The Linguistic Features and Persuasion Techniques in Fast-Food Advertisements during Covid-19

This research discusses the linguistic features and persuasion techniques used by fast-food advertisements during Covid-19. The research data was obtained from sixteen advertisement videos from ten popular and largest fast- food restaurants in the U.S. This research is limited to advertisement videos on their YouTube channels published during the Covid-19 from 2020 to 2021. Data collection is obtained using non-participant observational methods and note-taking methods. The data were analyzed using the theory of linguistic features proposed by Grey (2008) and the theory of persuasion techniques proposed by Kleppner (1986). The results of the analysis are presented descriptively and using tables. The writer found 51 linguistic features data categorized into two parts, namely lexical features and syntactic features. The classifications found in lexical features were hyperbole, neologisms, weasel words, familiar language, simple vocabulary, repetition, euphemisms, humor, potency, and glamorization. The most dominant lexical feature found was potency, with a total of 23 times. The classifications found in syntactic features were short sentences, long noun phrases, ambiguity, imperatives, simple and colloquial language, present tense, syntax parallelism, associations, and incomplete sentences. The most dominant syntactic feature found was short sentences with a total of 25 times. Then, the writer found three persuasion techniques in the ads video, namely the pioneering stage, competitive stage, and retentive stage. The retentive stage is the most widely used technique in ad videos