Tactics applied for advertisements that are rolled out for the Hong Kong market can be identified as domestic marketing (Risko & Wiwczaroski, 2014). Domestic marketing is defined as marketing communication activities that are conducted in only one country (Risko & Wiwczaroski, 2014). For the specific cases that will be introduced in this post, it is important to bear in mind that the culture of Hong Kong is considered as each “culture produces specific pictures, symbols, colors and forms of meaning” (Risko & Wiwczaroski, 2014, p. 443).
CANTONESE IN HONG KONG
Cantonese is the language that is used by the majority of the population in Hong Kong (Lin, 2008; Watts, 2018; Lin & Man, 2011; Mak et al., 2012; Liang, 2015; Leung et al., 2004; Fung & Bigi, 2015; Chan et al., 2006). Cantonese uses six tones and three entering tones, which are “carried by syllables ending on a stop consonant and correspond in height to the high level, mid-level and mid-low level tones” (Leung et al., 2004; Mok et al., 2013). To ensure clarity for the purpose of this blog, tone is defined as “the pitch or level at which a word is pronounced, and is inherent” and “may rise, fall, do both, or be level” (Rae & Witzel, 2004, p. 35). If a tone is pronounced incorrectly, the meaning of the word could completely change, hence it is vital to highlight the importance of tone in the Cantonese language (Rae & Witzel, 2004). Further a character is “a written symbol that represents a one syllable word” in Cantonese (Rae & Witzel, 2004, p. 36).
Another aspect that should be highlighted is the sentence-final particles in Cantonese (Lee, 2011; Law, 2002). These particles act as a vehicle of conveying emotions of the speaker, which are not explicitly expressed within the sentence. It is extremely difficult to provide a direct translation of the particle alone without taking into context the sentence as a whole and interpreting the emotions and feelings that are evoked by the speaker. A further element to take note of is that Cantonese “does not have a standard written form on a par with standard written Chinese” (Lee et al., 2002, p. 329; Fung & Bigi, 2015). In cases where there is no direct written Chinese character that accurately represents the meaning of the spoken word, characters are created or characters with similar pronunciation are borrowed in attempt to replicate the meaning (Fung & Bigi, 2015; Chan et al., 2006). From the examples examined below, we will take a deeper dive into the meaning of the differences between the written and conversational form of Cantonese by showcasing how both forms are used in advertisements in Hong Kong.
Past research has indicated that Cantonese has been the language that Hong Kong people identify with and agree on as being a representative of their identity (Kastelijin, 2018). The identity being referred to in this particular instance is the “distinct “Hoenggongjan” (Hong Kong person) identity” (Liang, 2015, p. 24). One speciality of the Cantonese language is that it “carries strong connotations of naturalness and straightforwardness because it is acquired naturally and used in people’s most informal and intimate styles” (Mak et al., 2012, p. 170).
WORDPLAY?
Wordplay is defined as “a sportive use of words so as to convey a double meaning, or produce a fantastic humorous effect by similarity of sound with difference of meaning” (Taivalkoski-Shilov, 2008, p. 255). In advertisements displayed around Hong Kong, the wordplay tactic is frequently used to serve two purposes. First is to “provide clues about the intended information” on the product or service that is being advertised (Liu & Zhang, 2006, p. 66). Second is to insert the humor element into the advertisement in attempt to catch consumers’ attention (Liu & Zhang, 2006). Combining the two purposes, the main goal of the advertisement is to force consumers to take a step back and try to deduce the original intention and meaning of the choice of the words (Liu, Zhang, 2006).
The advertisement displayed below is a recent example that has utilized wordplay. The product being marketed is a Walch speed foaming antibacterial automatic dispenser. The last character that is highlighted in light blue is the perfect illustration of wordplay. The original meaning of the character is “bubbles;” however, for this advertisement, the intended context is that consumers should be a step ahead of everyone else when considering sanitizer products, especially in current COVID-19 pandemic. So how do these two meanings relate?
This is where wordplay kicks in where the tone of “bubbles” and “step” is very similar in Cantonese; hence, the use of the character “bubbles” in this context also forms a connection with the product of a speed foaming soap. Walch has made it easier for consumers to associate the speed foaming concept and the idea of being ahead of the pack, which is one of the main reasons why this advertisement is so successful.
CODE-MIXING?
Code-mixing is a phenomenon that occurs extremely frequently in Hong Kong, which is the usage of “at least two different languages within one utterance” (Chan et al., 2005, p. 1533; Vizcaino, 2011). In Hong Kong, code-mixing is the utilization of mixing Cantonese and English (Vizcaino, 2011; Chan et al., 2005; Chan et al., 2006). From advertisements being showcased around Hong Kong, code-mixing is a strategy that is often used to serve a number of purposes. First is the aim to achieve the notion of “domesticated foreignness,” which is “how foreign words are treated locally to be presented and ‘sold’ to the consumer” (Vizcaino, 2011, p. 147; Kaier, 2019). Second is the attempt to make use of bilingual punning, that is stemmed from the wordplay concept as introduced above (Chen, 2006).
The advertisement displayed below is an example of how the integration of code-mixing and wordplay has been applied. The product being marketed is a ready-made hot soup pack by Lee Kum Kee, one of the most successful sauce manufacturers in Hong Kong (Yu & Kwan, 2015). The pack is sold in four flavours, namely Coconut Laksa, Fresh Tomato, Tan Tan Noodle and Fresh Pork Bone. The application of code-mixing and wordplay lies in the word “soup.” In the context of this advertisement, the word “soup” is not only used as a form of code-mixing by inserting English into a Cantonese focused advertisement, but also as a word in Cantonese that mimics the sound of someone drinking a liquid, which is the soup that is marketed. The tone of the word in Cantonese is slightly different from how it is pronounced in English; hence, a double meaning is created which depicts the concept of wordplay. This advertisement is an example of how wordplay can be used together with code-mixing across numerous contexts in Hong Kong.
From the two examples referred to above, it is evident that the use of wordplay and code-mixing has become a widespread phenomenon around Hong Kong. The two tactics mentioned can be used separately or together in attempt to catch the consumers’ attention and make it easier for consumers to relate to the product that is being marketed. It will be interesting to see how this phenomenon continues to evolve in the coming years and how these two strategies can be applied to numerous languages around the world.
Shermaine
References
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