Analyse language choice used in radio advertising as a brand positioning technique: Jet case study

Abstract

During colonial South Africa, indigenous languages were marginalised while English and Afrikaans were the only languages used to advertise goods and services (Ngwenya, 2011). Today, according to Bishop (2006) advertisers are struggling to find the best language to communicate with their target audiences. Particularly to multilingual who respond differently to the messages presented to them in each of the languages they know (Santello, 2013). The present research study analysed the language choices used by Jet in its radio advertising in order to understand how the brands use of language positions it in the mind of its target market. The study used a focus group to collect data from a purposive sample. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis was used as the theoretical framework which helped to determine the research questions that provided the data that was analysed. The results showed that Jet uses language to entertain as a brand positioning technique in its radio advertisements. Furthermore, Jet's multilingual and bilingual target market does respond differently to the messages presented to them, they found the English radio advertisement straight to the point, the isiZulu one entertaining and the code-switching radio advertisement problematic. Moreover, the isiZulu radio advertisement that did not have a discrepancy.