EMMA employed a mixed-methods approach of lab experiments and qualitative inquiry to analyse the impact of figurative complexity in static and video advertisements on the speed and depth of comprehension, perceived appeal, and emotional response. The study included participants from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (UK, Spain, China, and Hong Kong). Our experiments combined reaction time studies, moment-by-moment self-reports (real-time reporting of emotional intensity through EDA sensors, a physiological measure of arousal), and interviews to ascertain how, when and why emotions are induced in advertisements and to determine the type, intensity and duration of emotions that are experienced in response to different types of advertising.
Our project comprised five stages. We first selected appropriate advertisements from the UK, China and Spain to analyse in detail the types of figurative language used. We then collected data from 90 participants (30 from each country) on speed of understanding, as well as perceived appeal, moment-by-moment measures to identify the positivity and perceived intensity of an induced emotion, and post-hoc, semi-structured interviews to ascertain participants’ perceptions of each advertisement. Data collection took place in Birmingham (UK), in Logroño (Spain), and Ningbo (China). We then conducted a quantitative analysis to establish the relationships between figurative language used, the number, nature and complexity of interpretations, the speed of comprehension and appeal of the advertisements, as well as the degree of cross-cultural variation. In the subsequent qualitative analysis of the interview data, we investigated the number, nature and complexity of the interpretations provided by the participants from the three different nationalities to establish the variation in the interpretation of the advert and the understanding of the product and associated attributes.
We have disseminated our results to a wide range of different audiences and nationalities. Academically, we have presented our work at our partner institution (the Metaphor Lab, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) as well as at other academic institutions such as Lund University (Sweden), Nottingham-Ningbo University (China), and Rice University (Houston), and at the Open University Hong Kong. During the fellowship, we have published two peer-reviewed research articles, two book chapters, and a research monograph with John Benjamins. We have another book under contract for 2020 with Cambridge UP, and four research articles currently under review.
We have also organised our own hands-on workshops within larger events geared towards a general audience, such as the British Science Week in the UK in 2016 and 2017, the European Researchers Night 2017 in Brussels (Belgium), Pint of Science 2016 (Spain), and have also participated in the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2017. We have organised two specific workshops for professionals (“Examining Language in Business” and “Everyday Creativity in Communication”) that have raised the awareness of advertisers to the potential of conscious implementation of figurative language in their campaigns. We have consulted and collaborated with several local SMEs that have shown interest in our project, such as Big Cat Advertising and Creativity (Birmingham and London, UK), Roopra Medical (Birmingham, UK), and Creative Semiotics (London, UK). We are currently expanding our professional network, with specific funding to enhance the impact of the fellowship among professionals working in the field of advertising.
