Selling what is not there -- metaphors in print Italian car advertising

The paper examines the ad copy of 60 Italian print car ads, illustrating the metaphors through which cars are talked about. Of the ads considered, 85% contain instances of metaphors, which can be grouped under a few broad headings, namely CAR AS A PERSON, CAR AS AN ANIMAL, CAR AS AN INSTRUMENT, and combinations thereof. In the first case, the car is presented as displaying human-like traits (e.g. virtuous, elegant, passionate, loving and caring); in the second, it is viewed as the symbol of biological evolution, or as a dynamic, agile being which can, however, be dominated or “tamed”; in the third case, the car is depicted as a means to an end (e.g. relaxation, adventure, sexual satisfaction) or an end in itself (a quality product or work of art to be enjoyed for its performance or aesthetic value). The less frequent, non-metaphorical ads, talk about cars in relation to the theme of ‘travelling’. In general, the metaphor-based ads reveal the advertiser’s attempt to present cars not for what they are (i.e. means of transport), but as prototypical manifestations of abstract concepts highly valued by the envisaged ad reader.