Persuasion in Advertising Discourse by Saudi Influencers on Snapchat: An Analytical Study Through the Lens of Speech Acts

In the present digital age, characterized by the ubiquity of various social media platforms with diverse advertisements targeting users, this study aims to investigate the persuasion in advertising discourse by Saudi influencers on Snapchat through the lens of speech acts. Using a qualitative approach, the data was collected from 20 Snapchat influencers (10 males and 10 females) by recording their advertisements on Snapchat. Content analysis was used to analyze the data using the frameworks of Searle’s (1969) speech acts. The findings indicated that Saudi Snapchat influencers used a variety of speech acts in their advertisements to persuade their audience effectively. Specifically, assertive speech acts were predominant (54.1%), followed by directive (22.9%), expressive (15.8%), declarative (6.0%), commissive (0.7%), and quotation (0.5%) acts. The study concluded by addressing some marketing implications and offering various recommendations for future research.