Style as a mediabrand attribute

Abstract

The article discusses the possibility of using the main categories and concepts of stylistics in order to construct a media brand personality and maintain its overall style concept, considering the case of Forbes USA magazine (issues from January 2017 to December 2018). The hypothesis is that a style unites all brand components and therefore can be recognized in all of its manifestations. An attribute called “brand personality” draws the most interest, as the congruence between it and the consumer’s ideal “I” stimulates the consumption of branded goods and services. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the Forbes brand personality is presented in the media texts of this magazine. To test the hypothesis, empirical material was collected (the main materials published in the section “On the cover”) and stylistic analysis was conducted. Particularly, we considered the topic, genre, composition and structure, and linguistic features. The results indicate that the image of the hero embodying the brand ideals is expressed in media texts. This is achieved by building a basic Forbes narrative, arranging accents, and interpreting the real facts of entrepreneurs’ biographies. Narrativity, as well as the expression of ethnically specific American linguistic-cultural concepts “challenge” and “privacy” is the basis for creating a heroic image and connecting it with the American dream myth. It enables readers themselves to relate to the heroes, which empowers customer-brand communication. The data obtained offers a new perspective on media brand analysis and can be useful for media linguists and marketers.