'Go Away, Mute English!' Selling English in Web Advertising. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shinhee Lee, Jamie
• Is Part Of: Journal of creative communications. Volume 10:Number 3(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 235
• Page End: 247
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: English language teaching -- web advertising -- cyber marketing -- globalization -- South Korea; Communication -- Periodicals; Mass media -- Periodicals; Information theory -- Periodicals; 302.2305
• DOI: 10.1177/0973258615614414
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0973-2586

Abstract

Triggered by the increasing use of the Internet, the 'English learning boom' and 'English fever' in South Korea, web advertising is used by English language institutes as one of the most popular modalities of marketing to compete in the highly competitive domestic English-language teaching market. This study examines 20 randomly selected web-advertising texts about English language institutes and programmes in South Korea. The findings of the study suggest that the concept of 'global' is commonly incorporated into cyber marketing materials, recurring as the main rationale for why Koreans need to study English. Native-speaker favouritism is also unequivocally present in instructional staff-related ads, highlighting the importance of learning 'authentic' English. This study argues that English is used not only as a means of advertising, but also the product itself, performing a dual purpose in web marketing for English language teaching in contemporary South Korea.