This paper first by introducing advertisement definition and discussion of the purpose and function of advertisement, discussed and researched the advertisement。 Then, compared and analyzed the differences of English-Chinese advertisement。 In the fourth chapter, through contrasting and analyzing a lot of English and Chinese advertisement explored the cultural differences existing in the social background, value orientation, aesthetic ideas and religious beliefs, etc。 Its purpose is to enable people to improve cross-cultural awareness, so as to make more attractive advertisement and achieve the expected effect of publicity through comparing and analyzing the cultural difference stored in English and Chinese advertisement。 The fifth chapter is a general conclusion。

II。 An Introduction to Advertisement

2。1 Definition of Advertisement

The definitions of advertisement might vary from different perspectives。 The so-called advertisement, understanding from its Chinese literal meaning, is “Give extensive publicity or Spread far and wide”。 That is to inform the public of something or advertise the people to observe a certain provision。advertisement, according to research is a foreign language。 It first originated from Latin “Advertere” which meaning is attract one’s attention。 And after the 15th century, it developed into “to make one notice something or notify the man one thing so that to draw one’s attention”。 Then in the 16th century, it became “to make generally known”。 At the end of 17th century, Britain began to carry out large-scale commercial activities and at that time advertisement is widely popular and used。 And it was not until the 18th century that advertisement was not just an advertisement but became a pure commercial activity。 So far, many experts have defined the word in different versions of its use。 Defined very generally, advertisement is the promotion of goods or services for sale through impersonal media(Cook 6)。

    Today, a widely quoted definition of advertisement was put forward by a famous American Marketing Association, “advertisement is the Non-interpersonal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in essence about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media” (Zhao 1)。 From this definition, advertisement can be thought of as a kind of communication, making use of both verbal and nonverbal elements, and aiming to persuading people to buy something。 In addition, according to linguist Bolen, advertisement is a “Paid, non-personal communication through various mass media by business firms, nonprofit organizations, and inpiduals who are in some way identified in the message and who hope to inform or persuade members of a particular audience”。 It shows the relations among a producer who who advertises, an agency that create the advertisement, a medium that carries the advertisement, and consumers to whom the advertisement is directed。文献综述

    All in all, advertisement plays a pivotal role in the commercial activities, which is the essential tool controlled by advertisers “who have defined their target audiences and determined the effect they hope to achieve through persuasive advertisement in the media” (Bolen 9)。 And it mainly perts consumer’s attention to buying the new products and accepting the company’s services。 That is to say, advertisement can be defined as a means of propaganda for the masses, a communication process, a social process, an information as well as persuasion process。

2。2 Purposes of Advertisement

    It is common knowledge that advertisement is used to inform, persuade, propagate, and remind the target market about the goods, ideas and services。 According to Alan Bradley, “advertisement is the Life of trade” (13), which indicates the importance of advertisement。 Through the propaganda and persuasion of advertisement, the producer attract the eye of consumers then to make the consumers have the desire to buy。 There is no doubt that the final purpose of advertisement is to sell more and more commodities and services。 To be exact, the first purpose of a good advertisement is to attract attention of consumers to produce interest to the commodity and service。 When a product comes on the market, the first thing that the producer need to do is by means of advertisement to make the product into people’s eyes and notice it。 Only the advertisement is noticed by more and more people, can the following purposes come true。