The role of song in selected Zimbabwean television advertisements

Abstract

Songs are one of the rhetoric devices advertisers use to flatter audiences to buy products, services or ideas they might have not even thought of buying. If the scenes of an advertisement are accompanied by well-suited pieces of songs, they become more effective. While songs in advertisements serve various roles ranging from entertainment, increasing product or service memorability and targeting audiences to structure/continuity in the advertisement itself, this article argues that songs in advertisements also have 'he potential of constructing and negotiating meaning in specific contexts (Cook 1999:39) These specific contexts range from political to commercial advertising, to mention but two of the contexts. The ultimate aim of this construction and negotiation of meanings in advertisements through songs is the "establishment of authority" (Huron 1989). When authority is established, an organisation's products, services or ideas will command superiority over those of competitors. In order to show how songs in an organisotic -i's advertisement asserts authority of products, services or ideas, three Zimbabwean advertisements will be used as instances. Focus will be on the lyrical language of songs, for it is through these lyrics that audiences' disbeliefs or doubts are overcome.