Investigating the use of second-person pronouns in social media adverts

Abstract

It has become increasingly important that marketers familiarise themselves with the specific qualities that make up an effective and persuasive social media advertisement. While the literature accounts for the role of language techniques in convincing copywriting for social media advertisements, the identified gap pertains to the inclusion of personal pronouns in social media ad copy. The aim of this dissertation is to understand how the use of second-person pronouns in social media adverts’ texts affects users’ attitudes towards the advertisement and their subsequent purchase intentions. This study adopts an exploratory research approach to explore the inclinations of participants when presented with social media adverts containing the second-person pronoun. The employment of thematic analysis deals with participants’ unique tellings of their perception of the presented social media adverts. Results show that the use of second-person pronouns in social media adverts’ text enhances the social media user’s attitude towards the advert and the brand; by catching their attention, establishing a connection between user and brand, and making the user feel acknowledged. Ultimately, this makes a potential customer more likely to make a purchase.