Speech influence on the addressee in medical advertising (on the example of an advertisement of a vaccine against COVID-19)

The article analyzes the features of medical advertising as a source of speech influence on the addressee in medical advertising using the example of an advertisement of a vaccine against COVID-19. The material consisted of creolized advertising texts (in total more than 50 examples were analyzed) related to the topic of coronavirus, obtained from open Internet sources during the pandemic, as well as data from a free associative experiment (60 questionnaires of respondents aged 18 to 22 years). The study used a continuous sampling technique, a descriptive method with elements of interpretive analysis, and the method of associative experiment. It is noted that the following images and scenarios are most characteristic of medical advertising texts: emphasis on preserving one’s own life and health and the health of loved ones; emphasis on increased risk for the older generation; emphasis on collective responsibility; emphasis on helping doctors; appealing to authorities (public figures); emphasis on voluntary decision making; emphasis on the positive image of the vaccine. It was revealed that the creolized texts of medical advertising contain verbal and non-verbal components that allow not only to attract the attention of the target audience, but also to form a complex of knowledge and ideas about the disease itself and the need for vaccination. It is emphasized that appealing to key characteristics typical of the Russian national consciousness (responsibility, humanism, desire to help), the use of images of doctors and public figures, and the emphasis on the voluntary nature of vaccination became the basis of a successful advertising campaign implemented in the Russian Federation during difficult periods of the spread of the epidemic. It is proved that the use of well-known slogans and bright images in advertising serves as an effective tool for attracting the attention of the target audience to health problems that are significant for every society member. The results of the work may be of interest to teachers, students, as well as to anyone interested in creolized text and medical advertising text.