Commissive speech acts used in Apple Vision Pro advertisement

Advertising language plays a key role in making messages persuasive and capturing the audience's attention. One approach in advertising is commissive speech acts. These acts show a promise of future actions, benefits, or experiences. This study aims to identify the types of commissive speech acts in the Apple Vision Pro advertisement on YouTube and to look at how they create persuasive meaning. This study used a qualitative descriptive method. The data came from the transcript of the Apple Vision Pro advertisement and analyzed through Searle’s (1979) theory of commissive speech acts, along with Yule’s (1996) pragmatic viewpoint and Leech’s (1983) concept of advertising discourse. The forms of commissive speech acts that are found are promises, offers, and guarantees. Eleven statements were identified, consisting of four promises, four offers, and three guarantees. The promises indicated that the advertisements primarily focused on the future user experience. Offers highlighted user flexibility and choice. Guarantees focused on reliability and trust in the technology. The study also showed that commissive speech acts often appeared indirectly through declarative statements to construct persuasive meaning. Apple used a personal-dexis approach in its advertisements to save face and avoid offending the audience, while also maintaining the brand trust. In conclusion, commissive speech acts serve as persuasive tools that promote audience engagement, create positive expectations, and build trust in the advertised product.