Semiotic Analysis In Advertising

SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS ESSAY
Advertisements are a smart tool and technique which is used to promote and sell various products. Using mass media, it aims to persuade potential consumers that there is some sort of direct correlation between the brand and a lifestyle or identity, which is considered enviable. Due to the depiction of various images and words in advertisements, debates regarding the advertisement often arise. Semiotics was initially developed by Ferdinand de Saussaure for the study of language. However, Hodge and Kress recommended that semiotic analysis could also be used as a manner of understanding communication, including media texts. The essence of semiotics is ‘the science of signs, or the study of signs and sign systems’ (O’Shaughnessy

This is the most obvious meaning of a sign and it can be expressed by simply describing what is seen at first glance.’ (Gottdiener, 1995:15) In the BIC advertisement, there is a woman that looks approximately 30 years old. Regarding racial classification, this woman is considered black. She is neatly dressed in business/ formal attire consisting of a white-collared shirt and grey blazer. She is looking directly into the camera while smiling broadly. Her body is not facing directly toward the viewer, but rather slightly slanted, drawing more attention to her face. The background is also blurred, which emphasises and places direct attention to her face and body language. She also has long flowing hair which looks neat and glossy. Her arms are folded just below her chest, revealing manicured nails which are red in colour. To the left of the woman is a text which is large and thin, immediately grabbing the attention of the viewer. It states “Look like a girl, Think like a man, Work like a Boss”. In the bottom left corner there are the words which follow a hashtag reading “Happy Women’s day” The word “women” is black in colour, while the other two words are white. This places emphasis on the message of the