MR. BIGG’S HOT MEAL ISN’T HOT AT ALL

  (IMAGE 1)                                                     (IMAGE 2) 

Mr. Bigg’s is the largest retail food business in West Africa with over 131 restaurants in about 40 cities in Nigeria and Ghana. No doubt, Mr. Bigg’s is a household brand in Nigeria but it is quite amazing how this big brand could fail to deliver its message clearly and confirm its credibility in the heat of struggle with its increasing number of competitors.

A close and critical examination of the image B above shows that the message intended to be conveyed is a perfect example of obscurity, ambiguity, disorderliness and falsification in the overall meaning suggested by the image.

A hot meal is expected to be portrayed as a dish covered in flames to indicate hotness. The phrase ‘hot meals’ written on the dish of rice and fried chicken and that of beans and chicken as portrayed in image B does not conform with the message that is carried out by the image. According to Geoffrey P. Miller, the author of Pragmatics and the Maxims of Interpretations, there should be a relationship between the text and the image used in a context. So, in the context of image B above, it is obvious that the content of the message portrayed by the text is against the message portrayed by the image.

In this case, I conclude that the concept of the advert is against the maxim of manner, relation and maxim of quality.

However, I suggest that in order to create effective and relevant adverts for products, copywriters should be well trained. Contradictory and deceptive words should be avoided. Most importantly, copywriters should carry out pragmatic analysis on the basic elements of their products before they are advertised to the public.

A business with no sign is a sign of no business. Your brand is your corporate signature in the global market place. Contact me directly via thebrandinspector@gmail.com for inquiries, brand display, brand inspection or certification.