Essay #1: Semiotic
Analysis of Advertising
Perhaps more than any other facet of pop culture, advertising bombards our everyday lives. And because ads work by substituting signs for things, images for products, and finally, desires for necessities, it is a field ripe for semiotic analysis. In advertising, the masters of persuasion are strategically using images and words to convince audiences to buy their products, and, more importantly, to buy into the myths of American consumerism.
Perhaps more than any other facet of pop culture, advertising bombards our everyday lives. And because ads work by substituting signs for things, images for products, and finally, desires for necessities, it is a field ripe for semiotic analysis. In advertising, the masters of persuasion are strategically using images and words to convince audiences to buy their products, and, more importantly, to buy into the myths of American consumerism.
The Prompt
For this essay, you will perform a semiotic analysis
of a particularly potent, contemporary video advertisement, a.k.a. a commercial.
Your analysis should complete the following tasks:
·
Evaluate the surface denotations of
the ad (images, narratives, music, style, content).
·
Analyze the associative connotations
(suggested meanings, cultural signs, mythologies, values) that underlie the
ad’s surface message.
·
Contextualize your ad within the
bigger picture of contemporary advertising (system of signs). Even
though your analysis will focus on a single ad, you have to reference related
ad campaigns or other trends in popular culture to establish the cultural
significance of your advertisement.
Thesis
Your essay should be driven by an explicit
thesis that explains the signs the ads are using and what
those signs say about American culture. Be as clear and focused as
possible here; also note that you will likely need a multi-sentence thesis to
express your whole argument.
Audience &Tone
You will be writing for an audience of your peers and others interested in the academic study of pop culture. Your tone should be analytical, but lively and engaging. Your purpose is to shed light on the current advertising scene and how it relates to pop culture. You should primarily write in the 3rd person, but may use the 1st person sparingly.
You will be writing for an audience of your peers and others interested in the academic study of pop culture. Your tone should be analytical, but lively and engaging. Your purpose is to shed light on the current advertising scene and how it relates to pop culture. You should primarily write in the 3rd person, but may use the 1st person sparingly.
Structure
The organization of the essay is left largely up to you, though you should think well-past the five paragraph essay format. Each body paragraph should be devoted to analyzing the key features/signs of each ad rather than merely summarizing what happens.
The organization of the essay is left largely up to you, though you should think well-past the five paragraph essay format. Each body paragraph should be devoted to analyzing the key features/signs of each ad rather than merely summarizing what happens.
Research
Beyond your close reading of the ads (which will most likely include direct quotes) you must thoughtfully incorporate at least one outside source to strengthen your analysis. You may use any of the essays from Signs related to advertising and consumerism. You may also do independent research and find some other related and authoritative source.
Guidelines
·
12 pt. Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins, MLA
format
·
At least one outside source (at least two quotes
from that source)
·
Works Cited Page
·
3-5 pages double spaced (at least three full
pages)
·
Topic Blog Post due ______
·
Typed Thesis ______
·
Typed Outline due ______
·
Typed Rough Draft due ______
·
Typed Final Draft + Digital Submission to
iCollege ______
Questions to Guide Analysis (also refer to pages 30 and 33 in Signs)
Denotative
Meanings of Signs
·
What happens in the
ad?
·
What are the main
features?
o Images, narratives, characters, celebrities, voice-overs,
music, camera-work, style, colors, text, slogans, #hashtags, comedy, drama,
omissions (what’s intentionally left out?), etc.
Connotative
Significance of Signs
·
What does the ad (and
related ads) say about American culture?
o What do we value, desire?
o What are we afraid of?
o How are we changing?
o How do we construct identity with products?
o What stories/mythologies do we love, believe in?
System of
Signs/Trends/Patterns
·
What do these features
make the viewer feel?
·
How do they achieve
that feeling?
·
What are some related
ads/films/pop culture references?
o How are they similar or different?
o Why are they brought up?
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