The Advertising Campaigns on Anti-Obesity in the Context of Roman Jakobson's Communication Functions

Abstract

Obesity, which is defined as an increase in the amount of fat in the body that negatively affects health, is one of the important health problems in many countries today. In order to prevent this problem, advertising campaigns are prepared by various institutions and organizations. In the study, it was aimed to reveal how obesity was presented, what kind of messages were given and in which context messages were given in advertising campaigns against obesity. For this purpose, visual and written indicators in anti-obesity advertising campaigns were analyzed in the light of linguist Roman Jakobson's Communication Functions in six dimensions. Anti-obesity advertising campaigns in the USA, Brazil and India, where anti-obesity advertising campaigns have come to the fore in recent years, were examined as samples of the study. In the study, it was revealed that the anti-obesity message strategy was shaped by highlighting the children in the advertising campaigns of the USA, using the fear appeal technique in the advertising campaigns of Brazil, and emphasizing the importance of regular nutrition in the advertising campaigns of India. Thus, it was concluded that there was an effort to raise awareness about obesity by focusing on different issues among the countries examined within the scope of the study.