A Multimodal Semiotic Analysis of Multilingual Billboard Advertisements in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Outdoor advertising is a powerful way of communicating, using linguistic and visual resources to create persuasive messages in multicultural urban contexts. The aim of this research is to examine the multilingual and multimodal semiotic strategies adopted in billboard advertisements in Lahore, Pakistan by applying the theory of Visual Grammar of Kress and van Leeuwen (2006). The study employs a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis approach and a purposive sample of ten advertisements from billboards that were taken from various commercial and transportation routes in Lahore. The analysis is presented on the interaction between language choices, code-mixing, visual composition (and the notion of 'sacredness'), the symbolic use of colour, typography, cultural imagery, and representational and compositional meanings. The results show that Urdu and English are strategically used in tandem with some degree of Punjabi use, to reach local cultural groups and the aspirations of global consumers. The visual elements such as colour schemes, celebrity endorsements, iconic imagery, spatial organization and symbolic cultural references combine with verbal components to create powerful narratives that create a sense of trust, modernity, prestige, familiarity and emotional engagement. The study also shows that multilingualism and multimodality are used as complementary semiotic resources that assist in audience identification and impact consumer perceptions in an advertising field where variety of cultures exists in the city of Lahore. This study is an extension of the study done by Kress and van Leeuwen's multimodal semiotic framework to the Pakistani context, which adds to the literature in Multimodal Discourse Analysis, Advertising Studies, Linguistic Landscape Research, and Intercultural Communication. The results also have a practical angle for advertisers, communication professionals, and policy makers to think about how to create culturally responsive and linguistically inclusive advertising strategies in multilingual societies.

Keywords: Multimodal discourse analysis; Semiotics; Visual Grammar; Billboard advertisements; Multilingualism; Advertising discourse; Kress and van Leeuwen; Lahore; Pakistan.