Capitalist Realism in Africa: Realities and Myths in Advertising

Dominant Symbols and Signs Present and/or Absent in Nigerian Media Advertisements 44.

Chapter I examined how advertising as a form of communication interconnects with culture and consumption.

Chapter II explores the socioeconomic and cultural orientations of Nigeria. It addresses the history and political evolution of the former British colony. If offers a brief description of the development of Nigerian mass media.

Using dominant cultural theory as its anchor, Chapter III explored the role of advertising within and across national boundaries. It explored how culture is used and reflected in advertising messages.

Chapter IV offers a detailed description of semiotics and discourse analyses. It explores their roles as theoretical and methodological anchors.

Chapter V used qualitative content analysis to explore the cultural symbols and values conveyed in 500-plus advertisements in Nigerian mass media. The analysis determined that, excluding texts, the most common symbols found in Nigerian advertisements were photos of human beings and products. The study also found that Nigerian advertisements did not employ well-established Nigerian ethnic or national symbols. For example, most of the advertisements did not use or combine any of the major or minor Nigerian languages.

Chapter VI explores the role of advertising in modern economies as it relates to Nigerian and African contexts. While it recognizes that advertising contributes to economic development and holds promises, it contends that there are challenges associated with advertising with regards to politics, socioeconomic and cultural concerns that must be addressed.