An Imagination of Condominiums in Advertising Media

Abstract

   This research aims to analyze and explain the imagination of condominiums in advertisements using the theory of metaphors, which is the use of comparative language forms to create an image and expand the meaning of the original words which aims to create analogies in languages. The data were gathered from the different estate ads of the top-three estate developers who had the highest selling records by March 4, 2022. The ads were collected via online platforms which were the official websites and Instagrams of the estate companies from January 2021 to April 2022. The sample companies included AP (Thailand), Sansiri, and Noble.    The results showed that there were eight types of metaphors used in condominium advertisements. They included: condominium is one’s personal kingdom, buying a condominium is a wealth, a condominium is a greenspace closed to nature, a condominium is a resort, a condominium is a ladder of life, a condominium is a happiness, a condominium is the combination of man-made places and a condominium is a power. The results also reflected how the comparative words used in advertisements influenced the consumers’ attitudes toward condominiums. It could be seen that the images of the condominiums created by the advertisement were all positive. The most common image of condominiums was the one that showed a meaningful relationship between the residents and green space and nature because this kind of place tends to emphasize a relaxing and healthy environment. Therefore, people who live here could reduce their stress from work and living. On the other hand, the images related to power and the ladder of life were the least commonly found. The reason might be that a ladder is a man-made object which is not perceived as much important as nature.