Communication and Advertising : An Analysis of persuasive language Approaches in the language of advertising in the Zimbabwean Media

This is a data assisted study that explores direct and indirect approaches to advertising persuasion focusing on the language of advertisements. The language of advertisements has been largely defined as persuasive and manipulative. Some scholars however hold different views. For this reason, I have decided to explore this topic by analysing the creative methods used by the copywriters of certain advertisements and then deciding whether or not these are useful in determining the persuasive value of the language used by advertisers. The decision to study advertising language was also motivated by the fact that this area of study has received little attention in the research literature, and that the use of powerful persuasive messages influence our decision as a consumer society in buying certain products and services. The focus of this study was on the language of selected newspaper, magazine, billboard and television/radio advertisements. To achieve the objectives of the study, a desktop study was carried out..