With
so many different types of cultures existing in the world, advertisers have a
difficult job on their hands in applying semiotics to convey their message
correctly. Through using specific colors, symbols, images, textures, sounds,
effects, and much more, one advertisement could create excitement in one person
while the other individual is saddened by the approach of the ad. For example,
one time my friend and I were watching a tv commercial in which it was raining throughout
the entire ad for a fragrance. Personally, I viewed the rain as bothersome and
distracting but my friend on the other hand viewed it as romantic and
beautiful. These two distinctly different connotations could be due to our
differing experiences and therefore this one ad created varied perceptions.
Fortunately,
through semiotics the viewers and advertisers can associate meaning from the
use of visual imagery. By creatively choosing from different types of texts,
images and sounds to create a meaningful ad that will capture attention and
hopefully promote the product or company is semiotics in a nutshell.
One
outdoors ad that caught my eye was this billboard below:
Using semiotic
analysis to depict this advertisement I concluded that:
Denotation: Shown on this billboard is half the ad is taken up by Beyonce’s face with her
lips painted red, white, and blue, she has Feb 3 2013 stamped on her cheeks,
her whole face is colored neutral except for her brightly painted lips, and the
ad states, “HELP KICK OFF THE PEPSI SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW,” all in caps lock
with a super bowl logo stating Pepsi halftime show.
Connotation: From
my own personal view, Beyonce is an amazing singer who symbolizes girl power,
pride, fierce, determination and fashionista, so when I saw this ad with her
lips painted to look like the Pepsi logo it conveyed to me that Pepsi
symbolizes Beyonce’s fierceness and other qualities. Because of the qualities
and personal attributes of Beyonce, I view Pepsi as an updated, youthful,
dynamic, and fierce beverage. Plus this ad has the sentence about supporting
the halftime show (consisting all of Beyonce performing) all in caps which to
me promotes the image that Pepsi is just as bold and daring as Beyonce will be
in the halftime show.
A print ad that promoted one of my
favorite stores is the picture below for Juicy Couture:
Using semiotic
analysis to depict this colorful ad:
Denotation: A
white horse painted with black stripes and pink paint, the background is an
ocean shore with medium brown soft sand and a clear sky, and there is a Juicy
Couture banner on the top and right side of the ad. Standing in front of the
horse is a lady with red lips and pale face with makeup wearing a little black
hat, black gloves, peach colored coat, and pink and black striped leggings.
Connotation: The
background of natural and calm-looking beach contrasts drastically with the
spray painted horse that is trying to look like a hot pink zebra. Instead of
using a real zebra, Juicy used a white horse that is smudged in painted stripes
and paint, to me this shows that Juicy is out of the ordinary and unique while
still being girly. The hot pink paint on the horse and the pale pink banner on
the sides of the ad all contribute to the overall feminine feel of this ad. The
model in the picture looks almost like a Barbie with her perfect makeup and
daring choice of clothes that pop with the horse. This ad with all of its pink
coloring, unique horse, and Barbie look alike model contribute to my
connotation that Juicy Couture is feminine, daring, and always ready to be
noticed.
A t.v. ad that I found very
entertaining and an interesting use of semiotics was a Taco Bell commercial below:
Denotation: A
group of elderly men and women dressed in elderly clothes, a Taco Bell
restaurant, a party scene, retirement home, party scene, tattoo parlor, pool,
the song, ‘We Are Young’ by Fun, and Taco Bell food.
Connotation: By
having these elderly people who live in a retirement home go have a wild night
out doing activities associated with teenagers (such as partying, swimming at
night, getting a tattoo, and drifting), Taco Bell is showing that they are just
as youthful and lively as elderly people can be. Instead of having this
commercial be played out by a bunch of teenager or a younger crowd, they used a
unique and comical strategy of having an out of the ordinary scene: elderly
people living it up and ending the night with a satisfying meal of Taco Bell.
This ad also uses the lighthearted and carefree song throughout most of the
commercial which helps add to the atmosphere of a fun night out since it is a
current song that is played on the radio. Taco Bell is giving off the
impression that not only are they accepted by people of any age-group, but they
complete a wild night with their tasty food.
An outdoors billboard, a t.v. commercial, and a print ad all use a variety of semiotics but all three have the goal of transferring their idea to the audience through their creative use of visuals, font, colors, and sound.
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