The “happiness” concept in the Russian and German advertising texts

¹ LUNN, Higher School of Linguistics, Pedagogy and Psychology, Department of Theory and Practice of the German Language, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
² LUNN, Higher School of Translation and Interpreting, Department of the English Language of the Higher School of Translation and Interpreting, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

^* Corresponding author: dmitrab@yandex.ru

Abstract

The prerequisite for this research was the frequent use of the “happiness” word in modern advertising texts. The authors of the article have tried to answer the following question: Do copywriters take into account a national mindset when creating an illusion of easy-to-get happiness in advertising slogans? How effective is such advertising? The article aims at studying the national specifics of the “happiness” concept in the German- and Russian-speaking environment, analyzing advertising texts and assessing the correspondence of the “happiness” image created in them to consumers’ ideas about it. The authors used the method of linguistic observation and description, contextual analysis, conceptual analysis, comparative analysis, associative field method and survey method. Based on the study results, they have drawn the following conclusions: 1. The concept of “happiness” in the German- and Russian-speaking linguistic cultures is mostly the same and its representatives can be combined into the following semantic groups: “state”, “its external manifestations” and “external sources of happiness”. 2. In contrast to the German-speaking society, which measures the degree of its happiness by the individual feeling of satisfaction in life, the Russians prefer to wait for happiness and do not talk about it once this emotion is obtained. 3. The use of the “happiness” lexeme in advertising products and consumer goods is ineffective since they are not included in the concept of “happiness” in the Russian and German cultural codes. 4. Pandemic-caused changes in modern society requires the reappraisal of values: happiness is now associated with such concepts as health, freedom of movement, travel and home. The comparative analysis of the “happiness” concept in German and Russian advertising was conducted for the first time. The results obtained can be used in further linguistic and marketing research.