Language and Marketing
Cover Art by Eman Azrak
It’s Not What You Do, It’s What You Say
Disneyland has “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Nike has “Just Do It,” and Kentucky Fried Chicken might be best known for their slogan “Finger-Lickin’ Good.” These are just a few of the world’s most iconic slogans that are recognizable across the world. Oftentimes when we think about marketing and advertising, thoughts of 30-second Super Bowl Ads, huge billboards that flank the highways, or the really cool display you saw at the mall. But have you ever thought about the impact words and language has on advertising? After all, we’d want to think that consumers make their purchases based on the million-dollar ad that aired or seeing a product on T.V. and hopping on Amazon to order it. But the language behind advertising profoundly affects consumer behavior - and it extends past simply what makes a good slogan or jingle.
Ice Cream and Menus?
While you might not think about the effects of language on marketing and advertising, there is a budding field of research around “marketing linguistics.” One fascinating example I’ve read about was the marketing of ice cream flavors by linguist Dan Jurafsky. In the English language, vowels produced at the front of the mouth (think “aaa” in “fact”) tend to be associated with light flavors and textures, whereas vowels produced at the back of the mouth (think “uh” in “plug”) tend to be associated with heavier, indulgent food. He studied major ice cream labels and found that almost all of them used these back vowels to accompany their flavors: fudge chocolate, caramel, rocky road, cookie dough, moose tracks, and the list goes on. Just this one decision has had profound effects on the industry as a whole because people want the ice cream they think will have the qualities of being heavy and indulgent.
Jurafsky also studied 65,000 different menus at various restaurants and found that the cheaper the restaurant is, the higher the tendency was to use words that emphasized consumer choice - have it your way, your combo, or upgrade your meal. If you’re choosing a cheaper option, you want to make sure you’re getting the best value for your dollar which is why such restaurants choose to emphasize that this is your meal. You make the choices which means whether or not the meal is good or bad, the responsibility lies on you. Whereas in more expensive restaurants, no such language exists. The language is very much centered around the idea of “what does the chef recommend?”. Menu items might commonly say something like “chef’s choice” or “handpicked”. Psychologically, because you’re going to a more expensive restaurant, you’d expect the chef to know what’s best for you so language marketing taps into that belief by using this very specific language to help signal to the customer that this restaurant is worth the higher price tag.
Ads in Translation
The importance of linguistics also becomes apparent when we consider how globalized the world is now. Big corporations run ads in all corners of the world, so it’s especially important to ensure that there’s nothing in a message that’s lost in translation. Ford, in an effort to reach their global market, ran an advertisement with the slogan, “Every car has a high-quality body.” Unfortunately, when this advert was run in Belgium, the slogan read, “Every car has a high-quality corpse,” which is definitely not the message Ford intended to send.! Crafting a good message in our globalized world requires being conscious of different languages and cultural norms that can drastically affect the intended message.
Simple and Sweet
The power of language in marketing needs no further evidence than looking at the classic, “Just Do It” slogan by Nike. Short, sweet, and iconic. There’s no mentioning Nike without it. But why is it so memorable, and what separates it from others? After all, it’s just 3 words. While I don’t believe there’s an exact answer or science to it, I think Nike was able to successfully pull two things together that led to its success. One, the ideology of the brand and its slogan are congruent. Nike’s whole purpose is to create the gear needed to help people accomplish their goals. It was mainly athletes in the past, but this has extended to everyone. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to achieve these goals. Nike is conveying the message, “we’ve given you everything you need, it’s time to just do it now.” Two, the message is succinct, memorable, and crystal clear. There’s a clear message that is not easily misunderstood and it’s short to make it easier to recite and remember.
Final Thoughts
We’re not all selling ice cream or in charge of multinational brands but the core idea of every-day language having a deeper subconscious effect on consumers is very important to consider. Being mindful of how language can affect consumers' thinking, how it can change across languages, and elements of what makes a successful copyright can help us create better messages that help us build better brands as marketers.
