Vegetable oils marketing strategies: Multimodal discourse analysis on advertising in Indonesian television

Abstract This study aims to map the marketing strategies for vegetable oils in Indonesian television advertisements. Qualitative-explanatory research was conducted on vegetable oil advertisements from 1992-2023. Theo van Leeuwen’s multimodal discourse analysis is used as an analytical framework to describe linguistic signs, images, and sounds in data sources. The results showed that among the marketing strategies for vegetable oils are exploring the features of palm fruit as a raw material, the oil processing process, which involves the latest technology, the chemical properties of the oil, and the vitamins and nutrients in the oil. Another strategy is to describe the delicious cooking results and the positive psychological effects consumers feel. Oil producers also elaborated on the economic aspects of consumers by promising low prices and lottery prizes. Environmental and health issues emphasise vegetable oils’ long-term positive impact. Several experts in relevant fields appeared to strengthen arguments for the features of each commodity. The marketing strategy through advertising is quite interesting, with stunning visual illustrations, sounds, and words. Paying attention to today’s digital world, this marketing strategy will continue according to the trends and media consumers widely use.