This is the file one
of semiotics. I am convinced that students need to be well-equipped with
language to learn this course.
Anna
(April): I agree – I think what I’ve realized is that although we teach
semiotics as part of linguistics, we don’t teaching it as language – i.e. we’ve
jumped a stage because of the students language proficiencies. This is useful
for my own reflections on how our international students engage.
I
pasted below many of the things we teach when we teach semiotics
‘Semiotics
The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
Semiotics is the general term
for the study of signs associated with broad areas such as linguistics,
anthropology, film theory and even philosophy. Signs, therefore, could be
words, sounds, images, behavioural gestures etc. ...Semiology is the term for the study of signs merely
within the linguistic/textual context)’
After that there are some lectures explaining signifier and
signified and other related things; then the practical work starts. In the
following Examples (pasted below), students are to understand the commentary as
the way of analyzing the ad.
Advertising and Semiotics
Every day we are bombarded with constant
advertisements throughout our environment. Whether on television through
commercials, billboard signs, magazine ads, a poster, the side of a bag of
chips, or a radio station commercial, there is a consistent feeding of
advertisements to the human population.
Semiology was progressed in its concepts through the
actions of Roland Barthes, however a Swiss linguist named Ferdinand de Saussure
developed the idea. Barthes talks about how the media will spread ideology
through their images or words. (pg 155)
Through the use of the signifier and signified aspects
of semiotics, we can see how ideology becomes apparent in advertisements. The
signifier is the part we perceive, the picture or words; the signified is the
meaning we attach to the image or words. These concepts can be seen in the
advertisements in the previous picture and the link above, such as the
coca-cola picture. The signifier is simply a picture of polar bears holding
bottles of coke, however because of our mental concepts, or ideologies, we see
the polar bears holding cokes and are reminded of the cool and refreshing taste
of the beverage.
In Nike’s advertisements like the one above, their
shoes are often associated with being in shape or being involved in sports. The
ideology being spread through these images and words is that if you use Nike
shoes you too can be athletic and in shape.
In this commercial we see how the advertisement has
made the signifier, diamonds, into a statement and we understand from this
commercial that diamonds seem to mean forever.
In this advertisement for the Marlboro cigarettes we
can see that the signifier is the image of the cowboy smoking a cigarette.
However the signified aspects are seen through the implications that smoking a
Marlboro cigarette is relatable to being masculine and adventurous.
These examples are reflections of Barthe’s original
idea of semiotics; he said that our communications are “framed by a set of values.”
(pg 157) These set of values influence the way we perceive the thousands of
advertisements that are around us every day.
I think the theory of semiotics is one that is very
interesting, not just because of the symbology [AC2] it explores, but because of idea of
negotiation between media and consumer that it brings up. With semiotics,
advertisers need to be aware of how the audience will perceive the images they
choose to use as their symbols. It is interesting to me to think about how
people from different cultures view the same symbols. For instance, first
generation immigrant citizens probably do not apply the same cultural meaning
to many of the symbols that American-born citizens take for granted in
advertising media. Yet, in our increasingly globalized economy this may not
always be true. For instance, some of Coca-colas campaigns and symbols, like
the bears you mentioned, are known practically world-wide.
Also, just to add to the Marlboro Man discussion. I also
think this is an excellent example, especially considering that in recent years
the symbol of the Marlboro Man was co-opted and flipped by media opposed to
smoking. The symbol of the Marlboro Man reappeared in the film[AC3] “Thank You for Smoking” where, as
an older man with cancer, he was used as an example of the harmful effects of
smoking in a media campaign against cigarettes, which is becoming ever more
popular, represented in the film.
I enjoyed reading your response and you have some very
applicable examples of semiotics. The Coca-Cola one I really like because it
definitely helps to illustrate the significance of signifiers and the
signified. It is true that when you look at this picture, you immediately
assume that the polar bears and the cold environment that they are in can be
linked with the cool and refreshing taste of Coca-Cola. With the Nike ad, you
are right that indeed that is the message being conveyed. But is it true that
we automatically assume this to be true? I would tend to believe that while this
is the intended message being sent by Nike, I don’t think we as an audience
automatically buy into this and believe it to be true. Also, like the last ad
with the cowboy and agree that the ad is definitely trying to get audience
members to assume masculinity and adventurism with Marlboro cigarettes. It is
interesting to see just how powerful the idea of semiotics and the signifier
and signified are in shaping our view of things portrayed by the media.
You make a great point about advertising and the use
of semiotics. Beer commercials are a great example of this as well because most
often the viewer sees images of beautiful people having a great time. Often the
underlying implication is that if you drink “x” beer, you too will be
surrounded by beautiful people partying and having a great time.
You mentioned the Marlboro Man as an example of
semiotics in advertising. This is a great example, and a really interesting
one, because it was a successful attempt to change the image of the company.
The idea for the Marlboro Man was first used in the early 1950s. Up until that
point, Marlboro’s cigarettes were synonymous with women because they were
filtered (and that was the image the company used to promote their filtered
cigarettes). They had to find a way to make men think it would be manly to
smoke filtered cigarettes. So advertising genius Leo Burnett came up with the
idea of the Marlboro Man. This use of semiotics was a brilliant campaign that
lasted nearly 50 years. People saw an image of a hardworking, rough, “man’s
man” smoking Marlboro cigarettes. This image signified, as you pointed out,
that people who smoke Marlboro cigarettes are adventurous, manly, strong,
mysterious, etc., because that image provokes those kinds of ideas in our
culture.
Semiotics is a very interesting field of media theory in
that it has many implications in how media consumers view the message of the
advertisers. While in general advertisers are able to produce images that we
can all recognize the denotative and connotative meanings, they also miss the
boat on others. The Kia car commercials with the toys have the denotative
images of toys driving cars, and the connotative meaning that Kia cars are fun.
The toys in the commercial are easily recognizable I would think across
cultures. However semiotics is limited in other areas because you mentioned it
is based off people’s frame of reference. The Kia Soul car commercials may be
confusing to people unfamiliar with music or Americal cultural references.
Although it could be argued with increasing globalization that most people
would be familiar with American cultural references. I think that print based
media that rely solely on images alone without verbal messages are the most
easily misunderstood. For example the Nike 2010 World Cup ads where multiple
connotative meanings can be derived based on the consumer’s framed set of
ideas. Volkswagens the Force commercial is an example of even without the
cultural reference the sequence of the commercial makes the connotative meaning
clear[AC4] .
Having done with this part,
students are given different ads and they are to analyze them (in a way they
learnt from above examples)
Students are to explore symbols
in texts. An example is pasted below:
Exploring Nature Symbols in
Religious Texts
1. 1. Exploring Nature Symbols in religious texts “The
heavens declare the glory of God; and The firmament showeth his handywork.”
(Psalms 19:1) © Niki Daniels, Feb 2015
2. 2. Values? Nature / Planet Earth What do We have in
Common? Grounds for Understanding between people of different Faiths and
Cultures
Students are taught various texts
to understand the use of text as a symbol. The class begins with the
introduction of text as pasted below
Text
Text can also be used to serve as a
symbol in advertising in the same way that an image is used. Frequently one
word will convey a message with the same effectiveness as an entire picture.
For example, the word "communist" might be flashed on the screen
during a political advertisement designed to disparage the policies or
political views of an opponent. In this case, the word would signify a
left-leaning approach, which can also be symbolized by words such as
"socialist." Similarly, a positive message can also be conveyed to
endorse a political candidate, using words such as "bravery" or
"conservative" to set the candidate apart from his opponents.
Students will analyze texts then.
Students are taught music as a symbol. Introductory lecture
of this class is pasted below
Sound
Symbols do not have to be visual in
nature. They can be audible, as well. Music, for example, is a sort of
universal language that advertisers use to convey the mood of their message.
The actual content of the music itself can also be a symbol for an advertised
product or message. For example, a catchy jingle may be used to advertise a
particular place of business on the radio. From time to time, the words of the
song may include the phone number of the business. The jingle is meant to stick
in the memory of the target audience and be there as an easy symbol to recall
when needed[AC5] .
We proceed to semiotic analysis
and society:
Semiotic Analysis: Heinz
Ketchup Advertisement
Semiotic analyses of advertisements reveal cultural norms and
values associated with a particular society or group of people. In fact, in
order for people to decode signs they must do it within their own sign system
(dependent on language, historical context, and culture). Social Communication of Advertising,
writes, “Semiotics highlights the way that we ourselves take part in the
creation of meaning in messages, suggesting that we are not mere bystanders in
the advertising process, but participants in creating a code that unites the
designer and reader” (Leiss, Kline, Jhally, Botterill 164). Advertisers depend
on these signs in order to communicate a point quickly and effectively to
consumers.
Students are taught ads in which audience take part in the creation
of meaning in messages…and then they do analysis themselves.
We proceed to
examples of semiotics in Advertising
Examples of Semiotics in Advertising
by George Boykin,
One of
the greatest challenges for advertisers is bonding with target audiences within
the restricting confines of a 30-second commercial or a print ad. This age-old
problem of insufficient time and space is addressed through the use of
semiotics. Advertisers pack a lot more narrative into signs that tell stories
than words could possibly convey within the time and space constraints of most
advertising vehicles.
Students are to unpack narrative into signs
Students are to be introduced to the following
Theater
of the Mind
Semiotics requires mental processes to
make the leap from signifier to signified by way of connotation. In many
respects, it is theater of the mind. Semiotics tells stories through signs and
is most prevalent in branding advertising. The goal of branding advertising is
to drive sales by associating products and services with pleasing user
experiences in such a way that the experiences and the brands are virtually
synonymous. Neuroscientists call this association
"super-familiarity," according to Millward Brown, a global marketing
research consultancy. Advertisers depend on audiences to use their mental
processors to draw the connotation between the brand and the experience by way
of semiotics. Because mental processors function in fractions of nano-seconds, semiotics
provides the utilitarian function of instantaneously linking brands to
satisfying experiences.
Students are given exercises to find out how the experiences and the
brands are virtually synonymous.
Further there are some more things such as political propaganda
through ads students are to study.
Anna (April): there is a lot of good material
here – I don’t have any problems with the content but although there are lots
of references and summaries of others’ ideas/theories, students need to see how
direct material can be used (i.e. quotes) to inform work but also, further, it
will help them learn how to critique theory. Take for example the semiotic
argument about jingles being key to advertising sales (in much of the older
advertising literature) - more recent
work with advertising audiences seems to indicate that the use of symbols (both
visual and aural) is less effective than it once was because consumers are now
‘ad-weary’ - and that’s why social media
has become more useful and semiotically more significant for younger people’s
purchasing decisions.
[AC1]So
this is staff feedback – it’s very thorough.
[AC2]Are
you conflating semiology with symbology or specifically making a distinction?
[AC3]What
style book do students use? In most, film titles are in italics, so that needs
imitating in the feedback (i.e. learning by example).
[AC4]Where
does theory engagement connect in? I would expect students to do more than
name-check Barthes and Saussure but to explain and then incorporate the
theories well in the analysis/discussion.
[AC5]Check
out Margaret Alexomanolaki on memory, advertising and semiotics – I use this in
my own music teaching. Also ‘aural branding’ is useful here.
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