The effect of corporate discourses in brand awareness and legitimacy: The rhetorical analysis of an automobile brand

This study seeks to reveal the corporate discourses used by a newly-introduced brand to ensure brand awareness and legitimacy from its initial launch until its eventual departure from the market. The study examines the rhetoric used in communication in order to ensure brand awareness and legitimacy over the course of 10 years (2009–2019). Press releases served by the relevant brand were subjected to qualitative analysis through discourse strategies and legitimacy categories. The analysis found that the brand relied more heavily on discourse strategies that emphasized “validity” over “propriety.” Moreover, among the discourses on validity, those emphasizing that “a development or an entity is inevitable and natural” were used more heavily. Among the discourse strategies on conformity, on the other hand, discourses directing “emotions” and “the moral values of the focal entity,” and emphasizing “the success of a specific entity” were more dominant. According to different legitimacy types, the majority of the discourses were pragmatic and normative-based.