Signs, Symbols, and Persuasion in Digital Commercial Discourse: A Semiotic Comparison of Saudi Arabia and Egypt

Abstract

The rise of online advertising in the Arab world has urged the researchers to investigate how persuasive messages are generated through the interplay of language, images, and symbols. This study conducts a comparative semiotic analysis to explore the use of signs, symbols, and multimodal strategies in digital commercial discourse in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The purpose of the study is to investigate how persuasive strategies are constructed and how culturally embedded semiotic resources reflect social values, norms, and audience expectations in the two contexts. A qualitative approach was adopted to analyze a selected sample of advertisements collected from social media and e-commerce platforms. Much attention is paid to linguistic choices, visuals, and layout. The findings reveal that both contexts rely on culturally recognizable symbols to enhance credibility and emotional appeal, with Saudi advertisements emphasizing themes of tradition, social cohesion, and national identity, while Egyptian advertisements frequently use colloquial language, humor, and everyday social scenes to create relatability and engagement. The results also show that cultural adaptation enhances the persuasiveness of the messages and increases audience engagement. The study highlights the significance of semiotic awareness and multimodal materials in digital advertisements and language acquisition.