RACHEL ANNE S.

NUNEZ MAEd-English

1:00P – 6:00PM, Saturday

Discourse Analysis

Dr. Alfonso Mana-ay

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF DOVE’S ADVERTISEMENT

I. Introduction

Language is an essential part in human being’s life. Through language

either spoken or written people can communicate with others. Crystal (1992)

defined language as the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or

written symbols in a human society for communication and self-expression.

Language has a great impact towards people and their behavior. This is mainly

true in the fields of marketing and advertising. In advertising, language as a

tool of communication is used to deliver specific messages with the intention of

influencing, convincing, and informing people. These specific messages mostly

aim to persuade people to buy certain products or services. Language in

advertising is very important because it helps people to identify the product

and remember it.

The language of advertising, according to Crystal (1987), is generally

laudatory, positive, unreserved, and emphasizing the uniqueness of a product.

Typically, it emphasizes why one product stands out in comparison with

another.
 Advertising exists in numerous forms and is one of the major forces that

help to improve the standard of living around the world. In most of them,

language is of crucial importance. Words in advertisements are carefully

crafted to meet particular needs such as commercial and social functions.

Together, these functions have made advertising become indispensable in the

modern world. Advertisements have the ability to manipulate objects and

persuade people into buying a way of life.

The function of advertising can be viewed into basic ways: as a tool of

marketing and as a means of communication (Wright, Winter & Zeigler: 1982)

thus, advertisements which are the products of advertising are delivered to

different kind of societies in order to convey these two basic ways of function.

There are three general forms of advertising which close to humans life

either in the form that simply use sound (radio advertising), vision (printed

advertising), or both sound and vision (television advertising). Printed or

electronic (radio and television advertising) advertisement is one of media in

communication which grows as the developing of technology.

According to Susanto in Mulyawan, at first, people advertise their

products by shouting or producing sounds to gain consumers’ attention. This

kind of advertisement is called direct advertisement in which the sellers

advertise using spoken language that simple and advertise their product

directly to the target market.

Dove presents many advertisements to gain people’s attention on its

campaign. This paper aims at analyzing the meaning, the purpose, and the
message, behind the advertisement of Dove Beauty Campaign by looking its

advertisement structure and the language of advertisement. This paper also

analyzes the implication of the beauty campaign for Dove itself. To study the

exploitation of the language in the discourse of advertisement, the verbal sign

and non-verbal sign are analyzed to find the language used and the meaning,

purpose, message, and the implication behind the advertisement.

II. Structure of Advertisement

A. Headline

The headline is “We see beauty all around us’’. This headline also

uses generalization idea from the choice of deictic register of “We” and

“Us”. Yet, this choice of words gives meaning that ads maker wants to

make the customers or readers as a unity.

B. Illustration

Three women from different sizes, shapes, colors, and ethnics are

smiling with confidence makes the headline’s intention become clear. It

gives meaning that the beauty all around us is like those there women

represented in the illustration. In this illustration, the ads maker uses

Transfer and Plain Folks technique of propaganda. Transfer means trying

to improve the images of the products or in this case, is the campaign by

showing symbols or illustration. Plain Folks means using people from

plain folks instead of people who have power or higher than others. In

this campaign, the ads maker uses an image of average-looking women.

 From the illustration above, it can be inferred that Dove is trying to

persuade customers or readers to join in a new image of beauty that is

women from different types of skin and body shapes.

C. Body copy

“At Dove, we want to free ourselves and the next generation from

beauty stereotypes. It’s this message that’s at the heart of our Campaign

for Real Beauty and Self Esteem Fund, and it’s why we continue to create

thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that

embrace all definitions of beauty” is the body copy of the 2nd

advertisement. In this body copy, the ads maker didn’t use generalization

because of the choice of words “At Dove” this indicates the next subject

of “We” is Dove people. In the first sentence, the ads maker opens its

body copy by stating the purpose of the advertisement that is giving

people and the next generation freedom from the beauty stereotypes.

This also indicates that dove wants to make changes not only for now

but on the future for beauty stereotypes by choosing the words “next

generation”. In the second sentence, the ads maker tries to convince the

customer or readers of Dove’s aim. By choosing the words “at the heart of

our campaign” indicates that Doves want wholeheartedly making their

promises. In this 2nd sentence the ads maker also gives evidence on how

they will make their promises; by creating thought-provoking ads,

confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions

of beauty.
III. Implications

A. Theme

Based on the analysis of the printed advertisements, it can be

summarized that one of the most noticeable theme used is the idea that

flaws are beautiful and there is no need to succumb to unrealistic

standards. It promotes the idea that women needs to accept their flaws

and be self-assured that imperfections are normal.

B. Language

The advertisement uses simple and ordinary language that the

audiences understand easily.

C. Text Analysis

The impression of an intimate, natural and healthy relation

between women and their bodies. Dove is trying to send out the

message that instead of changing your appearance, you should

embrace what you are born with, and celebrate your beauty with

their product.
D. Discursive Analysis

By making use of real women and claiming that their ads are

untouched, this shows Dove’s attempt to differentiate themselves

from other beauty brands advertising strategy. They use women

who are more relatable to their target audience to create a sense of

connection and impulse in them to purchase and use the product

that they identify with. They are made to feel that having

imperfections and not following the media standard of beauty is

perfectly fine.

In 2004, Dove started a reality based campaign using

average everyday women to challenge against the stereotypical

beauty after a report that shows only 12% women are satisfied

with their appearance. Dove claimed that many of their ads are

untouched and leaved strong emotional appeal to their audience.

E. Intertextuality

Campaign is based on several scientific studies and opinion

polls carried out internationally. To what extent is Dove able to

manipulate the various text and semiotic devices to create a

counter-discourse against stereotyped beauty standards, yet at the

same time portray and reach out to a diverse group of people who

do not fit in to that. As one of the pioneer in challenging the notion

of unattainable beauty, Dove approach has been successfully

 accepted by the public and leaves women to believe that Dove not

only provide quality products, but is also truly concerned about

uniting women who do not feel good about themselves instead of

just making money off them.

Intertextuality also occurs as Dove use words from other

discourses such as science to attract consumers through the use

of technical words. Technical words in advertisements helps

convince viewers that the product is of value as the vocabulary has

the power to convey expertise. All of these are powerful tools which

work together to shape people’s mental structure. This approach

has been successfully accepted by the public and leaves women to

believe that Dove not only provides quality products, but is also

truly concerned about uniting women who do not feel good about

themselves instead of just making money off them. It is definitely

refreshing for consumers to see such a big international brand

going against media norms and rejecting what have always been

projects as desirable.

F. Sociocultural Analysis

One of the most obvious discourses that are involved in this

campaign would be that of beauty. Not just any typical media

portrayal of the ideal beauty, but a counter of that idea, of showing

normal day to day women. This is part of Dove’s attempt to

challenge and change the prevailing serotypes and unrealistic

 standard of beauty that exist. One such way is the use of normal

women instead of models in a confident and positively way.

Another attempt can be seen through the display of “taboos” not

seen in typical beauty advertisements such as scars, pigmentation,

grey hair etc.

The whole campaign is based on several scientific studies

and opinion polls carried out internationally.

IV. Conclusion

Dove beauty for real campaign is aimed at provoking people to change

the beauty stereotype of fashion models to the real women beauty with a wider

range of skin types and body shapes. Three kinds of this campaign

advertisement have been analyzed. Based on the three advertisements of “Dove

Beauty for Real Campaign” analyzed above, it is found that the ads maker use

three kinds of structure of an advertisement that are: (1) headline; (2)

illustration; and (3) body copy.

The language use in those advertisements are kind of propaganda in

which Dove ads maker wants to influence the customers or the readers‟

attitude towards an issue of changing the image of beauty stereotype. It is also

found that the headlines, the illustrations, and the body copies are connected

each other. The illustrations are appropriate for the messages of the campaign.

Finally from the analysis above the writer can infer the meaning, the purpose,

and the message, behind the advertisement of Dove Beauty Campaign as well

as the implication of the beauty campaign for Dove itself. The meaning of “Real
Beauty” is that the beauty that represents from all women in this world that

can be depicted from the advertisement illustrations.

The purpose of the “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” is that this is a

campaign for changing the beauty stereotype of fashion models to the real

women with a wider range of skin types and body shapes by presenting several

images of beautiful women who have slim body, medium body, fat, white skin,

and dark skin. The purpose of this campaign is to realize women in this world

that beauty is all around us, beauty is appreciate on your uniqueness, beauty

if for all of us no matter what size and shapes you are. The message behind

these campaign advertisements is that Dove cares about the real women

beauty by creating thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and

messages that embrace all definitions of beauty.

The implication of this campaign advertisement for Dove itself is that

Dove might have special place in their customers’ part of life because they

think that Dove cares about them.

REFERENCES:

Jusoh, J. (December 2015). A Discourse Analysis of Thematic Print

Advertisement. Retrieved from:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294260624_A_Discourse_Analysis_

of_Thematic_Print_Advertisements

Dayag, D. (2008). The Discourse of Print Advertising in the Philippines: Generic

Structures and Print Features. Retrieved from:

http://www.aclweb.org/anthology/Y08-1001

Crystal, D. (1987). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge:

CambridgeUniversity Press.Kelly-Holmes