Some brands use linguistic innovation and creativity to present an image of playfulness to their customers, or to make their products stand out from the crowd by doing something new. This can be considered a form of 'identity', as the companies are aiming to craft an image of themselves and their values through the language they use.
Let's take a look at some examples:
In early 2021, Australian brand AfterPay used this ad, located in a shopping centre, to promote its services. The many non-Standard features are intended to appeal to a younger audience and present the brand in a casual, laidback way:
use of sentence fragment
sentence lacks capital letter at start, which is non-Standard
initialism 'AF' is (probably outdated!) teen slang
colloquial verb phrase 'treat yourself' reinforces informality
This ad for Australian online shopping brand 'The Iconic' features several non-Standard items, including:
initialism 'OG'; slang for 'original', potentially used among young people
blend 'athleisure'; a neologism referring to activewear that can double as everyday wear
The ad also features examples of alliteration, assonance and rhyme in 'cosy co-ords' and 'sweat sets', giving the brand a playful image through its use of phonological patterning.
Some brands will use linguistic creativity in the hope that their slang will catch on, thus bringing more attention to the brand. This is something that is difficult to manufacture, however, and very few brands succeed.
This activewear brand 'Exotica Athletica' is trying to make the blend 'slayzy' happen, although probably with limited success!
Similarly, Melbourne Football Club decided to launch a 'flanket', although it is unclear what the word 'blanket' is being blended with. Fan blanket? Footy blanket? This is a clear attempt to ride on the coattails of the Oodie's popularity, but presumably the flanket hasn't fared quite as well.
Finally, in 2021, shaving brand Gillette launched their ad campaign featuring the non-Standard noun 'the besterest', which uses some creative suffixation. The use of such creative word formation can make a company's slogan more memorable to customers.
Discuss: Can you think of any brands that have successfully made a new word or expression popular?
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