Page 381 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 381
stakeholders in promotional genres:
a rhetorical perspective on marketing communication 381
organization website and taken in paper version from chemists’ (when it
is available on the counter), thus addressees are both website users and
chemist’s clients who need to understand what kind of product Xylo
Mepha is and what are its advantages over other nasal sprays.12 The print
ad is published on the magazine SunStore; therefore readers of SunStore
magazine are the addressees of the print ad, the magazine is both sent by
mail to Ticinese citizens and available in chemists’. The audience of the
TV commercial encompasses all TV viewers: everyone watching TV re-
ceives the message and counts as someone being able to positively modi-
fying the principal’s exigency of selling Xylo Mepha.
In Bitzer’s terms, the speaker/writer of the four texts is Mepha Phar-
ma AG, particularly its managers. According to our framework of stake-
holders we name this participant in the communicative event principal.
However, at least in the cases of the print ad and of the TV commercial,
it is likely that Mepha Pharma AG managers did not produce the text; it
is likely that the principal commissioned the creation and production of
these two texts to a specialized advertising agency, which holds the role
of author. Besides, the print ad had to be “printed somewhere”, namely in
some specialized magazines devoted to informing pharmacies’ clients on
different topics and products related to health and wellness. This brings
into play another actor, namely the publisher of the magazine, who holds
the role of animator of the print ad: by launching it on a communicative
channel, he “gives voice” to the text.13 Equally, the animator of the press
release is the news portal on which it has been published and the anima-
tor of the TV commercial is the TV channel, which telecasts it.
People to whom the text is not directly addressed but are entitled
to take part into the communicative event do not come into play in the
press release,14 whereas they can be identified as participants of the TV
12 There exist two groups of addressees because the text is released on two different channels. In busi-
ness communication, however, addressees often entail different categories, even when the text is re-
leased on a unique channel. See as an example the analysis of the addressees of an institutional bro-
chure described in section 6.
13 In Goffman’s examples (which deal with oral discursive practices) the animator offers his voice to
the text and activates the text by reading it. Accordingly, in the case of written communication, the
actual animation of the text consists in its reading and therefore the recipient and the other receiv-
ing stakeholders play also the role of animators. However, in order to be read, the text must be pub-
lished, visible; the text has to reach its recipients. Therefore, in a sense, in the case of written com-
munication, animators are also those who offer the channel and who activate it on and through that
channel, by publishing and printing it.
14 However, there exist rhetorical situations of press releases in which this kind of participant is pres-
ent. We can mention again as an example some press releases written by i2a for promoting their ex-
positions. The press releases present both the main artist of the exposition and other artists interven-
a rhetorical perspective on marketing communication 381
organization website and taken in paper version from chemists’ (when it
is available on the counter), thus addressees are both website users and
chemist’s clients who need to understand what kind of product Xylo
Mepha is and what are its advantages over other nasal sprays.12 The print
ad is published on the magazine SunStore; therefore readers of SunStore
magazine are the addressees of the print ad, the magazine is both sent by
mail to Ticinese citizens and available in chemists’. The audience of the
TV commercial encompasses all TV viewers: everyone watching TV re-
ceives the message and counts as someone being able to positively modi-
fying the principal’s exigency of selling Xylo Mepha.
In Bitzer’s terms, the speaker/writer of the four texts is Mepha Phar-
ma AG, particularly its managers. According to our framework of stake-
holders we name this participant in the communicative event principal.
However, at least in the cases of the print ad and of the TV commercial,
it is likely that Mepha Pharma AG managers did not produce the text; it
is likely that the principal commissioned the creation and production of
these two texts to a specialized advertising agency, which holds the role
of author. Besides, the print ad had to be “printed somewhere”, namely in
some specialized magazines devoted to informing pharmacies’ clients on
different topics and products related to health and wellness. This brings
into play another actor, namely the publisher of the magazine, who holds
the role of animator of the print ad: by launching it on a communicative
channel, he “gives voice” to the text.13 Equally, the animator of the press
release is the news portal on which it has been published and the anima-
tor of the TV commercial is the TV channel, which telecasts it.
People to whom the text is not directly addressed but are entitled
to take part into the communicative event do not come into play in the
press release,14 whereas they can be identified as participants of the TV
12 There exist two groups of addressees because the text is released on two different channels. In busi-
ness communication, however, addressees often entail different categories, even when the text is re-
leased on a unique channel. See as an example the analysis of the addressees of an institutional bro-
chure described in section 6.
13 In Goffman’s examples (which deal with oral discursive practices) the animator offers his voice to
the text and activates the text by reading it. Accordingly, in the case of written communication, the
actual animation of the text consists in its reading and therefore the recipient and the other receiv-
ing stakeholders play also the role of animators. However, in order to be read, the text must be pub-
lished, visible; the text has to reach its recipients. Therefore, in a sense, in the case of written com-
munication, animators are also those who offer the channel and who activate it on and through that
channel, by publishing and printing it.
14 However, there exist rhetorical situations of press releases in which this kind of participant is pres-
ent. We can mention again as an example some press releases written by i2a for promoting their ex-
positions. The press releases present both the main artist of the exposition and other artists interven-
