Metaphors, blends and cultural associations in advertising: A four-language comparison of cultural and gender issues

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the multimodal strategies and cultural features used in English, Spanish, French and Japanese adverts of perfumes and watches for men and women in order to determine whether advertising is more influenced by the cultural values of the target public or by the global homogenising tendency in which the world is immerse. In order to do so, the different metaphors, visual blends and associations used in the selected adverts are analysed following Lakoff and Johnson (1980), Forceville (1996, 2006, 2007, 2009) and Fauconnier and Turner (1995, 2002), and also examined by means of a questionnaire. Besides, the relationship between the metaphors found and the gender of the target public is also established. Results found indicate the coexistence of the aforementioned tendencies, as well as the decisive influence of culture in the creation of metaphors and their relation to gender issues.