Strategic Code-Switching in Digital Marketing: The Functions of Facebook Money-Lending Advertisements in Tanzania

Abstract

While previous studies have explored code-switching in social, educational, and user-generated online contexts, little attention has been given to its strategic use in digital advertising, particularly within Tanzania’s financial sector. In this regard, this study investigated the sociolinguistic features of code-switching in Facebook money-lending advertisements in Tanzania, focusing on the types, influencing factors, and communicative functions of language alternation between Kiswahili and English. Guided by Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame model and the Pragmatic-Functional Perspective, the study employed an interpretivist approach, using netnography and thematic analysis, to examine 20 Facebook adverts and 100 user comments collected between 2023 and 2025. The study finds that code-switching in Tanzanian Facebook money-lending advertisements performs multiple interrelated functions that enhance communication effectiveness. Persuasively, English is often used in slogans and taglines to signal professionalism, credibility, and global standards, while Kiswahili maintains cultural accessibility. It also serves as an emphatic and attention-grabbing device by highlighting key actions and services, making messages more engaging in fast-paced digital contexts. Additionally, code-switching fulfils relational, identity, informative, and instructional functions by bridging local and urban identities, guiding users through digital processes, and building trust through clarity, modernity, and audience alignment. In conclusion, code-switching in Tanzanian Facebook money-lending advertisements functions as a strategic resource that combines Kiswahili’s cultural appeal with English’s professionalism to enhance persuasion and trust. Marketers should therefore use it purposefully, supported by training in Business Linguistics and Sociolinguistics and further research on audience perceptions and measurable impacts. More broadly, policymakers, educators, and consumers should recognise code-switching as a functional tool in effective and inclusive digital financial communication. The study is essential in business as it explores strategic language use in online financial marketing and its implications for marketers, policy, education, and consumer understanding.