THE VISUAL RHETORIC OF IMAGES: AN EXPLORATION OF VISUAL RHETORICAL FIGURES IN DIGITAL ADVERTISING

Abstract

Round The Globe, Highly Visual Advertising Is Employed By Advertisers To Such An Extent As To Persuade Their Target Audiences Meticulously. Certainly, Different Persuasive And Visually Eloquent Devices Play A Crucial Strategic Role In The Success Of Many Brands Or Products. However, Despite The Frequent Appearance Of Rhetorical Figures In Verbal Discourse, Their Theoretical Adaptation Into The Visual Designs And The Attempt To Define Them In Visual Context(S) Of Digital Advertising Has Been Rare Or Minimal. The Present Study Intends To Fill This Gap By Identifying Various Visual Rhetorical Figures Employed In The Domain Of Digital Advertising. In This Pursuit, The Study Is Guided By Four Rhetorical Operations (I.E., ‘Repetition’, ‘Reversal’, ‘Substitution’ And ‘Destabilization’) Of Mcquarrie And Mick’s (1996) Taxonomic Framework And Has Explored The Visual Manifestations Of Various Figures Of Rhetoric In The Advertisements Of The Top Three Platforms Of Digital Advertising I.E. Facebook, Google And Pinterest. The Investigation Has Found The Operation Of Various Visual Rhetorical Figures In Digital Advertising Visuals To The Effect Of Finding The Potential Linkage Of Rhetoric And Semiotics.