THE SIGNIFICATION OF LOVE AND BOND IN PET FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

The purposes of this research article were to study the signification of love and bond in pet food advertisements through online media and study the meaning of customer perception in pet food advertisements. Methodology in this research was based on qualitative research by using textual analysis in pet food video advertisements both Thai and abroad via YouTube channels from January 2019 to August 2021 in total of 11 advertisements. The meaning was analyzed by using semiology approach, the visual language of technique and the psychology of love including pet's body language. The meaning perception of customers was analyzed by using in-depth interviews with purposive sampling by selecting data from 10 customers who have experience with pet and have purchased pet food. The research found that the meaning of love and bond in pet food advertisements were constructed through four forms: facial expressions and body language, the visual language of technique (by using color, light, and shot size), scene/setting, and symbolic. The meaning perception of customers can be classified into eight issues. There are love and bond, care and attention, product benefit, pets' liveliness, being part of a family, friendship between humans and pets, happiness, and representative of love. They are caused by various elements that attract attention in advertisements along with the interviewee's experience. This makes it possible to recognize the meaning as well.