Persuasive techniques in TV commercials: contrasting MCDONALD’S and BURGER KING

Abstract

Advertising has become part of our daily lives and it can be seen consciously or unconsciously everywhere. According to Frank Jefkins (1984), advertising is considered as the spreading of ideas, services or products in line with the interests of advertisers. Along with advertising, persuasion is present in TV commercials as an essential factor. Furthermore, as Bovée and Arens (1992) stated, advertising persuades, informs and reminds customers in an attempt to increase buyer interest and the profitability of the products or services offered. Specifically, this study focuses on the analysis of two leading fast-food brands: McDonald’s and Burger King TV commercials (4 per brand). The main objective is to identify which persuasive strategies are present in the advertisements and, once they are identified, a contrastive analysis of the differences and similarities between the TV commercials of both brands is performed. Some of the chosen persuasive techniques – frequently used in advertising – have been examined by Prelipceanu (2013). As regards these persuasive techniques, the results obtained unveil the main strategies that McDonald’s and Burger King use to persuade consumers, and the variations and similarities between the two brands.