This master’s thesis refers to intertextuality in viral advertising videos of the advertising company Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. The main topic is centered around the viral advertising videos “Der BerlKönig kommt.” and “Ohne dich” which were created by intertextual reference to the original ballad “Erlkönig” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the Pop-song “Ohne dich” by the group Münchener Freiheit. The advertising videos appeared on the online platform YouTube, where they triggered a wave of views, likes and comments, thus becoming viral ads. The aim of the master’s thesis is a detailed analysis of the forms of intertextuality, namely both linguistic and non-linguistic (pictorial, auditory) references to the original, as well as an analysis of online comments of YouTube viewers, commenting the advertising video. The basis for the video analysis represent the transcriptions of advertisements according to GAT2.
Intertextuality is one of the reasons for the success of BVG viral videos on the internet platform YouTube. The company incorporates intertextuality in various ways, maintains the recognizability of the original, attracts the attention of viewers, nurtures its reputation and influences the memorialization of the video and text in the viewers. Because of the viral success of these videos, BVG has produced even more ads based on intertextuality.
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