McDonald's & Burger King. Advertising History from the 1960s to Today

Table of Contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Histroy of Advertising, the Diachronic Perspective and Methods
• 3 Analysis
  • 3.1 McDonald's
  • 3.2 Burger King
  • 3.3 Other Fast Food Restaurants
• 4 Comparison: McDonald's & Burger King
• 5 Conclusion: the Contemporary State and the Future of Advertising

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis aims to analyze the history of advertising for two fast food restaurants, McDonald's and Burger King, from the 1960s to the present day. It will explore how the advertisements have evolved over time in terms of linguistic structures and their development across decades.

• The evolution of advertising language and techniques across decades.
• Linguistic features and persuasive strategies employed in fast food advertisements.
• The role of social trends and target audience in shaping advertising campaigns.
• The impact of media on advertising, including print, radio, television, and film.
• A comparison of McDonald's and Burger King advertising approaches and strategies.

Chapter Summaries

• Chapter 1: Introduction

  This chapter introduces the topic of advertising and its pervasive presence in modern life. It discusses the various forms and genres of advertising and the importance of persuasion and language in creating effective advertising campaigns.

• Chapter 2: History of Advertising, the Diachronic Perspective and Methods

  This chapter explores the historical evolution of advertising from antiquity to the present day. It discusses the different eras of advertising, including the non-industrial, pre-industrial, and industrial phases. The chapter highlights the changing language and design styles used in advertisements over time, emphasizing the transition from non-petitionary to petitionary approaches. It also introduces the concepts of diachronic and synchronic research methods in studying advertising history.

• Chapter 3: Analysis

  This chapter delves into the analysis of advertisements for McDonald's and Burger King. It will examine the linguistic structures and persuasive techniques used in the ads, shedding light on their development over decades.

• Chapter 4: Comparison: McDonald's & Burger King

  This chapter will compare the advertising approaches and strategies employed by McDonald's and Burger King. It will analyze similarities and differences in their messaging, linguistic techniques, and target audiences.

Keywords

This thesis focuses on the key concepts of fast food advertising history, linguistic structures, persuasive techniques, social trends, target audience, media influence, and the comparative analysis of McDonald's and Burger King advertising strategies.