Home⇛Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal⇛vol. 45 no. 1 (2025)

Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Political Campaign Advertisements in the Philippines

Eva Mae Berondo | Jandy Daga-as

Discipline: Politics

 

Abstract:

This study was centralized on explicating how the meanings of the identified political television advertisements are constructed and communicated through different modes such as verbal, visual and audio. The researcher used a qualitative method employing multimodal discourse analysis in the conduct of the study. A total of 31 political television advertisements from the 2022 Philippine elections were extracted from YouTube as the study's corpus. The findings revealed that, in the verbal mode, politicians strategically used language to strengthen their campaign messages and influence voter perception. This form of communication involves informative function, aesthetic function, directive function, phatic function, and expressive function to convey meaning and intentions, impacting social interaction and communication. In the visual mode, politicians established interactive meaning by fostering a sense of connection and engagement with viewers. This was achieved through techniques such as incorporating text and slogans, displaying national symbols, and utilizing political body language during their presentations. Lastly, in the audio mode, politicians utilized elements such as background music, sound effects and ambient noises, and voiceover to enhance emotion and atmosphere in their political campaign videos. Overall, it was revealed that politicians employ verbal, visual and audio elements to effectively convey their message.



References:

  1. Abdullah, Z., Ling, T. Y., Sulaiman, N. S., Radzi, R. A. M., & Putri, K. Y. S. (2020). The effects of verbal communication behaviors on communication competence in the pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(12), 697–702. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.12.125
  2. Accurso, K., & Gebhard, M. (2020). Systemic functional linguistics. The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1137.pub2
  3. Akmal, M., & Candrasari, R. (2019). Language politeness in political communication: Analysis of Leech’s politeness principal on the Aceh governor candidate debate in 2017. Proceedings of the Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Multidisciplinary and Its Applications Part 1, WMA-01 2018, 19-20 January 2018, Aceh, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.20-1-2018.2282435  
  4. Ananda, R., & Hamzah, H. (2019). The language function in the discourse produced by traditional medicine sellers. English Language and Literature, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.24036/ell.v8i3.105456  
  5. Ananda, R., & Hamzah, H. (2019). The language function in the discourse produced by traditional medicine sellers. English Language and Literature, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.24036/ell.v8i3.105456 
  6. Ananda, R., & Hamzah, H. (2019). The language function in the discourse produced by traditional medicine sellers. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354993487  
  7. Assay, B. E. (2020). Electoral umpires and the task of tracking political campaign funds: the case of Nigeria. In political propaganda, advertising, and public relations: emerging research and opportunities (pp. 15-51). https://www.igi   global.com/chapter/electoralumpiresandthetaskoftrackingpoliticalcampaignfun ds/237767
  8. Ayuwo, J. G. I. (2022). Discourse analysis of semiotic resources in newspaper political campaign advertisements of select candidates for the 2019 elections in Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 06(06), 860–866. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2022.6630 
  9. Barrow, J. M., Brannan, G. D., & Khandhar, P. B. (2020). Research ethics. StatPearis Publishing https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459281/ 
  10. Barrow, J. M., Brannan, G. D., & Khandhar, P. B. (2020). Research ethics. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459281/
  11. Bateman, R. (2024, May 12). 6 Privacy principles of the GDPR. TermsFeed. https://www.termsfeed.com/blog/gdpr-privacy-principles/ 
  12. Bedrina, O. (2022). How much text should I use in my video? Secret Tips from wave.video designer [+Free templates]. Wave Video. https://wave.video/blog/how-much-text-put-on-video/#:~:text=To%20make%20sure%20you%20get,that%20content%20accessible%20to%20them   
  13. Bellieni, C. V. (2022). Verbal Communication with the Patient Is Not Enough: The Six Languages of the Sick. Nursing Reports, 12(4), 726–732. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep12040072
  14. Bi, M. (2019). Multimodal discourse analysis of news pictures. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 9(8), 1035-1039. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpis.0908.23
  15. Braun V & Clarke V. (2015) (Mis) conceptualising themes, thematic analysis, and other problems with Fugard and Potts (2015) sample-size tool for thematic analysis. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 19 (6), 739- 743. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2016.1195588 
  16. Briandana, R. (2019). Representation of Political Ideology in Advertising: Semiotics Analysis in Indonesia Television. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 4(3), 764–775. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.4.3.31 
  17. Brinks, M. (2024). Ethos, pathos, logos, kairos: the modes of persuasion and how to use them. https://blog.prepscholar.com/ethos-pathos-logos-kairos-modes-of-persuasion
  18. Buhari, N. B. (2024). Politeness in verbal communication among Malaysian society based on Leech’s principle of politeness. www.academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/109894612/Politeness_in_Verbal_Communication_Among_Malaysian_Society_Based_on_Leech_s_Principle_of_Politeness 
  19. Crossman, A. (2020) An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods. Direct Observation, Interviews, Participation, Immersion, Focus Groups. Thought Co. https://www.thoughtco.com/qualitative-research-methods-3026555 
  20. D., & Davis, R. (2021). Tatcho, O. B. (2020). Narratives in televised political ads: Toward alternative discourses and critical voters. Plaridel, Advance online publication. http://www.plarideljournal.org/article/narratives-in-televised-political-ads-toward-alternative-discourses-and-critical-voters/ 
  21. Dan, V., & Arendt, F. (2021). Visual Cues to the Hidden Agenda: Investigating the Effects of Ideology-Related Visual Subtle Backdrop Cues in Political Communication. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(1), 22-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220936593 
  22. De Jesus Silva Ferreira, R., & Antunes, M. J. (2022). AUDIO USE AS a TEACHING TOOL: a STUDY IN SÃO LUÍS REGION/BRAZIL. EDULEARN Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2022.0240
  23. Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y. (2003). The landscape of qualitative research: Theories and Issues. Second Edition. Academia.https://www.academia.edu/63343372/The_Landscape_of_Qualitative_Research_Theories_and_Issues_2nd_edition
  24. Dragomir, G., Fărcașiu, M. A., & Șimon, S. (2021b). Students’ Perceptions of Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Behaviors during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Applied Sciences, 11(18), 8282. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188282 
  25. Ediger, N. (2022). Why music and sound effects are so important for explanatory films. Cleverclip. https://cleverclipstudios.com/en-ch/blog/why-music-and-sound-effects-are-so-important-for-explanatory-films/ 
  26. Estima, S. (2020). Multimodal Meaning Making and the Doctoral Dissertation—an exploration of academic forms. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED620918 
  27. Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fourth edition (2018). (n.d.). https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018-online 
  28. Fossen, B. L., Mallapragada, G., & De, A. (2020). Impact of political television advertisements on viewers’ response to subsequent advertisements. Marketing Science, 40(2), 305–324. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1260 
  29. Garcia, D. V. (2024). English and Tagalog: A study of code switching in Philippine television advertisements. www.academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/113256492/English_and_Tagalog_A_Study_of_Code_Switching_in_Philippine_Television_Advertisements 
  30. Gebhard, M., & Accurso, K. (2022). Systemic Functional Linguistics. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1137.pub2 
  31. Gillespie, J. (2022). The Importance of Using Sound Effects for Video Production. Gillespie Productions. https://gillespieproductions.com/the-importance-of-using-sound-effects-for-video-production/ 
  32. Jewitt, C., & Henriksen, B. (2019). Social semiotic multimodality. CORE. https://core.ac.uk/outputs/195301796/?source=2
  33. Kabanga, L., Wenda, D., & Labobar, M. W. (2022). Informative function in the contents of preachers’ sermons in Jayapura churches. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 5(3), 460–467. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v5i3.22276 
  34. Kabanga, L., Wenda, D., & Labobar, M. W. (2022b). Informative function in the contents of preachers’ sermons in Jayapura churches. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 5(3), 460–467. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v5i3.22276 
  35. Kjeldsen, J., & Hess, A. (2021). Experiencing multimodal rhetoric and argumentation in political advertisements: a study of how people respond to the rhetoric of multimodal communication. Visual Communication, 20(3), 327–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572211013399 
  36. Kress, G. (2010). Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257198765  Multimodality A Social Semiotic Approach_to_Contemporary_Communication Gunther Kress Ro utledge_London_2010_212_pp_45_bw_illustrations_15_colour_plates_ISBN 13_978-0-415-32061-0_pbk
  37. Lawson, A. P., & Mayer, R. E. (2021). The power of voice to convey emotion in multimedia instructional messages. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 32(4), 971–990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-021-00282-y 
  38. Lee, D. H., & Chikazoe, J. (2023b). A clearing in the objectivity of aesthetics? Frontiers in Neuroimaging, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnimg.2023.1211801 
  39. Lestari, P. A., & Aziz, A. Z. A. (2024). Language Function Analysis in Dadung by Geoffrey Leech. English Language Linguistics Literature and Education Journal, 6(1), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.30631/ellture.v6i1.85 
  40. Luca, I. (2020). A multimodal discourse analysis in media. Romanian Journal of English Studies, 17(1), 74–80. https://doi.org/10.1515/rjes-2020-0009 
  41. Martin, H. (2019). Three reasons why you need to add background music to your You Tube videos. Talented Ladies Club. https://www.talentedladiesclub.com/articles/three-reasons-why-you-need-to-add-background-music-to-your-youtube-videos/ 
  42. McVee, M. B., Schucker, K. A., Silvestri, K. N., & Tripp, J. N. (2022). Using multiliteracies and multimodality to explore engineering literacies and problem-scoping for multilingual learners: A perspective on multiliteracies for STEM learning. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 50–63). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-818630-5.13039-8 
  43. Mengyuan, B. (2019). Multimodal discourse analysis of news pictures. Theory and Practice in Learning Studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0908.23
  44. Molek-Kozakowska, K., & Kampka, A. (2023b). Multimodality toolkit for political discourse analysis: a focus on visual rhetoric. In Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks (pp. 235–249). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800373570.00024 
  45. Moltaji, N. (2018). Effects of textual and visual information in social media on international students’ choice of study destination. DIVA portal. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1231111/FULLTEXT01.pdf 
  46. Mudiharjo, D. M., Nur, T., Indrayani, L. M., & Darmayanti, N. (2022). Politeness Strategy in commissive Speech acts. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 4(2), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v4i2.11823 
  47. Muliani, S.& Ali, A. J. K. N. (2022). A multimodal discourse analysis of “lathi” song. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt
  48. Neumann, M., Fowler, E. F., & Ridout, T. N. (2022). Body language and gender stereotypes in campaign video. Computational Communication Research, 4(1).  https://doi.org/10.5117/ccr2022.1.007.neum 
  49. Nida, N., Sudirman, S., & Usman, U. (2024). Arabic politeness strategy of directive speech in the movie Barnamij Umar wa Ikhwatuhu: Geoffrey Leech’s perspective. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389503168 
  50. Nordquist, R. (2021). Overview of systemic functional linguistes. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/systemic-functional-linguistics-1692022 
  51. Nurul Maharani, Puti & Atmaja, Sivani & Kartika, Ristiani & Lesmana, Salma. (2023). Dove Self-Esteem Project #DetoxYourFeed: Multimodal Discourse Analysis on Campaign Video. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377956926_Dove_Self-Esteem_Project_DetoxYourFeed_Multimodal_Discourse_Analysis_on_Campaign_Video
  52. Oechsler, V., & Borba, M. C. (2020). Mathematical videos, social semiotics and the changing classroom. ZDM, 52(5), 989–1001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01131-3 
  53. Pahwa, A. (2023, March 18). What is television advertising? – importance, types, examples. Feedough. https://www.feedough.com/television-advertising-definition-types-examples/
  54. Pavlina, S. Y. (2023). Electoral Campaign still visuals: Making politics entertaining. https://publications.hse.ru/en/view/860518832 
  55. Peters, M. (2021). The effect of background music in documentaries on viewers’ mood states, risk perception and retention of content. Master Thesis Educational Science and Technology University of Twente. https://essay.utwente.nl/87899/1/Peters_MA_faculty.pdf 
  56. Rae, M. (2023). Podcasts and political listening: sound, voice and intimacy in the Joe Rogan Experience. Continuum, 37(2), 182–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2023.2198682
  57. Ridout, T. N., Franz, M. M., Fowler, E. F., & Kang, T. (2024). Public perceptions of television and online political advertising. Research & Politics, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680241263766 
  58. Santika, I. D. a. D. M., Andriyani, A. a. a. D., & Winarta, I. B. G. N. (2022). LANGUAGE FUNCTION FROM BALINESE DAILY CONVERSATIONS. ejournal.undiksha.ac.id. https://doi.org/10.23887/leju.v5i1.42776
  59. Santos, E. B. D. (2019). Auditory signals. In Springer eBooks (pp. 1–5). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1619-1
  60. Schubert, C. (2021). Multimodal cohesion in persuasive discourse: A case study of televised campaign advertisements in the 2020 US presidential election. Discourse Context & Media, 43, 100537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2021.100537 
  61. Seruni, L. M., & Hamzah, H. (2019). An analysis of language function used in Indonesian therapeutic discourse: Cupping therapy. E-Journal of English Language & Literature, 8(3). Retrieved from https://download.garuda.kemdikbud.go.id/article.php?article=1553645&val=1508&title=AN%20ANALYSIS%20OF%20LANGUAGE%20FUNCTION%20OF%20INDONESIAN%20THERAPEUTIC%20DISCOURSE%20CUPPING%20THERAPY 
  62. Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for 22(2) information, https://content.lospress.com/articles/education-for-information/efi00778 
  63. Sides, J., Vavreck, L., & Warshaw, C. (2021). The effect of television advertising in United States elections. American Political Science Review, 116(2), 702–718. https://doi.org/10.1017/s000305542100112x 
  64. Siegle, D. (2019, October 23). Qualitative Research paradigm. Educational Research Basics by Del Siegle. https://researchbasics.education.uconn.edu/qualitative_research_paradigm
  65. Sihombing, P. S. R., Herman., & Saputra, N. (2022). How to teach English conversation? An implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images. English Review: Journal of English Education, 10(2), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6244
  66. Susanthi, I. (2023). Language Functions in Culinary Conversation on YouTube Channel. https://tinyurl.com/bdfaafpm 
  67. Susanthi, I. G. a. a. D., Muliawan, M. S. D., & Suarjaya, A. a. G. (2021). The language functions used in guiding conversation: Pragmatics approach. RETORIKA Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa, 7(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.22225/jr.7.1.2903.1-9
  68. Taras, D., & Davis, R. (2021). Electoral campaigns, media, and the new world of digital politics. In University of Michigan Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12013603Taras
  69. Vallejo, A. J. A. (2022). Pragmatic analysis on political text in posters, slogans and jingles in Davao del Norte, Philippines. Journal of Metrics Studies and Social Science, 1(1), 16–22. https://doi.org/10.56916/jmsss.v1i1.60
  70. Vaismoradi, M., & Snelgrove, S. (2019). Theme in Qualitative Content Analysis and Thematic Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-20.3.3376 
  71. Wang, X., Zhang, Z., & Jiang, Q. (2024). The effectiveness of human vs. AI voice-over in short video advertisements: A cognitive load theory perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 81, 104005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104005 
  72. Witkower, Z., Tracy, J. L., Cheng, J. T., & Henrich, J. (2019). Two signals of social rank: Prestige and dominance are associated with distinct nonverbal displays. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(1), 89–120. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000181 
  73. Yunira, S., Pradina, S., Sumbayak, M., Putri, N. S., & Derin, T. (2019). Re-Visits The Grand Theory of Geoffrey Leech: Seven Types of Meaning. REiLA Journal of Research and Innovation in Language, 1(3), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v1i3.3577 

Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic