A Study Of Intentional Ambiguity In Advertising: The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

Ambiguity has long been discussed by scholars home and abroad. It is often thought as a negative phenomenon which should be avoided in communication. However, ambiguity can have positive effects if it is used carefully and properly. The present paper attempts to explore the positive use of intentional ambiguity in advertising communication from the perspective based on relevance theory. The present study mainly aims to answer the following three questions:1. How does ambiguity in advertising lead to smooth communication?2. Why does the advertiser employ ambiguity in advertising?3. Could ambiguity achieve the effects as the advertiser has expected?The reason why ambiguity could lead to smooth communication is that optimal relevance is aimed at by both the advertiser and the audiences. In advertising communication, the advertiser deliberately exploits ambiguity to provide the audience with two or more layers of meanings, whereas the audience who aims at optimal relevance will figure out the implied meaning intended by the advertiser with the guidance of relevance theory, which will ultimately lead to successful communication. When the audience infers the hidden meaning, he would obtain greater contextual effects which are beneficial to him.The study also summarizes the functions of ambiguity in advertising. 1. Ambiguity could attract the audience's attention, 2. It makes advertisements brief and saves the cost. 3. It conveys the covert meaning. 4. It helps establish the brand image. 5. It is humorous and entertains the audience.The questionnaire is also adopted as a complementary means to investigate the effectiveness of the ambiguous advertisements. And the results indicate that ambiguity in advertising is a positive linguistic device which would leave a deeper impression on the audience and is more trusted and favored by the audience.