Persuasive Meanings and Consumer Positioning through Conventional Implicature in Milwaukee's Modular Storage System Advertisements

Ervina CM Simatupang; Rama Ramdhani Rahayu

doi:10.51673/jurnalistrendi.v11i3.3048

Ervina CM Simatupang English Department, Universitas Widyatama
Rama Ramdhani Rahayu Universitas Widyatama

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51673/jurnalistrendi.v11i3.3048

Keywords: Pragmatics, conventional implicature, advertising discourse, consumer positioning, persuasive communication

Abstract

This research investigated the use of conventional implicatures in Milwaukee's Modular Storage System promotional text and examined how these implicatures contributed to persuasive meaning-making and consumer positioning within advertising discourse. Although implicature has been tested in consumer-oriented advertising, limited attention has been given to industrial advertising contexts. To address this gap, the research employed a qualitative document analysis approach. The data consisted of 30 advertising statements collected from Milwaukee's official websites, promotional campaigns, product descriptions, and marketing materials related to the PACKOUT™ Modular Storage System. The analysis focused on identifying conventional implicatures and examining their persuasive and positioning functions. The findings affirmed five categories of conventional implicatures. Customization-Oriented Persuasive Implication became the most dominant category (26.7%), followed by Efficiency Implication (23.3%), Customization and Flexibility Implication (20.0%), Durability and Reliability Implication (16.7%), and Professional Identity Implication (13.3%). These implicatures generated persuasive meanings associated with product excellence, productivity enhancement, adaptability, reliability, and professional competence. Furthermore, the promotional texts construct a textual representation of consumers as quality-oriented buyers, efficient problem-solvers, independent decision-makers, dependable professionals, and skilled industry experts. The research concluded that conventional implicatures function as strategic persuasive resources in industrial advertising discourse by simultaneously communicating product value and constructing desirable consumer identities. The findings contributed to research on pragmatics, advertising discourse, and consumer communication by highlighting the role of indirect meaning-making in shaping consumer perceptions and brand positioning.

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Data Sources

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