SELLING WITH WORDS: ANALYZING STREET VENDORS’ COMMUNICATION IN LAHORE

Abstract

Language plays a key role in the way the world is perceived. Similarly, it plays a pivotal role in the field of advertising. Traditional advertising on the mass media makes use of words and images, however the vendors selling goods in the markets utilize linguistic choices to attract the customers.   The current study provides insight into ways in which strategic language use can drive sales and engage with customers in more potent ways. This study views how vendors of both Anarkali and Liberty markets, Lahore, influence the purchases and consumption behavior of people through the strategic use of language. The present study chalks out the verbal and non-verbal lexical units of communication vendors use to attract old and new customers in a comprehensive ethnographic approach. Drawing from the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Speech Act Theory, subtle variations in communication styles adjusted to different customer profiles and market contexts are brought out. The findings show that the detailed descriptions of products, assurance about quality, and competitive pricing strategies are grossly reliant on the vendors of Anarkali Market, following the central route of ELM (Elaboration Likelihood Model). The reverse can be said of the sellers at Liberty Market, as they use much emotional appeal, flattery, humor, and personalized interaction to get close to their customers; that is, peripheral route tactics of ELM aimed at making the shopping experience an enjoyable and pleasurable. Cultural references and adaptive communication according to demographics are added to these strategies. The current research on the linguistic tactics of street vendors makes a valuable contribution to the in-depth understanding of grassroots marketing techniques and consumer behavior within informal markets. This work, therefore, places a very strong emphasis on the role of context in effective communications and has some potential implications for training programs designed to improve small-scale entrepreneurs' sales abilities.