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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 24, No. 0, pp.1051-1070
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2024
Received 04 Jul 2024 Revised 20 Aug 2024 Accepted 28 Sep 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.24..202410.1051

A Study on Conceptual Metaphors in Business Advertising

Yeon-Jin Kwon
(1st and corresponding author) Professor, Department of Language and Information Pusan National University 46241 2, Busandaehak-ro 63beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, Korea, Tel: 051) 510-2026 yeonjin@pusan.ac.kr


© 2024 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

From a cognitive linguistic perspective (Lakoff and Johnson 1980), metaphor is no longer considered merely a rhetorical phenomenon but rather a fundamental aspect of human thought. This perspective has become a central topic in linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, and various other fields of study. With the evolution of cognitive linguistics, the use of metaphor in advertising gained momentum in the late 20th century and continued to flourish in the 21st century. Advertisers employ metaphors to capture consumers’ attention, establish connections between products and concepts, clarify the utility and superiority of products, and ultimately influence consumer behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to enhance our comprehension of the nature and expression of metaphors by analyzing conceptual metaphors in business advertisements. The study aims to explore how conceptual metaphors, specifically ontological metaphors, structural metaphors, and orientational metaphors, are effectively utilized in advertisements. The study also discusses why conceptual metaphors are effective in advertising by focusing on their novelty, simplicity, meaning creation, and emotional empathy. It found that advertisements become more novel, straightforward, meaningful, and emotionally engaging when they use conceptual metaphors as cognitive tools to enhance the interpretation of advertising messages. In conclusion, conceptual metaphors play an important role in marketing advertising. Conceptual metaphors allow consumers to form an active perception of a product or service and feel positive emotions about it. These emotions have a great influence on the consumer’s buying behavior.

Keywords:

conceptual metaphor, business advertising, novelty, simplicity, meaning creativity, emotional empathy

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Humanities∙Social-Science Research Promotion of Pusan National University(2023). An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2023 Summer Conference of the Korean Association of Language Sciences. I am greatly indebted to anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and valuable suggestions.

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