3.

A Short Semiotic Analysis

Fig.0: Magritte R., La Trahison des images (1928-29)

The time has come, in my analysis of publicity, to refer to semiotics. Semiotics has always been known as the study of signs, although I must clarify that semiotics is especially the study of why specific signs have specific meanings, rather than what meaning itself is. There are several theories examining the sign and its definition, led by researchers such as Saussure, Pierce and Barthes.
The artist René Magritte himself has exploited the semantics and the concept of "signifier" even for artistic aims, distinguishing the representation of an object from the real one [Fig.0].

The analysis of a sign starts from the formulation of terms which are the outcome of linguistic studies, but that can be extended to all types of signs. I will list a short glossary of the tools needed for such an analysis:

a) Signifier: it is the form in which the sign shows itself. Indeed, the sign could be expressed through a word, an image, a sound, etc.
b) Signified: it is the concept linked to the signifier, so the image in the receptor’s mind.
c) Denotation: it is a sort of ‘scientific’ meaning of the sign; in the case of a word it is the dictionary’s definition.
d) Connotation: it is a list of figurative meanings attributed to the sign; for example, a metaphor is a figure of speech based on connotation.
e) Myth: defined by Barthes, it is a deep-rooted shared connotation. For example: it is a strong myth that fire is connected to war and water to purity.

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Fig.3

Let’s look at the above campaign advertising, which can be found either on a bus, on the street or in magazines. Omitting the brand, let’s look straight at the product: it is a fabric softener.
In terms of denotation we can say that the images show animals which become plushes by diving into the water, all set on a white background. Therefore, the elements are the water, the colour white, the animals and the plushes. All these denotations share a lot of connotations linked to strong myths. These are designed to enhance the product’s characteristics. Wild animals are connected to something rough and dirt to be washed in the water, which, in its own turn, is connected to purity and cleaning. Such animals become stuffed animals once they are in the water, another strong myth: in fact the roughness becomes softness, fragrancy, something linked to childhood.

This is just an example which can be extended to all kinds of signs and advertising messages. It is interesting how the semiotic work is part of an encoding process which takes advantage of the conventions and myths and how the advertising exploits our passive consciousness to sell a product. Overall, my advice is not to be too passive in front of an image or a video, but to ask yourself about the reason why about a particular choice can make you understand a lot about how the ‘subliminal’ mediated world can work.

References


Barthes, R. [1972] 2009. Mythologies. Trans. Lavers, A. London : Vintage.

Blakesley D. and Brook C. (2001) Introduction: Notes on Visual Rhetoric. Enculturation. [Online] Available at: http://enculturation.net/3_2/introduction3.html

Chandler, D. 2007. Semiotics: the basics. Available at: Hoboken : Taylor & Francis.

Hall, S. 1980. 'Encoding/Decoding'. In: Stuart Hall, Dorothy Hobson, Andrew Lowe and Paul Tillis, eds. Culture, Media, Language. London: Hutchison, pp. 128-38. Available at: https://spstudentenhancement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/stuart-hall-1980.pdf

Figure 1. Lenor Fabric softener: Elefant. (2012) Grey. [Advertisement] At: http://www.adeevee.com/2012/01/lenor-fabric-softener-gorilla-bear-crocodile-elephant-print/

Figure 2. Lenor Fabric softener: Crocodile. (2012) Grey. [Advertisement] At: http://www.adeevee.com/2012/01/lenor-fabric-softener-gorilla-bear-crocodile-elephant-print/

Figure 3. Lenor Fabric softener: Gorilla. (2012) Grey. [Advertisement] At: http://www.adeevee.com/2012/01/lenor-fabric-softener-gorilla-bear-crocodile-elephant-print/

Figure 4. Lenor Fabric softener: Bear. (2012) Grey. [Advertisement] At: http://www.adeevee.com/2012/01/lenor-fabric-softener-gorilla-bear-crocodile-elephant-print/