Engagement in LGBTphobic comments in the Burger King's "How to Explain?" Advertising Campaign

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14393/DLv18a2024-12

Keywords:

Critical Discourse Analysis, Engagement, Advertising Campaigns, Burger King, LGBT

Abstract

Advertising campaigns are meticulously crafted to reach the largest possible audience, employing a variety of adaptable strategies to engage target audiences. As social issues become intertwined with this context, there is a growing intent to represent a wide range of diversity. This research aims to analyze the public's reception of an LGBT-positive advertising campaign launched by Burger King and aired on YouTube, understanding some aspects addressed in reactions to the campaign. To achieve this, we adhere to Critical Discourse Analysis (FAIRCLOUGH, 2003), which conceives discourse as an essential part of social practice, influencing and maintaining power structures. Our corpus consisted of 20 comments extracted from the discussion section of the advertising campaign on YouTube. We utilized the Appraisal system (Martin; White, 2005) as an analytical tool for discourse semantics, specifically the Engagement subsystem, to verify how these 20 commentators positioned themselves and interacted with other voices in their texts. Comments were categorized according to Engagement subcategories and discussed from a linguistic and social perspective. The results revealed that the majority of discourses are marked by LGBT-phobic comments, challenging the legitimacy of the campaign and presenting arguments to deny the importance of addressing the issue in the media. These discourses employ strategies that hinder dialogue and exclude the LGBTQ+ community from consumer spaces.

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Author Biographies

  • Victor Gomes Milani, UFSM

    Mestre em Estudos Linguísticos pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM).

  • Raphael Michels Fantinato de Moura, UFSC

    Mestre em estudos linguísticos em língua inglesa pelo Programa de Pós-graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (PPGI/UFSC).

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Published

2024-03-27

How to Cite

MILANI, Victor Gomes; MOURA, Raphael Michels Fantinato de. Engagement in LGBTphobic comments in the Burger King’s "How to Explain?" Advertising Campaign. Domínios de Lingu@gem, Uberlândia, v. 18, p. e1812, 2024. DOI: 10.14393/DLv18a2024-12. Disponível em: https://seer.ufu.br/index.php/dominiosdelinguagem/article/view/72376. Acesso em: 4 apr. 2026.