The role of figurative language use in the representation of tourism services

The majority of tourism research explores the images represented visually, as the visual plays a vital part in the production and performance of tourism services. Less attention is paid to the text in this context, although it also has a strong visual element expressed in words. The language, which represents tourism, has a central connection with tourists‟ attitudes that deserves to be included in the research. Tourism is a service industry and its products are not easily tested. Customers are dependent on the marketing activities for constructing the images of these services. This article explores the use of figurative language, specifically metaphors and puns and its contribution to the communication of tourism images. Relevance Theory, a pragmatic approach helps to understand how puns and metaphors are interpreted. Figures of speech enhance representation of tourism services visually and help to attract the attention to the presented services. According to Relevance Theory, to ensure successful use of figures of speech, more anchoring is required in the text. This will help consumers shape tourism images. The article attempts to provide preliminary outcomes, which would further assist the research in similar areas of language use

Language in tourism advertising : the contribution of figures of speech to the representation of tourism

This study explores the ways figures of speech such as metaphors, puns and alliteration contribute to the creation of tourism images in print advertising. Extensive research has been conducted within the areas of advertising, tourism and linguistics. However, little has been done to emphasise the importance of textual analysis. The majority of the research used the more common visual semiotics approach in tourism. This study provides a detailed analysis of the figures of speech in tourism advertising. The choice of the above figures of speech was dictated by the previous research indicating the significant use of those devices in advertising. As no similar studies were conducted earlier, it was logical to start with the examination of the most frequently used figures of speech. Qualitative content analysis of 600 advertisements, selected from a range of sources, was carried out. The purpose was to find common patterns between the figures of speech used in the 1970s and 2000-2008, identify the links between advertised products and individual figures of speech and finally to explore how the interpretation process occurs when ambiguity takes place. This would lead to more in-depth understanding of the position of figures of speech in tourism advertising. Pragmatic approach, a branch of linguistics, was also implemented to explain the interpretation process. Textual analysis of puns, metaphors and alliteration reveals some concerns over the use of these devices when addressing potential consumers. Metaphors and puns are able to influence existing textual meanings carrying different degrees of ambiguity. Complex use of language devices might cause difficulties in its comprehension. Consumers require more information about the advertised products as their awareness and competence have increased. Growing legislation, development of new information technology devices, globalisation of the markets and growing consumer competence make the task of advertisers challenging and difficult. Creating new figures of speech, advertisers have to be aware of the consequential issues within their comprehension. Although Relevance Theory, a part of pragmatics, successfully explains the interpretation and derivation of ambiguous meanings, there are still numerous meanings expressed in advertising and advertisers leave the responsibility of correct interpretation for recipients. Low numbers of puns indicate that although tourism activity is associated with an enjoyment and pleasure, the satisfaction from resolving the pun is not always appreciated by readers. From another side, alliteration does not require any interpretation and thus cannot be misled, as no semantic meaning is involved. Hence, alliteration has more potential to succeed in the advertising communication. This thesis contributes to knowledge in theoretical and methodological concepts within tourism advertising depiction via linguistic devices and hopes to generate some further discussion within this area. The major contribution of this research lies in the detailed analysis of figures of speech used in tourism advertising. This work appears to be the first substantial attempt to undertake this linguistic approach

Exploring the relationships between self-presentation and self-esteem of mothers in social media in Russia

Majority of parents use social media platforms, with young mothers being the most active users. Academic research has only recently started addressing the impact of social media on mothers, although they are one of the most engaged online audiences. Instagram and Facebook perceived as positive types of social media, where users post positive content to increase encouraging response from their subscribers and thus enhance their self-esteem. This also relates to mothers portraying positive self-presentation online, therefore enhancing their parental self-esteem. This study provides in-depth analysis of 23 popular online profiles of mothers with more than thirty thousand followers on Instagram and 12 interviews with socially active mothers. This work focuses on mothers in Russia. Research findings show mothers with children of pre-school age are the most regular users of social media. This is due to time availability, as majority of these mothers are on maternity leave and due to little knowledge in child related aspects, which leads to lower self-esteem. They often look for assurance in online community. Mothers that are more confident have positive attitude towards social media communication. Mothers with initially lower self-esteem feel under pressure to maintain positive image to be in line with other mothers' presentation on social media. Mothers find Facebook more informative and supportive vehicle of communication than Instagram

YouTube advertising: Exploring its effectiveness

Advertising on YouTube is becoming increasingly popular due to its large potential in engaging existing and new target audiences via highly interactive video advertisements. However, YouTube is criticised for providing mostly lower value user-generated content. This leads to major concerns among marketers regarding how resources can be allocated most efficiently across channels and how effective YouTube is as an advertising channel. The purpose of this study is to evaluate existing literature exploring the effectiveness of YouTube advertising. This research contributes to academic literature by compiling a set of measures to assess advertising effectiveness and identifying factors affecting it in the context of online video advertising. In order to identify relevant criteria and frameworks for evaluating advertising effectiveness in the context of YouTube video advertising, the characteristics of social media and online video advertising were analysed and the theoretical foundations of online advertising were established

Exploring the relationships between self-presentation and self-esteem of mothers in social media in Russia

Majority of parents use social media platforms, with young mothers being the most active users. Academic research has only recently started addressing the impact of social media on mothers, although they are one of the most engaged online audiences. Instagram and Facebook perceived as positive types of social media, where users post positive content to increase encouraging response from their subscribers and thus enhance their self-esteem. This also relates to mothers portraying positive self-presentation online, therefore enhancing their parental self-esteem. This study provides in-depth analysis of 23 popular online profiles of mothers with more than thirty thousand followers on Instagram and 12 interviews with socially active mothers. This work focuses on mothers in Russia. Research findings show mothers with children of pre-school age are the most regular users of social media. This is due to time availability, as majority of these mothers are on maternity leave and due to little knowledge in child related aspects, which leads to lower self-esteem. They often look for assurance in online community. Mothers that are more confident have positive attitude towards social media communication. Mothers with initially lower self-esteem feel under pressure to maintain positive image to be in line with other mothers' presentation on social media. Mothers find Facebook more informative and supportive vehicle of communication than Instagram

Exploring ethical consumption of generation Z: theory of planned behaviour

Purpose: This study aims to explore the factors that encourage Generation Z consumers to turn an ethical purchase intention into purchase behaviour. Theory of planned behaviour model is applied to understand the Generation Z ethical consumerism. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative method in the form of 18 semi-structured interviews was conducted on participants aged within the Generation Z cohort in the UK. Findings: Research findings show that Generation Z has strong awareness and desire towards ethical and environmental issues. Driven in the main by the cohorts unlimited exposure to social media platforms and online resources where information is shared. Generation Z’s frugality limits them to purchase truly ethically in their current life stage. Financial aspirations from this target market suggest a future desire to purchase high value ethical items. Further trends discovered highlighted sustainable lifestyle choices within the generation. Recycling, diet choices and reduced consumption on clothing were expressed. The paper highlights that Generation Z are aware of ethical issues prevalent in society and are doing what they can at this life stage to make a positive impact. Practical implications: This research has valuable implications for both academics and marketers. It provides new insights for scholars into understanding Generation Z decision-making in ethical consumption. It successfully applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand generational consumer behaviour. The findings can assist practitioners to determine effective marketing strategies to persuade Generation Z to act ethically. The research can also be considered when dealing with government legislation when tackling social change in younger population as this appeared important factor for the researched consumers. Marketers should also consider digital influencers as part of their communication campaigns targeting Generation Z users. Originality/value: This search offers a valuable contribution to current academic findings towards Generation Z research as ethical consumers incorporating TPB framework

‘Instagram made Me buy it’: Generation Z impulse purchases in fashion industry

This paper investigates what types of Instagram marketing tools are the most effective in relation to Generation Z’s impulse purchasing behaviour within fashion industry in the context of the United Kingdom. The research applies Stimulus-Organism-Response model to the context of Instagram. The findings of this qualitative study based on eight extensive focus groups conclude that there are significant gender differences in relation to impulse purchasing behaviour on Instagram. Instagram is vastly influential in encouraging impulse purchases amongst females, however, this was not the case for male participants. A revised Stimulus-Organism-Response model is proposed to Instagram, concluding that advertisements, opinion leaders and user-generated content act as stimuli (S) in evoking positive emotions (O), which subsequently trigger impulse purchases (R) in Generation Z females

Credibility of digital influencers on YouTube and Instagram

This study explores the phenomenon and influence of beauty influencers on Instagram and YouTube through the analysis of top micro-celebrity profiles and surveys with the followers. YouTube was identified as the most influential for those aged 18–21 and less powerful for older target group, suggesting beauty reference group influence decreases as the age increases. An exploration into credibility of beauty gurus revealed trustworthiness as the most important factor determining credibility. Quality of images and professionalism of profiles is also crucial in reliability of profiles on these platforms

Investigating the impact of food tourism vlogger entrepreneurs' language characteristics on audiences' attitude and behaviours

Purpose Despite entrepreneurial linguistic style gaining increased attention in entrepreneurship studies, the field for digital vlogger entrepreneurs still lacks a comprehensive understanding of how linguistic patterns enhance audiences attitude and behaviour. This study aims to propose a conceptual model of “language-mental imagery-attitude-behaviour model” that leads to the examination of rich sensory language style of food travel vlogger entrepreneurs and its persuasive effect on audiences' attitude and behavioural intention. Design/methodology/approach The present study utilises a stimulus-based survey method that involves a sensory-rich vlog script extracted from a high social media engagement authentic vlog. Data are collected through an online questionnaire distributed to a sample of 355 participants via the Amazon Turk mechanism. The study employs confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypotheses, with the aim of contributing to the advancement of theories of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial language by examining the attitudes and behaviours of audiences exposed to sensory-rich language. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the effects of sensory-rich language on audience responses and can inform future research on the role of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial communication. Findings The findings demonstrate that vlogger entrepreneurial sensory-rich linguistic communication style positively influence audiences' attitude, behavioural involvement with food and intention to taste. Visit intention will be enhanced via the mediating effects of attitude, behavioural involvement with food and intention to taste. Practical implications This research highlights the significance of sensory-rich language for vlogger entrepreneurs in entrepreneurial communication, digital storytelling and for destination marketing enterprises in creating a digital sensory engagement marketing strategy. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by elucidating the theories of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial communication. By examining the relationships between vlogger communication evoked mental imagery, audiences attitude and behaviours, this study provides novel insights into the effectiveness of sensory-rich language in vlogger entrepreneurial communication and its impact on audience engagement. These findings have important implications for communication scholars and practitioners alike, shedding light on the role of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial language and the potential of sensory-rich language to enhance audience engagement

Intergenerational succession and corporate philanthropy: A stakeholder perspective

PurposeBased on stakeholder theory, this study aims to examine the impact of family firm succession on corporate philanthropy while considering the potential role of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession.Design/methodology/approachData were based on a sample of 7,502 firm-year observations from listed family firms in China’s A-share markets between 2007 and 2018. Several Tobit models are used for analysing the data. Difference-in-difference regression method and propensity score matching method are used for robustness tests.FindingsFamily firms undergoing succession tend to spend more on corporate philanthropy compared to non-succession counterparts. This effect is more pronounced among polluting industry firms and weaker in regions with strong clan cultures and after the process of succession is complete.Originality/valueThis study sheds new light on the relationship between inter-generational succession and corporate philanthropy. By considering the moderating effect of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession, this study further advances the understanding of the role of corporate philanthropy in managing family firm succession