Language game as a tool of advertising creativity

The paper investigates language game as a key tool of advertising creativity in the context of information overload and intense competition for audience attention. The authors analyze the role of creativity in modern advertising, emphasizing its strategic focus on emotional impact, memorability, and virality. The article explores the interrelation between advertising creativity and linguacreative activity, highlighting their role in transforming marketing objectives into emotionally charged and aesthetically significant messages. Typologization of the language game was carried out based on structural and semantic, as well as cognitive and discursive approaches. Using more than 70 contemporary Russian advertising texts (print, outdoor, and video advertising), the article demonstrates various language game techniques: graphic (typographic experiments, creolization), phonetic (alliteration, rhyme), lexical (puns, polysemy), word-forming (occasional words), and intertextual (allusions, quotes). Special attention is given to the functionality of these techniques, including attracting attention, forming an emotional connection with the brand, semantic capacity, and stimulating involvement. The paper also discusses the risks associated with language game, such as ambiguity of interpretations, cultural specificity, and a short relevance period. The authors conclude that effective language game requires a balance between creativity and message clarity, and its success depends on accurate consideration of the target audience and context. It is noted that this tool is most effective when integrated into the positioning strategy and takes into account the cultural codes of the target audience. Thus, advertising linguistic creativity can be considered a significant linguistic mechanism underlying the creation of memorable and pragmatically effective advertising messages.