Selling an executive MBA is a matter of rhetoric

Abstract

Abstract. Based on the work carried out by cognitive linguists, this paper explores how executive master programs are marketed by prestigious institutions internationally. The source used is The Economist and the corpus is a selection of five different advertisements. For the analysis, I shall be relying on three cognitive devices: metaphors, metonymies and image schemas. The analysis proves that the preconceputal schema of verticality structures and gives coherence to this type of discourse, where reaching a high position is very highly valued. Besides, I draw on the work by Forceville (1994, 1996, 2006), who has developed a new approach to metaphor, by paying attention to the non-verbal side of it. Last, I follow the work by Kövecses (2002, 2005, 2010) in the claim that cognition is inherently cultural, reason why the secondary subject chosen in each case alludes to very culture-specific issues in our society.