英语论文The Memes in Advertising Slogans.docx
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英语论文The Memes in Advertising Slogans.docx
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英语论文TheMemesinAdvertisingSlogans
TheMemesinAdvertisingSlogans
I.Introduction
Culturalevolution,includingtheevolutionofknowledge,canbemodelledthroughthesamebasicprinciplesofvariationandselectionthatunderliebiologicalevolution.Thisimpliesashiftfromgenesas(replicating)unitsofbiologicalinformationtoanewtypeof(replicating)unitsofculturalinformation:
memes.Memeticsisanewtheoryforinterpretingculturalevolution.Ameme,inventedtosuggestastronganalogywithgenes,isaunitofculturalimitation,aself-propagatingideamuchlikeabiologicalorcomputervirus.Thecontagiousnatureofmemeshassuchanaturalaffinitywithadvertisingthatitdrivesmanymarketerstoconducttheiradvertisingresearchfromtheperspectiveofmemes.Inordertouselanguageeffectivelyandstrategically,advertisersmayresorttodifferentdevices,suchasidioms,proverbs,commonsayings,famousremarksandclassicpoemsandsoon.Thosesuccessfuladslogansaremostlytheresultoftheoperationofmemes.
II.TheBasicConceptsandRelevantTheoriesofMemes
2.1TheDefinitionofMemes
In1976,RichardDawkins,aneminentOxfordzoologist,firstcoinedtheword“meme”inhisbest-sellingbookTheSelfishGene.Attheendofthebook,heradicallyproposesthatbiologyisnottheonlyfieldwhereevolutionisatwork;humanculturealsoevolvesandchanges.Geneisthebiologicalreplicator,sobyanalogy,“meme”istheculturalreplicatorwhichdrivesthecultureevolution.
Dawkinsinventstheword“meme”formtheGreek“Mimeme”whichmeansimitation,butshortensittosoundlike“gene”.Inthisbook,Dawkinsfurtherelaboratesitasfollows:
Examplesofmemesaretunes,ideas,catch-phrases,clothesfashions,waysofmakingpotsorofbuildingarches.Justasgenespropagatethemselvesinthegenepoolbyleadingfrombodytobodyviaspermoreggs,somemespropagatethemselvesinthememepoolbyleapingfrombraintobrainviaaprocesswhich,inthebroadsense,canbecalledimitation.(Dawkins1976:
206)
Nowseveralauthoritativedictionarieshaveembodiedtheterm:
accordingtoOxfordEnglishDictionary,memeisanelementofculturethatmaybeconsideredtobepassedonbynon-geneticmeans,esp.imitation,whiletheAmericanWebsterDictionarydefinesitasanidea,behavior,style,orusagethatspreadsfrompersontopersonwithinaculture.
GeoffAylingfirstgivesthedefinitionofmemeinadvertising,“inthecontextofadvertising,amemeisanideaorconceptthathasbeenrefined,distilled,strippeddowntoitsbareessentialsandthensuper-simplifiedinsuchawaythatanybodycangraspitsmeaninginstantlyandeffortlessly”.(Ayling1998:
4)
2.2ThreeFeaturesofStrongMemes
Dawkinsliststhreecriteriaforanystrongmemes:
(1)Fecundity:
thefastertherateofcopyingis,themorethereplicatorwillspread.
(2)Copying-fidelity:
themorefaithfulthecopyis,themorewillremainoftheinitialpatternafterseveralroundsofcopying.Fidelityheredoesn’tmeanthephototypeistransmittedinvariably,butmeanstheessenceoftheoriginalishandeddown.
(3)Longevity:
thelongeranyinstanceofthereplicatingpatternsurvives,themorecopiescanbemadeofit.
Dawkinssuggeststhatfecundityisthemostimportantaspectforameme’ssurvival.
2.3TheDevelopmentCycleofMemes
Meme,asanewreplicator,hasdriventheevolutionofculture,whichcanbeinheritedlikeageneandspreadandmutatelikeavirus.Tobereplicated,amememustpasssuccessfullythroughfoursubsequentstages:
Thestageofassimilationcomesfirst.Tobeassimilated,asuccessfulmememustberespectivelynoticed,understoodandacceptedbythehost.Noticingrequiresthatthememevehiclebesufficientlysalienttoattractthehost’sattention.Understandingmeansthatthehostrecognizesthememeassomethingthatcanberepresentedinhisorhercognitivesystem.Tobeunderstood,anewideaorphenomenonmustconnecttocognitivestructuresthatarealreadyavailabletotheindividual.
Thesecondstageofmemeticreplicationistheretentionofthememeinmemory.Bydefinition,memesmustremainsometimeinmemory,otherwisetheycan’tbecalledmemes.Thelongerthememestays,themoreopportunitiesitwillhavetospreadfurtherbyinfectingotherhosts.
Thethirdstageisexpression.Tobecommunicatedtootherindividuals,amememustemergefromitsstorageasmemorypatternandenterintoaphysicalshapethatcanbeperceivedbyothers.Thisprocessmaybecalled“expression”.Themostobviousmeansofexpressionisspeech.
Transmissionistheendofcycle.Toreachanotherindividual,anexpressionneedsaphysicalcarrierormediumwhichissufficientlystabletotransmittheexpressionwithouttoomuchlossordeformation.Thisphysicalshapemaybecalledthememevehicle.Forexample,memevehiclescanbebooks,photographs,artifactsorCD-ROMs.
III.MemesandCognitionofAdvertisingSlogans
3.1FoundationoftheAdvertisingSlogans’Cognition
Inordertomakeanadsloganemergefromitscompetitorsasastrongmeme,sloganeersmustmakenegotiablechoicestomakeitadaptablewelltoitssurroundings.Inthispart,wesorttheprimarycontextualcorrelatesofreplicationforstrongmemesintothreecategories:
cognition,emotionandculture.
3.1.1Cognition
Theunderstandingofadvertisementrequirespeopletomakeeffortsoninferenceandassociationtoseektheoptimalrelevancebetweentheadvertisingtextandtheadvertisingcontext.Iftheadvertisingtextcanproduceenoughcontextualeffects,andreadersonlyneedtopaythesmallestprocessingdiligenceforthis,thenithastheoptimalrelevance.Withdifferentstandpoints,readersmayproducemanykindsofassociationasforthesameadvertisingtext,andunderthiscircumstance,theprincipleofrelevancethenishelpfultothemtomaketheproperchoiceamongallthepossibilities.
3.1.2Emotion
Nowadays,manysloganeersspreadtheirslogansbyarousingaudience’semotionalresponse.OgilvyinhisbookOgilvyonAdvertising(1998:
109)saidthat“advertisementwithastrongcontentofnostalgia,charmandsentimentalitycanbe‘enormouslyeffective’andthathumorcanbeeffectiveaswell”.Memesareemotionalbutton-pushers.Everyonehasdeep-seateddesireforsex,safety,power,etc.Thekeyforasloganeeristoidentifyanappropriatebuttonandembeditintotheirslogan,orfindastrongemotionalmemeandattachtheslogantoit.AccordingtoMaslow,therearegeneraltypesofneedswhichbestdescribestheemotionalneedswehave:
physiologicalneeds,suchasfood,sex,clothes,etc;safetyneeds,whichincludeprotectionfromharm,employeebenefits,etc;belongingneeds,whichcontainacceptance,affiliationwithworkgroups,family,etc.;andesteemneeds,whichincluderecognition,approvaloftheirs,status,increasedresponsibilities,etc..Bearingthesebasichumanneedsinmind,thesloganeercanchoosethecorrespondingbuttonsrelevanttohisproduct,infiltratingitinhisdesign,thereforemakingthesloganmoreadaptedtotheseneeds.
3.1.3Culture
Therearevariousdefinitionsofculture.AccordingtoBlackmore(1999),cultureinmemetictheoryisanaggregateofmanydifferentmemesetsormemeplexessharedbythemajorityofapopulation.Inhumansociety,almostanyculturalentitycanbeseenasameme:
religions,language,fashions,songs,techniques,scientifictheoriesandconcepts,conventions,traditions,etc.Inmostcultures,thereproductivesuccessofmemesispartlydeterminedbypreviouslyinternalizedmemes,whichshapementalsusceptibilitiestonewmemes.Herewejustdiscussseveralmainfactorsofculturethatinfluencetheconsumers’purchasingbehaviors.
•NationalCulture
Differentnationsshapeddifferentcharactersandtemperamentsinthelonghistoryofnationaldevelopment.Forexample:
Theideaof“usingacountry’ssymboltoserveasabrandofaproductinthatcountry”canberegardedasastrongculturalmeme,sinceithasalongtraditionandawideacknowledgementinthatcountry.
•Value
Inanutshell,valuesareideasaboutwhataregoodorbad.Differentkindsofvaluesthatmostpeopleholdforalongtimeareactuallyvariousmemes.Manyscholarsarguethatthebestadsarethosethatexpressandaffirmcoreculturalvalues,therefore,adslogansmustbecompatiblewiththevaluememesheldbythetargetcustomers,otherwise,theywillberejected.Forexample:
OnecoreAmericanvalueisindividualism.Conversely,Chineseculturethinkshighlyofcollectivism,whichpredisposestheinterestorwelfareoforganizationsbeforeindividuals.Thus,inordertoborrowthepowerofthekindofmemestospread,theymustdealwithdifferentpeoplesseparately.
•TheWayofThinking
Differentnationshavedifferentwaysofthinking.Generallyspeaking,Chinesepeopleareusedtothinkinginascrewywaywhilewesternpeopleareusedtothinkinginalinearway.Frommeme’seyeview,whetheryoucanhandlethesekindsofculturalmemeornotisalsothekeyofenteringthatcountry’smarket.
3.2TheCognitionalMechanismofMemesandAdvertisingSlogans
Memesdon’talwaysworkalone.Justasasetofgenescanworktogether,agroupofmemescanalsoworktogetherandgettransferredtogethertoreinforceeachother.Lynchregardsmemeasakindofinformationgraphandputsforwardanideathatistouseasettoexplainhowsomesimplememescanchangeintoamemecomplex.Itcanbedescribedwiththepictureasfollows:
Asshowninthefigure,it’sdifficulttosaytheinformationincludedinmemeAismorethanmemeB.ButwecansaythatmemeABcomplex(memeAandmemeB)containsmoreinformationthanmemeA.Thuswecanassumethatme
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