ABSTRACT
The relationship between the source and the target is equally important. In some cases, it helps us assess the client's agenda, which often has to do with power relations. For instance, 121 promotional communication usually proceeds from the dependent or funded organization to the principal or funding one. The main purpose of such communication, therefore, will be that of showing the target that the source of the text is worth the support it receives (or more), even if the client labels the purpose of the text as 'informative' in the brief. In more general terms, however, the relationship between the source and the target is essential for establishing a correct information-to-persuasion ratio (§ 3.3.), that is to say, the amount of information regarding what is being promoted that is shared by both the source and the target. If the target readers already know the promoted product/service, and have very well-defined needs that cannot be easily changed (as usually happens in B2B genres, for instance), then they will expect very specific information. Not complying with such expectations - for example choosing a boastful or argumentative style rather than a factual and technical one - might irritate the target and undermine the source's reliability. In B2C promotion, on the other hand, the target is not likely to know what is being promoted yet, and hislher needs and desires are assumed to be induced or manipulated by the promotion itself. This justifies the use of a more openly promotional, less informative style.
