Communication strategies displayed by communications agencies: A relation coloured by the desire to appeal

Abstract

f communication consists of moving closer to the other, communications agencies do so under the guise of appealing to the receiver. This attempt to appeal has two objectives: to create the desired effect on the receiver (to persuade and to please), and to display the agency’s communicational expertise, much like an artist’s porfolio. Three manipulative discursive strategies have been identified: 1) to mask the defining genre by integrating localized elements into an approximate definition of communication; 2) to embed subjective elements in the strategic discourse; and 3) to centre the offer on the client, in order to dispel the impression of advertising and to give the appearance of humanizing business relations.