ear-catching and memorable slogans and taglines as well as shed light on the consumer’s psychology.