EXPLORING MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF INSTAGRAM CAMPAIGN SLOGANS

Abstract

This study explored the morphological features employed in Instagram campaign slogans and examines how word-formation processes contribute to persuasive digital advertising discourse. Using a quantitative descriptive research design, the study analyzed 27 English-language Instagram campaign slogans selected through a rigorous multi-stage sampling process from campaigns published between 2020 and 2023. The slogans were segmented into individual lexical units, yielding 83 analyzable word items, which were systematically coded using a validated morphological coding scheme. The analysis focuses on key word-formation processes, including compounding, derivation, blending, clipping, acronyms, borrowing, and neologism. The findings revealed that compounding was the most dominant morphological process, followed by derivation, indicating a strong preference for compact and semantically rich lexical constructions in Instagram slogans. Less frequent processes such as blending, clipping, and neologism nonetheless played an important stylistic role by enhancing creativity, brand identity, and platform relevance. The results also show that morphological complexity was strategically balanced with simple lexical forms to maintain clarity within Instagram’s visually driven and text-limited environment. Overall, the study highlighted morphology as a crucial linguistic resource that supported brevity, memorability, and persuasive impact in digital advertising. These findings contributed to linguistic studies on social media discourse and offerred insights into how word-formation strategies were optimized for contemporary marketing communication.