Unpacking Creativity

The Power of Figurative Communication in Advertising

Paula Pérez Sobrino, Jeannette Littlemore (University of Birmingham), Samantha Ford (University of Birmingham)

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English

Cambridge University Press
10 April 2025

Sociolinguistics; Psycholinguistics; Cognitivism, cognitive theory; Advertising

Figurative communication (the use of metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole and irony) provides economy of expression, clarity, persuasiveness, politeness, evaluation, and communication of emotions. However, it also increases the potential for misunderstanding in situations when people lack shared background knowledge. This book combines theoretical frameworks with empirical studies that measure the effectiveness of different approaches to the use of figurative language in advertisements, to show how to maximise the benefits of creative metaphor and metonymy in global advertising. It highlights how subtle differences in colour, layout, and combinations of different kinds of figurative language affect the reception and appreciation of creative advertising, shedding new light on the nature of figurative communication itself. With a balance between theory, experiments and practical case studies, this book is accessible for academics in linguistics and communication studies, as well as advertising and marketing professionals.

By: Paula Pérez Sobrino, Jeannette Littlemore (University of Birmingham), Samantha Ford (University of Birmingham)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781108461863
ISBN 10: 1108461867
Pages: 321
Publication Date: 10 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction; Part I. Theoretical Perspectives: 1. The temple of heaven is not China; 2. Is it a bird or is it a chameleon?; 3. Welcome to the black supermarket; 4. I thought they were hairy breasts!; Part II. Empirical Studies: 5. Spiderman or devil horns?; 6. If it's red it must be sport; 7. Curry is yellow in Japan but orange in the US; 8. So real it's scary; 9. Cross-cultural and gender-based variation in the emotional impact and appreciation of marketing videos; 10. Having fun with his custard factory?; 11. What do we now know about the creative use of figurative communication in advertising?

Paula Pérez-Sobrino is a lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of La Rioja (Spain). She is a cognitive linguist who specialises in the theoretical development and empirical study of figurative language and multimodal creativity. Recent publications include Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in Advertising (2017). Jeannette Littlemore is a Professor of English Language and Applied Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the reasons why people use metaphor and metonymy and the impact that they have on the reader. She has published three previous books with CUP, the latest of which is Metaphors in the Mind (2019). Samantha Ford is a Doctoral Researcher in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. With a Collaborative Doctoral Award from the Midlands4Cities, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Samantha researches figurative creativity in advertising and consumer attitude, behaviour, and memory with Big Cat Advertising Agency.

Reviews for Unpacking Creativity: The Power of Figurative Communication in Advertising

'This book provides an effective analysis of visual and language metaphors and their interaction, informed by astute application of cognitive science to a range of examples from advertising. Students and researchers in communication, linguistics, and cognitive linguistics as well as advertising researchers and practitioners will find the book interesting and informative. It is well-written and readable, and would be an excellent text for an advanced course in advertising, communication, or cognitive linguistics.' Professor L. David Ritchie, Department of Communication, Portland State University