The Sentiment Analysis of Trust Building Language in Advertisements

Abstract

Language is a crucial tool in advertising, enabling brands to build emotional connections with consumers. This study investigates how specific linguistic patterns, when analyzed through sentiment analysis, contribute to trust-building in advertisements. Previous studies have primarily focused on the technical aspects of sentiment analysis; whereas the research will underscore its use in the disclosure of the emotional and rhetorical attributes that improve consumer confidence. A descriptive, non-experimental design grounded in a deductive, quantitative approach was adopted to analyze the content of 20 advertisements from various industries, including FMCG, banking, healthcare, and philanthropy. The tools of sentiment analysis were employed in extracting that sentiment level (a tool named VADER in Python) and labeling linguistic patterns related to linguistic patterns related to the concept of trust (a tool called TextBlob in python). Substantial emphasis and the analysis were on the occurrence and role of emotionally compelling features, i.e. empathetic, value-based, reassuring words. The results indicated that the top positive sentiment in the advertisement always included the use of emotionally appealing and culturally appealing phrases that enhanced the relationships between consumers and brands. A neutral tone, based on the use of factual and report-like language, was found to make the technical or professional writing sound all the more reliable. Albeit a rare occurrence, negative sentiment has been discovered to inhibit the consumer trust and engagement. The study also has practical value to the advertisers and marketers who want to develop effective trust-oriented messages. It also contributes to academic discourse by bridging computational sentiment analysis with linguistic inquiry, demonstrating how strategic language use influences consumer perception and loyalty. The study underscores the importance of integrating data-driven insights with linguistic understanding in the evolving domain of persuasive advertising.