Semiotic Analysis

Applying semiotics to advertisements helps put a meaning to the message that is trying to be sent. There is the signifier which is the form that something takes, you can touch or see this. Then there is the signified which is the concept that the sign represents, the meaning of it. When analyzing an advertisement, there are different types of signs: Symbolism is things that are leaned, Icons try to represent a message and Index is directly connected to the message.

Crest has many ads for their products. One that I constantly see in magazines is the “If you’re not whitening, you’re yellowing.” The print itself is simple, has a yellow background halfway through the page that has white text, this implies the word whitening and what they want you to do. The bottom half has a white background with yellow text to go with the word yellowing, which is what people don’t want. At the very bottom they show the product and the words “life opens up when you do” are next to it. The signifier is the print itself which is found in a magazine. The signified is the concept that if you don’t use these products then you are not keeping your teeth white. This also relates to the words at the bottom saying that if you don’t take care of yourself by whitening your teeth you won’t have confidence. This ad has symbols because the ad consists mainly of text which is something that has to be learned. This ad works well because culturally we are taught that yellow teeth are unattractive and that a person who has yellow teeth doesn’t take care of themselves, so it makes people not want to be that way. The meaning of the message is to maintain white teeth so you can be the best you that you can be.

The ad Subaru: Trying new things, Confidence in motion is about a couple traveling around and trying new things. Throughout they are shown driving in their Subaru and stopping when they see something they want to do. Sometimes they regret trying some things. The signifier is the TV ad itself. Throughout the ad the words “we got a Subaru to take us new places, It did” “love, it what makes a Subaru a Subaru” are said to tell us what the meaning of a Subaru is. The signified is that a Subaru can help you get to new places, it is a part of your growing fun life. I like this ad because Subaru has been doing a great job at selling their car as a part of one’s life unlike most car ads that try to sell based on the fact that a car is fast and looks cool. They get to a deeper level with their ads and I think it is working because they are selling “Love.”  

The billboard on the 101 North in the Bay Area is for Chipotle. There are three lines of text that are transparent except for the four words that are in black, “Our Ingredients Are Better.” If you take the time to actually read everything, you’ll see that it is long and talks about what is better for a billboard. But they still get their message across with the black text. The way they made this ad was very creative and is perfect for a billboard because while driving by you still get the meaning of the ad. The signifier is the billboard with those four words that stand out. The signified is that Chipotle’s ingredients are better than other competitor’s. Symbolism with the use of words is applied because it is written in English which has to be learned. The message of this ad is easy to read, Chipotle has better ingredients which means their food will taste better than other food places. I like the sweet and shortness of their advertisement and I like how fast they can get their point across.  

Applying semiotics to advertisements is important to do because it helps us to understand the meaning of the ads and learn what messages are being sent. We need to be able to understand the messages so that we can understand what is actually being sold to us.