Communicative Inter—subjectivity in Poster Ads

王小燕

【Abstract】This paper focuses on the study of communicative inter-subjectivity of a particular type of advertisement—poster ads. Specifically， it focuses on how the audiences subjectivity is established and realized successfully in the communications initiated by the ads. Based on Bolens criteria for successful advertisements and Austens Speech Act Theory， this paper， taking three Singaporean poster ads as the case in point， descriptively analyzes the properties of the speech acts performed by these ads and discusses how the audiences subjectivity is initiated and realized by the visual devices employed in these posters to as a way of performing their persuasive perlocutionary force. Analyses of these cases indicate that both linguistic and non-linguistic visual devices are employed in performing the locutionary act of these ads；each of the devices performs different role in their uttering of the illocutionay act；and pictorial metaphors are drawn on in all the three cases to enhance the perlocutionary act of the ads. With these properties， the audiences subjectivity can be discovered in the entire course of creating of these posters： in the analyzing and planning stage prior to their creation， during the designing of their layout， and most prominently in governing their selection of linguistic and non-linguistic devices involved order to strike the viewers with what they are advertising， thus showing the inter-subjective nature of this particular type of communication. It is believed that discussions on the audiences subjectivity within the framework of Speech Act Theory will contribute to literature by defusing the criticisms on its negligence of the audience role in communication and those on its insufficient attention to the social contexts of communication. In addition it will also add weight on the call for socializing speech act theory.

【Key words】Speech Act Theory； poster ads； inter-subjectivity； communication

Speech Act theory， originated by Austin and developed by Searle （Thomas， 1995， p. 51）， has long been criticized for its negligence to the inter-subjective quality of communication （Streeck， 1980；Levinson， 1983；Goodwin and Duranti， 1992；Sbisa， 2001）. Both masters pay exclusive attention to the speakers intentionality， but seldom discuss the role played by the hearer in the course of communication. Wee （2004） points out that “speech act theory， at least in the form associated with the work of Searle， pays insufficient attention to the social contexts of communication （ibid， p. 2174）”…. Therefore， “we argue， in echoing other scholars， that speech act theory needs to be more inter-subjective in orientation” （ibid， p. 2163）.endprint

Speech act theory， applied to the field of advertisement， has spurred much discussion on the communication between the ads/speaker and the audience/hearer. Cook （2001） provides a comprehensive analysis of the social functions and aesthetic effects of advertisements across a wide range of media. Forcewille （1996） examines “the communicator and addressee in the advertising message” from perspectives of Sperber and Wilsons relevance theory. However， the focus has always been on how ads/communicators make their intentions seen or perceived by the addressees （ibid）， or how the social functions or aesthetic effects of ads are achieved from the perspective of the addressers of the ads. Few has been done to show how the addressees—the audiences or the viewers subjectivity—has been initiated and realized in this special type of communication.

This paper therefore aims at providing a different perspective to demonstrate the inter-subjective nature of communication initiated by one type of advertisement—poster ads. Taking Bolens （1984） criteria for successful advertisements and Austens Speech Act Theory （1962） as the theoretical framework， the study will take three randomly chosen poster adds from Singapore as the case in point. It will first descriptively analyze the properties of the speech acts performed in the three poster ads， and then discuss how the audiences subjectivity is initiated to enhance their desired and designed communicative goals. The purpose is to add weight on the call for the socializing of Speech Act Theory. Specifically two questions will be answered： 1） What are the properties of the speech acts performed by poster ads？2） How is the readers subjectivity， though silent， established and enhanced by both the posters and their creators？To achieve both ends， the research will use three randomly selected poster ads from Singapore as cases in point， explicating their properties and subjectivities involved.

To initiate this research， over a dozen photos of poster ads were randomly taken in and around MRT stations in Singapore during the one month period between 15 Feb. and 15 March， 2007. But given the scope and purpose of this study， three of them are employed as sample cases for this research analysis. The next part of this paper will first give a detailed description of the contents and contexts of the three poster ads. Then it proceeds to analyze the properties of the speech acts performed by these posters. Finally， it discusses on how the addressees subjectivity is established and boosted by these poster ads.endprint

The first one， Case 1， （as shown in Appendix 1） is a huge out door poster ad of a global delivery company—UPS. It was found at the crossroad outside Bugis MRT Station and facing squarely at the crossroad. It is so huge that it covers the entire top two levels of a three-storied building， and extends the width of the facets of two stores. The entire face of the ad is left blank except two huge protruding black words at its center： “Loss Less”， with the letter “o” replaced by a huge real clock. A short line is placed right under these two huge words， “Get your products faster to market with UPS”， which explains the function of this delivery company. The font of the sentence is comparatively much smaller than the two huge words， but large enough for people to recognize from afar. The length of the sentence is slightly shorter than that of the two huge words. The clock in the position of letter ‘o is rather huge， and the time indicated on it can be seen clearly from any direction. At the bottom of the huge poster， there is an orange line indicating the website of the company “globalshipping.ups.sg”， to the right hand side of which is the phrase “Deliver more” and the logo of UPS Company. Except these signs and words， the entire rest part of the poster is covered by nothing. Nothing more， but nothing less.

The second one， Case 2， （as shown in Appendix 2） is a poster of regular size found on walls of the subway tunnel at Outram Park MRT junction， which is always crowded with people who are changing between the east and the north lines. It advertises Eagle brand medical products， a famous local brand which is known for its traditional Chinese medical pain-killing or pain-relieving plasters or balms. Standing every 10 or so meters on the wall along the subway tunnel， posters of the same ad greet the passers-by with a huge smiling image of a healthy senior man standing on the green grass-land of a golf course， with the thumb of one hand up， and the other hand resting on a gulf pole. In front of him are the pictures of several major products of the company such as “Eagle brand capsicum plaster”，“Eagle Inhaler”and“Eagle Yellow Balm” plaster with logo of the brand. Three huge words in bold font are listed right below the pictures of the products， reading “Trusted For Generations.” The position of these words meets right the eyes of an adult of average height. Another line of words are arranged underneath， saying “Available at all leading pharmacies， drug stores， medical halls， and supermarkets”，which is much smaller in font size. On the upper right corner of the poster is a large logo of this brand， which is in the shape of an eagle clipped between two capitalized words EAGLE BRAND. Both the brand name and the logo are in bright red color.endprint

The third case， Case 3， （as shown in Appendix 3） is a commonweal poster made by Singapore government for the promotion of the values of good service and hardworking. It is a popular one that can be found on many windows and walls at the platform of MRT stations. The picture features a bright smiling young， in chefs white uniform and white hat， serving an exquisite course of delicacy to the customers， and the smiling side-face of one of the customers. The broad and confident smiles on their faces and the sincerity in their eyes send warmth immediately to people who see it. Unlike the large blank left on the poster in Case 1， the two images of the people takes majority space of the poster， which is subtitled with these words： “I started my business with my hands & won customers with my heart” in largest bold slightly italicized font， and under it are words “Thinking Hands Create Success in the Global Economy” in smaller font. The line with words smallest in size reads， “Hands-on， Minds-on， Hearts-on.” At the lower-right corner of the poster， there is the icon of a lion-head combined with these words beneath： “SINGAPORE QUALITY AWARD for business excellence 2005 winner.” All the words and the icon are white in color and printed on top of full bright redness which is the base color of the entire one fourth lower part of the poster.

All the three poster ads possess the basic qualities of successful advertisements mentioned by Bolen （1984）： believability， simplicity， and readability. For Bolen， “outstanding ads have stopping power；… they make strong promises；… they have headlines work hard with visuals；… they creative positive feelings；and they are distinct.” （cited in Gardner and Luchtenberg 2000）， so are the three poster ads. In addition to these general features， a number of other properties can also be observed in the three poster ads from the perspectives of Speech Act Theory.

To begin with， the locutionary acts of these poster ads are realized through the convergent use of both linguistic and non-linguistic visual devices. The words “Loss Less” in Case 1 does not make immediate sense without the appearance of the huge clock embedded in the position of the letter “o”. This vivid image of the clock makes the locution of this poster ad complete： “l(fā)oss less time”， which right projects the efficiency of the transportation and delivery service of the UPS Company. In case 2， the images of the hale and hearty senior citizen and those of the products complete the locutionary act of expressing “Products bearing this brand have been Trusted For Generations by senior people like me. In the same light， the confidence smiles of the young chef and the customers in case 3 jointly complete the locutionary act of saying “A chef I am， I started my business with my hands & won customers with my heart. Therefore I can be as successful.”endprint

In addition， the illocution act or the intention of these poster ads are also accomplished through the combination of both linguistic and non-linguistic visual devices， but with each of the devices appearing at different levels in the different stages of attracting the viewers. In all the three cases， the exaggerated， striking size of the two words and the clock appeal the readers eyes first， fulfilling the “stopping power” spelt by Bolen （1984） and winning time for the few accompanying words to be forced sub-conscientiously into the their sight as well， which then triggers a cognitive recognition of the connections between the words and the images on the viewers minds. With the metal completion of the meaning realized by both linguistic and the images， the crafted use of linguistic devices such as punchy words or catchy phrases further enhance the intended message upon the viewers with various rhetorical devices such as alliterations， rhythms， cadences， resonances， parallelism， etc.， as in the cases of “Loss Less”， “…with my hands & …with my heart， ” “hands-on， Minds-on， Hearts-on” etc.. In this manner， the stunning visuals and the craft of the language use work together to finalize the post ads illocutionary force sent to the addressees. In Case 1， while people cross the crossroad， they devote much their attention to the traffic lights， which stand right under the huge poster by UPS. Besides， given the colossal size of the two words “Loss Less” and the huge embedded clock， the poster ad becomes so eye-catching and mind punching that they attract peoples attention more than anything else in the bustling street crossroad. A few glances at the poster will suffice to force the locutionary act jointly performed by the huge words and huge image into peoples mind. While watching out for the traffic light or waiting for the subway trains， their attentions have been successfully drawn to the stunning images and catchy words， and their minds have been preoccupied unconsciously while successfully in chewing the connections between the words， the images， and the laconic phrases. It wont take long for them to figure out the intended message—You will Loss Less time and improve efficiency （if you choose our service）—the exact illocutionary act： “if you need delivery， please use our service.” This coincides with Barthes idea： “…in advertising， the images signification is assuredly intentional： it is certain attributes of the product…” （1986， p. 22， as cited in Forceville）endprint

The third feature is that pictorial metaphors are drawn on by the intended communicators—the creators and publishers of these ads to enhance the perlocutionary act of these ads. “Metaphor occurs first of all on the level of cognition， and can manifest itself on the pictorial as well as the verbal level…” （Forceville， 1996， p. 108）. The implication of time by the huge clock， the suggestion of health by the hale senior， and the early success implied in the confident face of the smiling young man， are but expressed with the exaggeration in size， contradiction between seniority and vigor， and aspiration for both youth and success. Therefore， the titanic clock face， the wholesome senior man and the confident young faces carry much more than just time， health and confidence. They are more engaging than just inviting： with their visual attractions they not only invite the potential readers into pondering the deeper meaning under these images—time being money or market；health meaning happiness；and confidence inviting success， but engage them by eliciting the inner impulse of joining these ads in improving efficiency， seeking wholesomeness， and achieving success. Such inner impulse triggered by the linguistic and non-linguistic images of these poster ads form the very basis of realizing the perlocutionary force of the posters， namely， impressing the viewers so as to make the advertised services or products known to the potential customers.

“…There can be little doubt that the primary intention behind advertisements is to make people buy” （Forceville， 19956， p. 67）. This is also true to the three cases in question， though what is advertised in Case 3 is not a service or a product but an encouragement for hard work and creativity. For this purpose， poster ads would spare no effort in convincing the potential customers with the feature of their service or products， so as to boost the targeted addressees subjectivity and convert them into one of the potential buyers. But given the particularity of poster ads， where does the addressees subjectivity reside？And how is it established in this particular type of communication？

With retrospect on the planning and designing stage of these poster ads， there is the looming sign of the addressees already. For sure all posters are designed and created to serve the needs of certain targeted addressees. The huge size clock embedded in the phrase “Loss Less” strikes those who care time efficiency in delivery of goods more than those who dont， in addition to its practical function for everyone to check time. The combined images of the impressively healthy senior with the major products placed right in his embrace and in parallel to the viewers eyes attract the elderly people and those filial children more than anyone else. The confidence and smiles in the young faces on the poster in Case 3 boost young pioneers entrepreneurship more than those who have already established and are enjoying the steady success of their career. It is safe to say that the needs of these potential “buyers” have inspired the creation of these poster ads and influenced the design， layout and even means of delivery of the intended message. In this sense， the addressees subjectivity is the pre-requite for the communication initiated by poster ads—it is， therefore， pre-established in the first place before the creation of these poster ads.endprint

Another demonstration of the audiences subjectivity can be found in such fact that the peculiarities of the intended audience—their tastes， love， emotions， and preferences， etc.—has dictated and determined the means and manner of the final creation and presentation of the poster ads. In other words， the potential readers needs， preferences and pockets/money are the initiation of the creation of these poster ads. To win the heart of the potential buyers， all resources and elements are employed to serve the ultimate purpose of catering to， informing， and persuading the readership so as to won their favorable impression and trigger their purchase impulsion. For this end， the huge clock and the huge words in which the clock is embedded were selected as the most protruding eye-catcher in the entire poster of Case 1；the vigorous senior citizen is selected to fulfill the same function in Case 2， and in Case 3 the young man with promising smile in his working uniform and the side face of the broad-smiling customer have been selected to be the center of attractor. Besides， the clean layout and the pleasant color selected， all are carefully designed to enhance the persuasive force （or the perlocutionary force） of these posters. It would be safe to say that the addressees favorable feelings， emotions and above all their money are the very force that initiate the creation of the poster ads， which exactly demonstrates the audiences agency in the course of this special type of communication.

The final aspect that discloses the addressees subjectivity in the formulations of these posters can be seen in the fact that the addressees feelings， emotions， and preferences are of the primary concern throughout the entire course of creation of the poster ads. In other words， the potential consumers feelings and emotions and preferences dictate the entire design， creation， and employment of all means and resources of the poster ads. What size of the image should be adopted？What words should be chosen？What images need to be selected？Even the angles of each image， the colors employed or the layout of the entire picture… etc. all are designed and generated as contributing triggers to win the favorable emotions and recognition of the potential addressees. There are indeed other considerations such as location， size， and cost， but none of them can be so important a factor as the addressees cognitive recognition and emotional priority. Therefore， the addressees needs or concerns—or the potential of the markets—have actually been an invisible hand controlling or directing the whole creating process of these poster ads or even all ads. In this way， the addressees subjectivity is reclaimed and exists as the shaping force during the whole processes of creation of these ads.endprint

From these three aspects， we can clearly see how the addressees subjectivity is established， where it resides and how it functions as shaping force in the creation of all poster ads.

In conclusion， with the analyses of three poster ads as cases in point， this study indicates how the speech acts in poster ads are performed through both linguistic and non-linguistic means. The analyses supports the claims of socializing speech act theory by pointing out that the locutionary and illocutionary acts of poster ads can be achieved through the combination of both linguistic and non-linguistic devices. Besides， it also shows how the addressees subjectivity plays its role as an invisible force in these poster ads. Though as silent participants， the addressees subjectivity is pre-established before the creation of the ads， and is boosted during their reading of these ads. It is finally reclaimed and reestablished as being the force shaping the final configuration of the poster ads. Despite the negligence of other social factors that influence the formation of the poster ads， this research adds another perspective in echoing the call that speech act theory should be socialized for the interpretation of more social phenomenon， and the addressees subjectivity should be re-addressed in the special type of communication in the form of poster ads.

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