Section LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS

SPECIFICS OF NATIONALLY-ORIENTED ADVERTISING

IN RUSSIA AND CHINA

Assoc. Prof. Elena Remchukova 1

Viktoria Omelianenko 2
Yuzhi Wang 3
1, 2, 3
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Russia

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of nationally-oriented

advertising in Russia and China. The material used for this article was represented
by nationally-oriented advertising texts in Russia and China. The study shows that
nationally-oriented advertising is an important type of advertising text which uses
a positive image of the country with special geographical conditions and unique
cultural and historical traditions. Particular attention is paid to a comparative
analysis of similarities and differences in texts of nationally-oriented advertising
in China and Russia, which uses a variety of multimodal media to form a positive
image of the country and impact on consumers. The nationally-oriented
advertising text focuses on the unambiguous interpretation of the national idea,
the expression of which is a means of influencing consumers in order to awaken
their patriotic feelings. The results of the study made it possible to reveal that
despite the similarities, texts of nationally-oriented advertising in Russia and
China are also marked by significant differences, which are due to the unique
geographical and cultural characteristics of the two countries, as well as the deep
originality of the two language systems.
Keywords: nationally-oriented advertising; multimodality; ethnomarketing;
Russia; China

INTRODUCTION

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The developing digital revolution and information and communication

technologies result in the appearance of a new type of text multimodal text. Its
study as that of a heterogeneous semiotic complex is one of the priority areas of
modern semiotics [4] and is relevant for linguistics. In addition, the relevance of
this article, which presents a comparative analysis of multimodal advertising texts
in Russia and China, is determined by the fact that it involves an unexplored
variety of such texts, namely, nationally-oriented advertising (hereinafter referred
to as NOA). It is marked by the accumulation of such positive national values of
different countries as culture, history, folklore. Therefore the comparative
approach is significant from the point of view of intercultural communication and
cultural linguistics.

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The object of analysis in this article is an array of national values of Russia

and China which are reflected in the texts of the NOA. The article establishes
similarities and differences from the point of view of presenting the country's
national and cultural resources for the promotion of a particular product or service
in its internal market.

The aim of the study is to carry out a comparative analysis of the semiotic
complexes of NOA in Russia and China. The study determines the following
range of questions and tasks: defining NOA as a type of advertising text,
emphasizing its originality; identifying its main thematic varieties (product
categories); characterizing NOA as a multimodal complex; differentiating
between non-verbal and verbal means and conducting their comparative analysis;
and answering the question on the similarities and differences between NOA in
Russia and China.

MATERIAL

The research material was constituted by nationally-oriented advertising

videos of different product categories broadcast on the central TV channels of
Russia and China and functioning on the Internet of both countries (Youtube,
Bilibili, CCTV and WeTV).

METHODS

Along with general research methods (comparison, generalization,

observation, commenting, etc.), general linguistic and special research methods
include traditional methods of lexical-semantic and contextual analysis,
multimodal discourse analysis, the method of semantic and pragmatic
interpretation of text components, continuous sampling method. Identifying the
national and cultural specifics required the use of the linguistic and cultural
commenting method, and the comparison of thematic varieties and texts of NOA
in Russian and Chinese necessitated the method of comparative analysis.

DISCUSSION

NATIONALLY-ORIENTED ADVERTISING AS A TYPE OF

MULTIMODAL ADVERTISING TEXT

The primary goal of advertising created on the basis of discourse intention is

to generate demand for certain goods or services, and to achieve this goal,
semiotic signs of different modalities are used. Therefore, multimodality is a key
feature of modern advertising texts [7].

It is important to note that Russian scholars have traditionally viewed verbal

communication as a priority area of research, considering the verbal component
of the advertising text as the main influencing force, and the non-verbal

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component as complementary to this function [6]. However, we believe that it is

effective to consider a modern advertising text in comparative terms if it is
regarded as a multimodal complex with a harmonious interaction of both semiotic
components.

Nationally-oriented advertising texts are actively used in the Russian and

Chinese media space. Such texts should be understood as advertisements in
Russian and Chinese aimed at a specific target audience and utilized in the
domestic market of the country whose language they use. The focus of nationally-
oriented advertising involves the application of national values as the main
marketing tools. From this point of view, NOA is one of the varieties of ethno
marketing, which is extremely popular all over the world nowadays.

Therefore, NOA is an intentional type of commercial advertising in which

the key role is played by the image of the country. It is characterized by a
reflection of the historical and cultural heritage of a particular society. It is worth
noting that in this type of advertising, nationally-oriented values as well as various
kinds of ideologemes are "promoted" easily, since the addressee's attention
switches to the evaluation of the promoted product.

Most often, NOA is employed to promote domestic goods that have a direct
connection with the national tradition. Example of such a connection are
advertisements for certain food products traditional for a particular country, e.g.,
kvass, vodka, sour cream, croutons for Russia; noodles, Chinese vodka, tea,
dumplings for China.

We should also specify that the feeling of patriotism has become one of the
main advertising trends in the promotion of certain types of foodstuffs in Russia.
In particular, kvass, being a primordially Russian drink, is positioned by
marketers as a drink that is an integral part of the history and culture of the Russian
people: "Age-old traditions of good health" (Russky Dar TN: 'Russian gift', a
popular Russian brand of kvass)
[http://www.textart.ru/baza/slogan/napitki/kvas.html].

"Emotional marketing" is based on empathy and aims to cause an emotional

response in the consumer in order to promote products and services. It plays an
important role in advertising food products in China. Using different national and
cultural elements, the addresser creates a characteristic emotional atmosphere and
awakens positive emotions in the addressee, thus contributing to an effective
influence on the latter [2]. Many commercials, such as those of Kang Shifu instant
noodles, Sanquan dumplings, etc., feature the image of the panda, which is a
national treasure and a symbol of China. This image in advertising also creates a
comic effect to increase the impact on a potential consumer.

The thematic classification of NOA is based on its varieties that are the most
typical of the domestic market of any country: automotive advertising, banking

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advertising, travel advertising, mobile network advertising, but first of all, food
and drink advertising. We shall only consider two of them in detail travel and
banking advertising. Food and drink advertising has been briefly described above.

THEMATIC VARIETIES OF NOA IN RUSSIA AND CHINA

TRAVEL ADVERTISING

As a rule, in Russian travel advertising, visual components are represented

by views of nature, cozy hotels, historic buildings, city attractions, etc. It is these
elements in advertising compositions of different cities and regions that create the
image of Russia. At the verbal level, the use of cultural and historical ideas about
cities predominates, e.g., /Peterburg chinovnichij/
'Bureaucratic Petersburg', / Moskva kupecheskaja/ 'Merchant
Moscow' or / Pushkinskij Peterburg/ 'Pushkin
Petersburg', / Bulgakovskaja Moskva/ 'Bulgakov
Moscow'. The verbal level is also marked by various stylistic expressive means:
comparisons ( /budto
igrushechnyj sobor Vasilija Blazhennogo/ 'the toy-like St. Basil's Cathedral'),
epithets ( /velikie prostory/ 'grand expanses',
/izyskannaja arhitektura/ 'exquisite architecture'), metaphorical
paraphrases ( /kolybel' kosmonavtiki/ 'the cradle of
cosmonautics' (Kaluga), /znamenityj karman
Rossii/ 'the famous "pocket of Russia"' (Nizhny Novgorod)), inversion (

/Dikuju pervozdannuju prirodu, opasnye

vertikal'nye trassy, starinnye zabroshennye zavody i pervye uchastki zheleznoj
dorogi hranit na svoih prostorah drevnij dedushka Ural/ 'In the great spaces of old
grandfather Ural hides wild pristine nature, dangerous vertical tracks, old
abandoned factories and the first sections of the
railway'),etc.[https://tonkosti.ru/%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%
B8%D1%8F].

The non-verbal component in Chinese travel advertising receives more

attention than the verbal component. The advertising slogan is usually short, but
expressive, embellished with various stylistic means Chinese phraseological
units, quotes from poems by Chinese poets, etc. [3]. Thus, the advertisement for
the city of Nanchong contains footage of various attractions: the ancient city of
Langzhong, the Zhang Lan (a Chinese politician) Memorial Hall, the Zhu De (a
Chinese military leader, statesman and politician) Residence Memorial Hall,
Mount Xishan, Shenzhong Lake and Lingyun Mountain. At the end, a female
voice pronounces the following slogan: - 'The
most tender and beautiful memory on the bank of the Jialing River Nanchong',
which features a poetic metaphor of the city of Nanchong as a place of historical
memory.

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AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING

Automotive advertising is highly metaphorical both at the verbal and non-

verbal levels, which has been repeatedly noted by researchers [9]. This can be
witnessed in slogans and advertising texts, where the name of the vehicle is
perceived to a greater extent as a proper name than as a common noun: it can be
associated with both a person and an animal, that is, the impersonation trope is
used as an expressive means.

According to D. Sknarev, a "fatherly", "loving" attitude to the consumer,

which is primarily expressed in the sense of pride in one's homeland, is
uncommon for American marketing, as opposed to Russian marketing [8]. This
attitude can be traced in the following slogans:
/ UAZ Patriot. Vernyj. Nadezhnyj. Drug/ 'UAZ Patriot. True.
Reliable. Friend', /Lada. Kljuch k dorogam
Rossii/ 'Lada. The Key to the Russian Roads' (Lada Kalina).

The main component of advertising for China-made cars is represented by

the geographical natural realities of China. Demonstration of driving the car in
different parts of China, on the one hand, makes it possible to show the beauty of
the unique landscape of various regions of China, on the other hand, helps the
Chinese car manufacturing company reflect the features of the vehicle. This
method is closely related to the ideas of the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, which
emphasizes the harmony of man and nature [5]. Thus, in the advertisement for the
Chinese car Red Flag-HS7, the famous Chinese actor Jin Dong drives the vehicle
through various scenic areas of China.

BANKING ADVERTISING

Nationally-oriented advertising for banks in Russia is generally distinguished

by a traditional Soviet or pre-revolutionary storyline, which is most likely due to
the fact that Russians are accustomed to trusting the "proven past". Consequently,
banking advertising is rich in historical reminiscences and precedent texts with
History as the source sphere, which makes it possible to attract the addressee's
attention and gain his or her trust. Thus, the pre-revolutionary era is often
recreated in Sberbank commercials with the common slogan
/Samoe cennoe/ 'The Most valuable', the Soviet era is portrayed in the advertising
for SKB-Bank with the distinctive precedent slogan /V
svetloe budushhee/ 'To the bright future', which is strongly linked to the
designation of communism (e.g., in Soviet times, the slogan
/Vpered v svetloe budushhee/ 'On, to the bright future!' was
widespread).

The popularity of nationally-oriented banking advertising is currently related

to the political situation and strategy of the Chinese government. The efforts of

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banks to gain government support are reflected in the strategies used in their
advertising campaigns [1].

For instance, the Agricultural Bank of China commercial tells the following
story: two brothers born in a Chinese village chose their own path in life. One
prefers to stay in the village, while the other opts for living and working in the
city. This is followed by a footage of their life and work: both brothers have
achieved success, as they use the services of the Agricultural Bank of China. The
video ends with a family feast on the occasion of the Chinese New Year, and the
voiceover says:
,
'No matter what the start, no matter what the path, there are different
situations, different hardships. We work together, we fight together for a dream,
for a wonderful life. Unmistakable aid to the poor. Agricultural Bank of China'.

This commercial reflects two important social issues in modern China. The
first one is the uneven development of the city and the countryside, the outflow
of young people to megacities in search of a better life, which slows down the
development of rural areas. The second one is the failure of young people to
observe the tradition of celebrating New Year with close relatives due to financial
difficulties. The commercial shows how the Agricultural Bank of China takes care
of its customers and helps in solving all problems.

CONCLUSION

The presented general analysis of NOA and some of its varieties in Russia
and China shows that NOA influences the formation of an integral positive image
of the country. Appealing to the patriotic feelings of the target audience through
the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means as part of multimodal advertising
complexes, this commercial advertising certainly performs its main function the
influencing function.

Nationally-oriented advertising texts of different thematic varieties in Russia

and China show similarities. In travel advertising in Russia and China, the main
method of conveying in-formation is the visual component. As a rule, it involves
demonstration of beauties of nature, hotels, historical sights. The verbal text is
rich in stylistic means of expressing positive emotions. In Russian automotive
advertising, the patriotic idea is associated with the goal of promoting a domestic
vehicle, the purchase of which is a sign of patriotism, while in China this idea is
not directly positioned.

Historical reminiscences prevail in Russian banking NOA, while in the

Chinese equivalent more attention is paid to various government strategies and
policies.

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A comparative analysis makes it possible to better understand the universal

and idioethnic features of NOA as a type of commercial ethno advertising, which
determines the relevance of such a study for advertology and marketing
linguistics.

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