A DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO ADVERTISEMENTS OF WEIGHT-LOSS DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS

Abstract

The increase in the rate of demand and consumption of dietary supplement has been connected to the advertisements of the products. However, previous studies have not focused on how advertisers use language to build trusts and influence sales and consumption. The study carried out a discursive analysis of trust-stirring strategies in dietary supplement advertisements. It specifically aims to identify the predominant rhetorical appeals in related advertisements and, thereby, determine how the appeals helped the advertisers to establish trust. Using the purposive sampling method, data were collected from four dietary supplement advertisement videos posted by Neolife, Tiens, Longrich, and Forever Living. The audio of these videos were transcribed into text and subjected into qualitative analysis, using the tenets of Aristotelian Rhetoric as the theoretical framework. The result revealed that the three rhetorical appeals – ethos, pathos, and logos – were used in the dietary supplement advertisements, particularly ethos. However, it was discovered that the three rhetorical appeals contributed in establishing trust through the advertisements. The study, therefore, concluded that dietary supplement advertisers can establish trusts by presenting the reliance, safety, and effectiveness of the products and the honesty, competency, and benevolence of the manufacturers. It recommended the balanced use of the three appeals in dietary supplement advertisements, the censorship of such advertisements to prevent misinformation, and the need to seek medical advice before consuming any dietary supplement found through online advertising.