Linguistics of Genre in Advertisement and Identity Construction

Case Study of Portuguese Novo Banco Bank Pamphlet

Abstract

This paper explores how genre fictionalization operates as a semiotic process in institutional crisis communication. Focusing on a 2014 Novo Banco pamphlet issued after the collapse of Banco Espírito Santo, the study examines how semiotic resources mediate meaning and may help rebuild trust through multimodal design. Drawing on theoretical models such as Socio-Discursive Interactionism, the Grammar of Visual Design, and the concept of fictionalization of genre, the analysis highlights how verbal, visual, and chromatic modes interact to produce a hybrid text that merges institutional and advertising genres. The results show that this semiotic interplay constructs Novo Banco’s renewed identity as reliable and transparent, while positioning customers as active, loyal and inquisitive. The study contributes to semiotic and multimodal discourse research by illustrating how hybrid genre design can function as an aesthetic and persuasive strategy for institutional identity reconstruction.