Gkiouzepas, Lampros and Hogg, Margaret Kathleen (2015) Towards a theory of visual signification. In: Advances in Advertising Research. European Advertising Academy, VI . Springer, Wiesbaden, pp. 179-199. ISBN 9783658105570
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Theories of visual rhetoric have been welcomed as a promising framework for understanding how visual communication works in advertising. However, visual rhetoric has not yet provided a systematic understanding of how visual persuasion operates. One of the assumptions which might inhibit the further development of theories of visual rhetoric is the argument that images do not imitate reality. Our counter-argument is that resemblance between visual signs and reality is essential for leveraging consumers’ experiences when they interpret pictorial metaphors in ads. The findings of two experiments suggest that individuals not only incorporate their knowledge of the physical world into their interpretation of ad images, but also that the principles of categorisation of physical objects can be used to structure how persuasion works in visual communication. We therefore propose that identifying the level of visual claim strength within ads contributes to our understanding of visual persuasion.