Decoding a Media Message
Table of Contents
Coke Advertising Analysis
Introduction
Semiotic analysis refers to the study of elements in an advertisement. It is a meticulous analysis of what those elements signify, how and when they are used, and the importance the society gives them. Usually they are the elements that stand out or are emphasized on mainly; can be words, images, gestures, sounds or pictures. Such semiotics “should be carrying some connotative meanings, other than the denotative ones that can be detected directly”. Some elements are polysemic meaning it can have more than one meaning and thus care should be taken when they are used so that the intended meaning comes out. Anchorage which is using the minimal elements, namely slogans, brand names or images to reiterate one message so that it will be remembered by the audience.
Television commercials rely mainly on these elements when trying to convince their customers to buy their products. “They use images that are attractive to their target market putting emphasis on their demographic differences. Some use popular songs or top models to capture customers’ attention” (Chandler, 2004). Attracting attention to the meanings of colours and how they apply to different people or relate to different themes in different locations in the world is how the media obtains their objective. So sophisticated is the process that many firms have decided to spend millions in order to come up with television commercials that are more like Hollywood movies, giving the idea that the particular product is a whole experience in the episode given. Even more sophisticated is sponsorship at events such as NBA games, the world cup and political campaigns.
This report is analysing the advertising semiotics employed by the Coca Cola company; that has been a leading multi-national corporation for decades. Since its launch during the 1980’s, this multi-national corporation has actively engaged in
Coke Advertising Analysis
Introduction
Semiotic analysis refers to the study of elements in an advertisement. It is a meticulous analysis of what those elements signify, how and when they are used, and the importance the society gives them. Usually they are the elements that stand out or are emphasized on mainly; can be words, images, gestures, sounds or pictures. Such semiotics “should be carrying some connotative meanings, other than the denotative ones that can be detected directly”. Some elements are polysemic meaning it can have more than one meaning and thus care should be taken when they are used so that the intended meaning comes out. Anchorage which is using the minimal elements, namely slogans, brand names or images to reiterate one message so that it will be remembered by the audience.
Television commercials rely mainly on these elements when trying to convince their customers to buy their products. “They use images that are attractive to their target market putting emphasis on their demographic differences. Some use popular songs or top models to capture customers’ attention” (Chandler, 2004). Attracting attention to the meanings of colours and how they apply to different people or relate to different themes in different locations in the world is how the media obtains their objective. So sophisticated is the process that many firms have decided to spend millions in order to come up with television commercials that are more like Hollywood movies, giving the idea that the particular product is a whole experience in the episode given. Even more sophisticated is sponsorship at events such as NBA games, the world cup and political campaigns.
This report is analysing the advertising semiotics employed by the Coca Cola company; that has been a leading multi-national corporation for decades. Since its launch during the 1980’s, this multi-national corporation has actively engaged in