[DISCOURSE ANALYSIS IN ENGLISH] Critical Discourse Analysis & Multimodal analysis of U.S. and Russian Military Recruitment Advertisements

Critical Discourse Analysis & Multimodal analysis of U.S. and Russian Military Recruitment Advertisements

 

Data 1

 

Russian Army recruitment advertisement: What are our men made of? (2023)

 

          What are our men made of? Of tattoos and pierced ears? Of illusions and banana smoothies? Are our men made of bright makeup and streams? Sweet cakes and clothing brands? What are our men made of? What are you made of? Join those who are made of honor, valor and courage. Join your brethren.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Q9_nNVt48

 

Data 2

 

U.S. Army recruitment advertisement: Emma, the calling #goarmy (2021)

 

          This is the story of a soldier who operates your nation's patriot missile defense systems. It begins in California with a little girl raised by two moms. Although I had a fairly typical childhood. Took ballet, played violin. I also marched for equality. I like to think I've been defending freedom from an early age. When I was six years old, one of my moms had an accident that left her paralyzed. The doctor said she might never walk again. But she tapped into my family to get back on her feet, eventually standing at the altar to marry my other mom. With such powerful role models, I finished high school at the top of my class and then attended UC Davis where I joined a sorority full of other strong women. But as graduation approached, I began feeling like I'd been handed so much in life: a sorority girl stereotype. Sure, I'd spent my life around inspiring women. But what had I really achieved on my own? One of my sorority sisters was studying abroad in Italy, another was climbing mount Everest. I needed my own adventures, my own challenge. And after meeting with an army recruiter, I found it. A way to prove my inner strength and maybe shatter some stereotypes along the way. I'm US Army corporal Emma Malonelord and I answered my calling.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8-Yslv4PME

 

 

Analysis

 

          This paper examines and compares the recruitment advertisements of the United States and Russia through critical discourse analysis (CDA) and multimodal analysis. By analyzing these two advertisements, which belong to the same genre, the study aims to explore the ideologies, shared values and beliefs, and social contexts that are prevailing in each country. The two data materials presented are recruitment video advertisements, which incorporate both visual and auditory multimodality. They use narrators, visuals, background music, and in the case of the United States, even animation, to convey the intended messages to the intended audience.

 

Semiotics

 

          Semiotics (Lee, 2024) can be observed in both materials. In the Russian advertisement, the soldier's right arm features a "Z" symbol, which serves as a marker identifying them as part of the Russian military. In the American advertisement, the protagonist wears a T-shirt with a rainbow heart, which symbolizes that she supports LGBTQ rights. Additionally, the protagonist is shown attending college and joining a sorority, with a pillow displaying the sorority club’s name. Finally, both advertisements conclude with the display of each military's emblem. Symbols such as unit emblems, logos, and national flags are quintessential examples of semiotics with multimodality (Lee, 2024).

 

Genre

 

          Both materials are recruitment advertisements and belong to the same genre (Lee, 2024). Common shared typicality (Lee, 2024) of the genre is observed in both videos. In both, the characters in the videos directly gaze at the camera, creating the impression of speaking directly to the audience. Additionally, both showcase individuals wearing combat uniforms. Furthermore, both videos display military equipment and weapon systems. The U.S. video features the Patriot air defense missile system, while the Russian video highlights T-90S tanks and various firearms. The communicative purpose (Lee, 2024) of both videos is to encourage individuals to join the military voluntarily. However, the U.S. advertisement shows significant variation from the conventional characteristics of the recruitment advertisement genre. The U.S. advertisement’s target audience is female young adults. Unlike Russia, the U.S. uses animation in its advertisement. While the Russian video includes the Russian national flag, the U.S. video does not feature its flag. Additionally, while the Russia’s video doesn’t show female characters, the U.S. video puts a female protagonist, diverging from the typically masculine and tough depiction common in traditional recruitment advertisements.

 

Speech Act

 

          The two advertisements can be analyzed in terms of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts (Lee, 2024). Locutionary acts involve the semiotics and narration used in each advertisement, such as the symbols, visuals, and messages discussed above (Lee, 2024). The illocutionary act is the persuasive intent to encourage the target audience to join the military. In the U.S. advertisement, the target audience includes individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds, mainly focus on women, recent female college graduates, and even members of the LGBTQ community, whereas the Russian advertisement primarily targets adult male. Finally, the perlocutionary force is the intended outcome (Lee, 2024), which is to motivate the audience to enlist in the military.

 

Social and Political Issues

 

          Both recruitment advertisements reflect a shared underlying issue, a shortage of military personnel. Despite differing contexts and cultural frameworks, the campaigns aim to address this gap by appealing to their respective target audiences through contrasting narratives and values.

 

          Since 2022, Russia has been engaged in a full-scale war with Ukraine. As the war prolonged, Russia faced a shortage of soldiers, prompting the government to issue a partial mobilization order and hire foreign mercenaries, among other measures, to replenish its military forces. Additionally, to encourage voluntary enlistment, Russia produced promotional materials like the recruitment advertisement under discussion and offered salaries significantly higher than the average.

 

          The United States, which operates an all-volunteer military system, has been experiencing difficulties in meeting recruitment targets since 2015. Currently, all three branches of the U.S. military—Army, Navy, and Air Force—except for the Marines, are falling short of their enlistment goals. To address this issue, the U.S. has significantly relaxed eligibility requirements for American recruits and allowed LGBTQ individuals to enlist. Furthermore, the percentage of female soldiers has steadily increased, with women now comprising approximately 20% of the U.S. military (U.S. Department of Defense, n.d.).

 

Framing

 

          The Russian recruitment advertisement contrasts men who enlist in the Russian military with those who do not. It portrays the former as masculine, courageous, and admirable, while delivering the message that the latter are unmanly and lack these qualities. The soldiers in the advertisement are depicted with solemn expressions, directly gazing at the audience, emphasizing seriousness and authority.

 

          In contrast, U.S. military recruitment advertisements convey the message that joining the military is a path to becoming a strong woman and contributing to societal progress. These advertisements significantly diverge from traditional recruitment ads. At the beginning of the video, individuals such as an Asian man, a Black woman, a Black man, and a White woman are prominently featured, while the conventional image of a White male soldier is absent. These advertisements emphasize multiculturalism (Lee 2024), the role of people of color, the LGBTQ community, and particularly the capabilities of women.

 

Social Relations

 

          In the Russian context, traditional masculinity is emphasized. Men are expected to embody conventional notions of masculinity, including courage and strength (Oh, 2024). The advertisement implicitly suggests that a "real man" must demonstrate bravery, equating military service with fulfilling this societal expectation of manhood.

 

          In the U.S. context, the narrative shifts toward progressive values, equating support for LGBTQ rights with moral correctness. Resistance to traditional gender stereotypes (Lee, 2024), particularly for women, is a central theme. The advertisement highlights that supporting LGBTQ rights and serving in the military are aligned under the shared ideal of "defending freedom." For instance, the woman in the advertisement equates her participation in an LGBTQ march with defending freedom, paralleling the role of military service. She also celebrates her lesbian parents as “powerful role models” and emphasizes the importance of strong, independent women, stating, "I joined a sorority full of other strong women, and I'd spent my life around inspiring women." This narrative reframes military service as an extension of female empowerment and inclusivity rather than traditional patriotism.

 

Ideology

 

          In the Russian context, the underlying ideology (Lee, 2024) asserts that only men who enlist in the military are "real men," while those who do not are portrayed as unmanly and cowardly. This reflects traditional Russian cultural values (Oh, 2024), which criticize men who engage in behaviors such as wearing makeup, earrings, or nail polish. These behaviors are considered antithetical to traditional masculinity. The advertisement emphasizes negative stereotypes of men who avoid military service, such as eating loudly an act culturally disapproved of in Russia—to portray them unfavorably. Terms like tattoos, pierced ears, illusions, banana smoothies, bright makeup, streams, sweet cakes, and clothing brands are used pejoratively to reinforce this negative portrayal. Conversely, concepts like honor, valor, and courage are framed positively, aligning them with military service and traditional masculinity.

 

          In the U.S. context, the ideology promotes the idea that supporting LGBTQ rights and enlisting in the military are markers of being strong and morally correct. The U.S. military highlights cultural diversity and positions itself as inclusive, embracing political correctness and woke culture. This contrasts with traditional male-dominated, hegemonic gender ideologies (Lee, 2024) by celebrating women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals as integral to military strength. An example of this ideological shift is the challenge to sexist language (Lee, 2024) through discussions of gender-neutral terms (Lee, 2024), signaling broader efforts to redefine societal norms and combat entrenched stereotypes (Lee, 2024). The advertisement underscores the empowerment of women and marginalized groups, portraying military service as a path to societal progress and equality.

 

Doing Gender

 

          In Russian culture, traditional masculinity is defined by actions associated with military service, such as enlisting in the Russian army, eating canned food with a bayonet in a trench, riding in tanks, and guarding trenches alongside armed comrades. Conversely, behaviors perceived as unmasculine and blameworthy include wearing earrings or tattoos, loudly eating ice cream, drinking banana smoothies while adorned with makeup and manicures, streaming videos, driving sports cars, or dancing in front of a camera wearing cupcake-printed underwear.

 

          In the U.S. advertisement, the depiction of the “proper” way of performing female gender includes enlisting in the military, supporting LGBTQ rights, and challenging traditional gender norms (Lee, 2024) for women. This contrasts with conventional views of femininity, reframing military service as an empowering act for women.

 

Politeness Theory

 

          The Russian recruitment advertisement is considered impolite according to Politeness Theory (Lee, 2024). It directly challenges the audience through face-threatening acts (Lee, 2024), particularly to their negative face (Lee, 2024), by imposing the expectation of military enlistment and painting non-enlistees in a negative light. It violates all three of Lakoff’s maxims of politeness (Lee, 2024). The ad pressures viewers to join the military without alternatives which violates don’t impose principle (Lee, 2024). No alternative choices are presented; joining is framed as the only acceptable action which violates give options principle (Lee, 2024). The ad alienates its audience by shaming those who do not conform to its ideals. It doesn’t make the audience feel good (Lee, 2024). As a result, it imposes a sense of obligation, creating discomfort and potential resistance in viewers.

 

Formality and Clarity

 

          The language in the Russian ad is highly formal (Lee, 2024), emphasizing the institutional nature of military service. The lack of casual or phatic communication (Lee, 2024) reinforces the gravity and seriousness of the recruitment message. In both cases, the tone avoids ambiguity (Lee, 2024), ensuring clarity in delivering their respective ideological messages.

 

Foregrounding

 

          In the Russian advertisement, the strength, masculinity, and valor of soldiers are foregrounded, while unmasculine behaviors of non-enlisted men are exaggerated and ridiculed. These men are even portrayed with stereotypes implying homosexuality to amplify their perceived inadequacy.

In the U.S. advertisement, the focus is on independent and strong women, those who support LGBTQ rights, and multicultural and racially diverse U.S. soldiers. It highlights inclusion and progressiveness as core values.

 

Backgrounding

 

           The Russian advertisement omits the brutal realities of war, focusing solely on glorifying military service. Ordinary Russian men who do not enlist are relegated to the background, presented only as examples of what not to be. This creates a black-and-white narrative with little nuance. In the U.S. advertisement, the horrors of war are similarly omitted.

 

Conclusion

 

          In conclusion, both advertisements reflect the cultural values and ideological frameworks of their respective nations. The Russian ad emphasizes traditional masculinity tied to military service, using stark contrasts and negative portrayals of non-enlisted men to reinforce its message. In contrast, the U.S. ad highlights inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment, aligning military service with woke values such as LGBTQ right. Both ads serve as tools for recruitment while strategically omitting inconvenient realities to align with their narratives.

 

 

References

 

• Lee, M, W (2024). Understanding Language and Culture lecture ppt. Yonsei University.
• Lee, M, W (2024). Discourse Analysis in English lecture ppt. Yonsei University.
• Paltridge, B (2012). Discourse Analysis: An Introduction 2nd edition. Bloomsbury Academic.
• Oh, S, H (2024). Understanding Culture, Identity, Ideology, and Gender from the Perspective of a Yonsei student from a Korean-Russian Multicultural Family.
• Army making moves to replace recruiting it system. (2018, November 19). U.S. Army Recruting Command. Council on Foreign Relations. (2020). Demographics of the U.S. military.
• Howard, B. (2022, August 26). Why the U.S. military faces a growing recruiting crisis. CNBC.
• Johnson, D. (2022, September 14). Opinion: Recruiting crisis should be a wakeup call for the military and its treatment of women. Bangor Daily News.
• Kube, C., & Boigon, M. (2022, June 27). Why is the U.S. military struggling to recruit young Americans?
• NBCNews.com. U.S. Department of Defense. (n.d.). Department of Defense Releases Annual Demographics Report — Upward Tre. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/article/3246268/departmentof-defense-releases-annual-demographics-report-upward-trend-in-numbe/ 
• U.S. Department of Defense. (n.d.-a). Defense Department report shows decline in armed forces population WHI. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3580676/defensedepartment-report-shows-decline-in-armed-forces-population-while-percen/