SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CARBON NEUTRALITY REPRESENTATION IN APPLE’S YOUTUBE ADVERTISEMENT ‘EVERY PRODUCT CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2030’: A PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31851/a46vac84Keywords:
carbon neutrality; persuasive language; semiotics; multimodal discourse; ecological image; eco-ideology.Abstract
Carbon neutrality has emerged as a central focus of corporate environmental communication, particularly in digital advertising, where verbal and visual elements are strategically combined to promote sustainability initiatives. While previous studies have explored persuasive language, semiotics, or multimodal communication separately, limited research has examined how these approaches interact to construct environmental meaning. This study investigates the representation of carbon neutrality in Apple’s YouTube advertisement Every Product Carbon Neutral by 2030 (2021) and examines how it shapes Apple’s ecological image and communicates its eco-ideology. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the study analyzes spoken narration, written text, and visual elements through Peirce’s semiotic theory, Leech’s persuasive language framework, and Kress and van Leeuwen’s multimodal approach. The findings show that carbon neutrality is communicated through the integration of symbolic, indexical, and iconic signs, with symbolic signs being the most prominent. Persuasive linguistic features and multimodal resources including color, typography, icons, and layout work together to reinforce Apple’s environmental commitment. These interconnected resources portray technological innovation and sustainability as complementary values while presenting environmental responsibility as a shared obligation between corporations and consumers. The study highlights the complementary roles of semiotics, persuasive language, and multimodal communication in constructing environmental meaning in contemporary digital advertising.
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