Keyword : Language Use, Ideology, Posters, Advertisement, Customers’ Interest
Author(s) : Dohseh Abigail Gabwa & Afutendem Lucas Nkwetta
Abstract :
This study investigates the interplay of language and ideology in advertising posters produced by MTN and Orange in the towns of Dschang and Bafoussam, Cameroon, during the period 2024–2025, and how the advertising strategies found on the posters influence customers' behavior. As two leading telecommunication companies, MTN and Orange saturate the Cameroonian public sphere with multilingual and multimodal posters that not only promote services but also embed cultural meanings and ideological positions. Situated within Cameroon’s complex sociolinguistic environment, marked by official bilingualism, the prominence of Camfranglais, and persistent identity tensions, these advertising practices constitute more than commercial communication; they shape perceptions of modernity, connectivity, and belonging. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough), multimodal discourse analysis (Kress and van Leeuwen), and linguistic landscape studies. The analyses hint on the critical discourse analyses (CDA) to examine how language choices encode power and ideology, multimodal discourse analyses (MDA) to analyse the integration of text, image and layout in the posters, and symbolic interactionism to interpret the meanings audiences attach to visual and communication interpretation and linguistic landscape to understand the linguistic composition of the public sphere, reveal power dynamic, identify target audience and marketing strategies as well as studying the dynamics of language and identity in relation to the Cameroon society. To carry out this research, a sample population of posters from MTN and Orange telecommunication companies was carefully considered. The research analyzes posters collected from central locations in Dschang and Bafoussam. The analysis focuses on language choices (English, French, Pidgin English, Camfranglais), lexical and visual strategies, and their discursive construction of gender, youth, class, and national identity. Comparative attention is given to the two towns: Dschang, with its strong academic and youth-driven character, and Bafoussam, a major commercial hub. The analyses demonstrate that the two networks use a persuasive form of advertising and dominant ideologies to influence public perception. The dominant ideological dispositions were modernity, class, gender, and nationalism. Their difference vary from many angles of language forms, ideologies, advertising strategies, names, images, colors, and discourses. The different linguistic negotiations in these telecommunication ads sustained in the two networks challenged the multi-dimensional approach to solve public perception in gender roles, consumerism, and globalization in Cameroon. Consumers should be aware of these patterns because all that sets the differences is already intended by the commercial agents. This work concludes by proposing possible ways through which ads can easily be understood by the public. The research suggests that MTN and Orange strategically deploy bilingual and hybrid codes to appeal to youth and urban consumers, reinforce brand hegemony through dominant color palettes and slogans, and reproduce ideologies of progress, empowerment, and digital citizenship. By revealing how corporate advertising intersects with local linguistic practices and social imaginaries, the study contributes to critical debates on language, power, and ideology in Cameroon media landscapes. It also provides insights into how global corporations localize discourse to align with Cameroonian cultural politics, thereby shaping consumer identities and everyday communicative practices.
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