Sights, Sounds and Semiotics

The basic point of advertising is to convince consumers to buy one product over its competitors. And since we internalize such a small percentage of the thousands of ads we see each day, the way in which we see and understand the meaning behind a message is essential to the success of an ad. This concept is called semiotics. It can be applied to any ad, but the ads that stand out are the ones that center around a clear sign to which a majority of viewers can relate. The sign itself does not necessarily need to directly represent the product in question, nor does it need take a specific material form, but it must relate to a familiar social or cultural convention in order to convey meaning to the widest audience possible. 

This is a French ad for Hot Pringles. The denotation, or what is directly and literally present in the ad, includes a man, a hot air balloon, fire, and a cityscape. The connotation, or socio-cultural and personal association, is that this man is attached to the hot air balloon, keeping it afloat over the city with his fire breath. But what illustrates the sign in this ad is the myth, or ideology associated with the image: the chips are so hot that when this man ate them, he started to breathe fire. This is obviously not a real side effect of eating Hot Pringles, but since the majority of people know what the word “hot” means and how a hot air balloon works, it is clear that the ad is trying to convey the heat of the chips using these familiar and humorous signs. 

This commercial for Volkswagen is a bit harder to interpret. The denotation is simply an array of people smiling and laughing. The connotation for this ad requires a bit of thought, though. The people are pictured by increasing age, and the text at the end, “It’s not the miles, it’s how you live them,” connotes the idea that laughing is timeless and that age does not determine happiness. The myth here is largely open for viewer interpretation: it could mean that Volkswagen is a classic car that has been with us through the years and kept us smiling throughout; that Volkswagen appeals to any age group and will promote happiness to anyone; that a Volkswagen will last from your birth to your death and keep you happy throughout; or anything else viewers’ cultural and personal experiences can create within them. I think that this interpretable approach to advertising can either be very successful or very confusing. But in this ad, Volkswagen did a great job of conveying meaning, since it’s hard to find any negatives in images of people of all ages and races laughing, while still allowing the viewer to have control over the deeper connotations.

This billboard for McDonald’s has a clear meaning that is easily interpreted in the few seconds a driver has to look it over. The denotation is a potato, french fries, and an empty french fry container. The connotation is that McDonald’s french fries are made directly from potatoes. And the myth, of course, is that McDonald’s french fries are so fresh and so pure and so delicious that you will eat ‘em all up without a moment’s hesitation. This ad is successful not only because it’s made for one of the world’s most recognizable brands, but also because it takes one of the viewer’s most recognizable foods and makes it desirable by conveying the simplicity, both of the imagery and the french fries, and the taste as a result of that sign. 

Not every ad needs to be a glaringly obvious reference to the product to be successful. In fact, I believe that the most memorable ads are the ones that make the viewer think just enough about why the image has anything to do with the process. That is what a sign is meant to do, and when it’s done right, that is semiotics.

-Saige