Published Article

                                                                                                ABSTRACT

Advertisement is a highly technical language that lures the consumer to look for a product or service. This study examines the meaningfulness and adequacy of the language used by advertisers of three products that are mostly consumed by the youths namely; cigarettes, alcoholic and soft drinks. The study adopts the Grice’s cooperative principle and used its four maxims in ascertaining the meaningfulness or other-wise of the adverts. The study found out that cigarettes and alcohol advertisers rarely focus on the chemical content of the product but rather use ambiguous and deceptive language to deceive and confuse the consumers. They also hide vital information from consumers. The soft drink advertisers on the contrary give the consumer limited information about the chemical content of their products. The study suggests that adequate measures should be put in place by regulatory authorities to ensure that advertisers feed the public with meaningful and adequate information.

KEYWORD: Advertisement, Semantics, Cooperative Principle, Promotional Mix, Cigarette Smokers