Samantha Ford

Thesis title:

The creativity of figurative messaging in advertising: a collaborative investigation into its application and measurement of success in real-world advertising campaigns

Research Area

Languages and Literature

Publications

Littlemore, J., Perez-Sobrino, P., & Ford, S. (in press) Unpacking creativity: The power of figurative communication in advertising. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Conferences

The conferences listed below are ones at which I have presented only. For more information about the conferences, seminars, and workshops I have presented at and have attended, please refer to my website: www.samantha-ford.weebly.com. Thank you.

Littlemore, J. & Ford, S., & Littlemore, J. (2020). Exploring multimodal metaphor and metonymy in advertising: Reflections on a collaboration between academics and creative practitioners. Researching and Applying Metaphor (RaAM), INN's Faculty of Education, Hamar, Norway, 18^th -21^st June 2020. Oral presentation.

Pérez-Sobrino, P. & Ford, S. (2020). What counts as a multimodal metaphor (and metonymy)? Evolution of inter-rater reliability and agreement within and across seven rounds of adverts annotation. Researching and Applying Metaphor (RaAM), INN's Faculty of Education, Hamar, Norway, 18^th -21^st June 2020. Oral presentation.

Pérez-Sobrino, P. & Fords, S. (2020). What makes a multimodal metaphor? Rethinking an identification protocol of multimodal metaphor and metonymy in advertising. 5^th International Conference on Figurative Thought and Language (FTL5), Sofia University, Bulgaria, 23^rd-25^th April 2020. Oral presentation.

Ford, S., Winter, B., & Littlemore, J. (2019). The figurative visual language of virtual product design: The semiotics of colour and shape in smartphone app icons. Metaphor Festival, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 27^th-30^th June 2018. Oral presentation.

Ford, S. (2019). The visual language of virtual product design: The semiotics of colour and shape in smartphone app icons. Birmingham English Language Postgraduate Conference (BELP), University of Birmingham, UK, 6^th April 2019. Oral presentation.

Ford, S., Pérez-Sobrino, P., & Winter, B. (2018). "Surf on 4-inch stilettos": Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in Mobile Phone Advertising. Researching and Applying Metaphor (RaAM), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, 27^th-30^th June 2018. Oral presentation.

Ford, S. (2018). How companies communicate to consumers using the visual language of smartphone app design. Postgraduate Research Poster Conference, University of Birmingham, UK, 13^th June 2018. Poster presentation.

Ford, S., Pérez-Sobrino, P., & Winter, B. (2018). "Surf on 4-inch stilettos": Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in Mobile Phone Advertising. Birmingham English Language Postgraduate Conference (BELP), University of Birmingham, UK, 6^th April 2018. Oral presentation.

Ford, S. (2017). How do likes and reactions operate as interpersonal politeness strategies when evaluating Facebook status updates posted in 2016? 10th International Symposium of Politeness (SymPol10), York St. John University, York, UK, 12^th-14^th July 2017. Oral presentation by invitation.

Ford, S. (2017). How do likes and reactions as interactional features posted on Facebook status updates posted in 2016 extend narrative evaluation? Undergraduate Linguistics Association of Britain (ULAB). Cambridge University, UK, 7^th-9^th April 2017. Oral presentation.

Public Engagement & Impact

Research Associate, University of Birmingham February 2018 – Present

Liaised with Big Cat Agency in a collaborative project EMMA (Exploring Multimodal Metaphor in Advertising) that applies theories of figurative linguistics to advertising campaigns and measure campaign success, with press from Birmingham Business and University of Birmingham
Awarded Birmingham Post's Partnership of the Year 2018 with press from Jewellery Quarter News and University of Birmingham
Designed and conducted multiple scientific experiments of advertising and campaigns with clients and members of the public using eye-tracking, electro-dermal measurement technology, participant observation, interviews, surveys, and quantitative analysis with R and SPSS software
Delivered results in reports and presentations to Big Cat and clients, and discussed the implementation of figurative messaging and campaign impact in business and society

Mentoring Scheme Ambassador, University of Birmingham September – April 2018

Promoted Mentoring Scheme and Careers Network services at open days, career fairs, and pop-up events, and online, engaging with current, prospective students, and parents
Presented induction sessions to train and prepare students for scheme commencement
Received highest recruitment with 429 applications for 2017 (81 more than 2016)

Forward Thinking Outreach Mentor, Four Dwellings Academy October 2015 – March 2016

Discussed higher education opportunities and potential career pathways with pupils
Adapted planned sessions for group and one-to-one interaction with pupils
Established mentees' current skills to form realistic career and skills development goals

Other Research Interests

Cognitive linguistics
Psycholinguistics
Consumer behaviour
Digital marketing
Mobile technology
Research reproducibility

Memberships

Researching and Applying Metaphor (RaAM) - January 2018 to present

British Association of Applied Linguistcis (BAAL) - December 2016 to December 2019

Invited talks (Guest speaker)

Ford, S. & Woodin, G. (2020). Metaphor in language and thought. English Language Conference for A Level English Language students, Worcester Racecourse, UK, 9^th March 2020. Guest co-speaker.

Ford, S. (2019). Visual language in advertising: An academic and practitioner perspective. Birmingham Business School, Marketing BA lecture, University of Birmingham, UK, 30^th October 2019. Guest speaker.

Awards

Birmingham Post Partnership of the Year October 2018

Awarded for collaboration between Big Cat Marketing Communications Agency and the University of Birmingham; press from Jewellery Quarter News and University of Birmingham

British Sign Language (BSL), Level 1 September 2017 – August 2018

Awarded full marks for first exam 101 and passed overall qualification

English Language and Applied Linguistics Research Project Prize July 2017

Achieved highest marks for Dissertation module at year 3 and Research Skills module at year 2 of undergraduate degree that researched the figurative language in mobile phone brand and network advertisements (dissertation), and in company taglines (Research Skills).

Personal Skills Award (Advanced) March 2017

Engaged in extracurricular activities, volunteering, and part-time employment during undergraduate degree and demonstrated critical self-reflection and evaluation of skills development.

The Birmingham Project June 2015

Proposed winning idea to create an interactive, narrative, museum tour guide with multi-disciplinary team in 'best product for innovation for a smarter planet' category, resulting in a day with IBM's design team.

Funding

Midlands 4 Cities, Arts and Humanities Research Council (M4C AHRC)

September 2019 – September 2023

Awarded £15,009 per annum, £4,327 for tuition fees, £550 per annum additional stipend to engage with industrial partner to investigate doctoral research

University of Birmingham September 2018 – September 2019

Awarded £23,500 to extend collaborative impact project between University of Birmingham and Big Cat Marketing Communications Agency

University of Birmingham February – September 2018

Awarded £6,000 for University of Birmingham linguists to collaborate with Big Cat Marketing Communications Agency, and serve as a research assistant for the project

College of Arts and Law Master's Level Scholarship September 2017

Awarded £4,195 for academic excellence and the tuition for further study

Teaching/Mentoring Experience

Teaching Associate, University of Birmingham October 2018 – June 2019

Taught Creative Practice: Language module and marked assignment

Teaching Associate, University of Birmingham October 2017 – June 2018

Mentored undergraduate students in completing experiments for course credit
Operated eye-tracking software and equipment in Linguistics Lab

'Apply Yourself' Peer Presenter, University of Birmingham September 2017 – May 2018

Delivered 30 minute presentations for Careers Network on topics including writing a CV, application forms, interview skills, and applying for further study and funding to students
Promoted Careers Network services at open days, careers fairs, and pop-up events, and online, engaging with current, prospective students, and parents

Research Experience

University of Birmingham, PhD, English Language and Linguistics September 2019 – September 2023

Thesis: The creativity of figurative messaging in advertising: a collaborative investigation into its application and measurement of success in real-world advertising campaigns
Collaborating with Big Cat Agency to explore figurative creativity in advertising and multimodal communication
Funding: Midlands4Cities Arts and Humanities Research Council (M4C AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Award
Supervision: Professor Jeannette Littlemore (lead) and Dr Bodo Winter (co-)

University of Birmingham, Master's by Research, English Language & Applied Linguistics
September 2017 – January 2019
Graduated with no corrections
Thesis: The Visual Language of Virtual Product Design: The Semiotics of Colour and Shape in Smartphone App Icons
Funding: College of Arts and Law Master's Level Scholarship, University of Birmingham
Supervision: Dr Bodo Winter (lead) and Professor Jeannette Littlemore (co-)

University of Birmingham, Undergraduate, English Language September 2014 – July 2017

Graduated with first class honours and Research Project Prize for dissertation
Dissertation (first class): Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy and the Figurative Complexity of Mobile Phone Advertising: A Comparison Between Mobile Phone Manufacturer and Network Provider Advertisements
Supervision: Dr Bodo Winter
Modules receiving a first class grade: Language and New Media (85%, top 1% of the year), Research Skills (85%), Sociolinguistics (85%), Grammar (80%), and Psycholinguistics (78%)