Interpreting Financial Service Adverts

A number of important changes have affected the market for personal financial services during the 1980s and 1990s in the UK: the liberalisation of financial markets, the development of shareholder capitalism, the inertia in collective welfare plans and an increased public perception of economic insecurity. These broader changes are reflected in changes in financial service products. Against this background, several British television adverts produced for banks and building societies during the 1990s were selected for analysis. The analysis focuses on rhetorical aspects of the adverts, particularly on who is addressed by the adverts and the arguments advanced by the adverts. It is concluded that the adverts can be interpreted in relation to the changing economic context for personal financial services as providing a mixture of trust and expertise that balances arguments related to the need for financial services with a feeling of security. These themes are tied to the centrality of the reflexive project for both financial institutions and consumers.

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