Human Communication and the Language of Advertising, Toyota - Case Study Example

Human Communication and the Language of Advertising (Toyota) by 29 November, 2007 Human Communication and the Language of Advertising (Toyota) Ferdinand de Saussure was a 19th century linguist whose ideas laid the foundation for current developments in linguistics, including the notion of the linguistic sign__the signifier and the signified (Signs 2007). The advertisement chosen for this assignment is Toyotas latest ad for a hybrid car, and the principles of linguistics will be applied to this ad, according to the various concepts demonstrated in class sessions. The illustration seems to show peaceful harmony between nature and man, but with two simple labels裕oyota and Zero Emissions葉he connection expands to environmental concerns (Zero 2007). Signifier/Signified According to Saussure, a signifier is a label attached to an object under discussion, and the signified is the object or mental concept of the object. The two units form the sign, but no absolute rules connecting the signifier and signified exist. This creates an arbitrary relationship with the physical impression often contradicting the mental concept (Signs 2007). Toyota has applied this concept to the extreme with an advertisement that shows an idyllic country scene with a lush green landscape. The focus, however, is on one tree, entwined with almost naked human bodies ( Zero 2007). In this very visual ad, denoting, according to the accompanying text (which is so tiny, it is difficult to read), the need for balance between man and nature, the signifier, or label, is the title of the adZero Emissions謡hich has no real connection to the pictorial aspect of the ad. Icon/Index/Symbol Charles S. Peirce was a theorist of logic, language, communication and the general theory of signs. He expanded Saussures theories of signifier and signified, adding more theories to the communication process (Burch 2007). The scene in Toyotas ad follows Peirces concept of Icon, Index and Symbol. The object is zero emissions depicting its message of mans concern for nature, and the tree of life is an icon showing the connection and thereby creating the index. The symbol, however, is the arbitrary connection, the word TOYOTA printed in red . The word Toyota calls forth a picture of a car, which represents damage to the environment through harmful emissions. Toyota, however, in the text for the ad, promises zero emissions as a future goal. By combining visual and verbal, the company manages to create a positive image for its customers from an arbitrary connection, with a hybrid automobile representing the present global emphasis on green. The scantily clad men and women in the ad bring to mind the Garden of Eden and this creates a mental image of the ideal, in other words, a car that will do no harm to the environment, yet is affordable for everyone. Because all countries in the world have creation myths, the ad represents the Beginning, before man damaged the universe. Certain key phrases within the text of the ad, such as innovative environmental solutions, life cycles, and recycling, connect the illustration to the text and present Toyotas products as highly desirable in a world concerned with future environmental damage. The importance of the Internet as a vehicle for visual and verbal advertising cannot be stressed enough. It is therefore more important than ever to be selective in forming concepts intended to be addressed to the public. This brings to mind the paradigm and syntagm, a set from which one choice is made, and, once the unit is chosen, is normally combined with other units. Paradigm/Syntagm An individual sign has no separate meaning but is only meaningful in relation to other units in a related set, for instance, a hybrid car has meaning only in relation to other cars. The chart below is an example of Paradigm/Syntagm: Paradigmatic ^ | Relationship | hybrid car launched | electric automobile power driven | manufactured vehicle developed The horizontal items have syntagmic relationships as they follow on from one to the other, and the vertical items have paradigmatic relationships as in each column, items can be substituted for another (Syntagm 2007). Motivation/Constraint With motivation, the form of the sign is determined by subject. The more motivated the sign is, the more the signifier is constrained by the signified. In the case of the Toyota ad, it has been determined that the sign is zero emissions, and the mental image set forth in the ad promises the ideal, even though cars and the environment do not have a paradigmatic relationship, nor do people and the environment. A tree, however, does have a paradigmatic relationship with the environment. The organisation took into account the cultural context of its customer base, the psychomotor effects of the ad, and how communication has been affected by sequence of events, with the present emphasis on green. There is, however, a constraint brought about by the ad. The hybrid car may have improved over the ten years since it was introduced, but it still does not offer zero emissions. Denotation/Connotation Denotation is the obvious meaning while connotation is the individual, subjective, interpreted, emotional meaning. When Toyota was awarded a Gold Level Certification from the U.S. Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2003 for its building complex in the U.S. (GreenBiz, 2003), the obvious meaning was that Toyota had incorporated all the protective aspects of an environmentally positive building design. The connotation brought about by this was the public image that Toyota established; they were accepted as an organisation which was concerned with the environment. Therefore, this positive view extended to their ad for a hybrid car, with the public believing it to be the answer to concerns about automobile emissions. The reality, or denotation, is that the company promises zero emissions in the future, but although their hybrid car may have improved over the ten years since it was introduced, it still does not offer zero emissions and probably wont for many years. The aesthetics of the Toyota ad elevate it to a work of art rather than just an ad. According to Hartley (2002, p. 5), 都emiotics goes beyond idealist aesthetics in its attempt to find a value-free and culturally specific description of aesthetic codes, and thence to find such codes operating in discourses or media not usually associated with the category art: advertising copy, political slogans, graffiti and the output of consumer and entertainment media Redundancy/Entropy A predictable message is a redundancy, and most of the text used in the Toyota ad is redundant. In other words, the language of the text does not surprise the reader. Words like committed, man and nature, innovative environmental solutions, and design, manufacture and use are not new. However, phrases such as life cycle and recycling are entropic in relation to the illustration because they introduce a new way of looking at man and nature. Metaphors When two unlike notions are implicitly related, suggesting an identity between them, a metaphor can be created. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply resemblance (Metaphor, 2007). In the case of Toyotas ad, the phrase zero emissions becomes a metaphor for an idyllic environmental scene free from pollutants. In the text, further phrases are life cycle as a metaphor for a cars usefulness; delicate balance as a metaphor for Toyotas commitment, and launched as a metaphor for innovative improvements. Metonymy Metonymy is a method of associating meaning within the same plane. For instance, within the environment, the tree represents the whole, and the people entwined around the tree represent the human race as part of the whole. Together, the metonymy represents the Planet Earth and all its many parts. In the case of Toyotas ad, all of the elements that create meaning have been employed, and the result is an ad that is capable of reaching and influencing all cultures. Conclusion Toyota does not stop with a simple ad for its products. They use a print and interactive programme to expand coverage through an extended media campaign. Green Design movies are currently featured on Toyota Motor Europes Web site, as well as on major television channels, including Euronews, BBC World and National Geographic (RP News, par. 3). The message continues to establish a positive identity for Toyota, an organisation which has studied all aspects of communication in order to have a successful global impact. REFERENCES Burch, Robert, 2007, Charles Sanders Peirce, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2007 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), viewed 26 November 2007, http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2007/entries/peirce/. GreenBiz.com. Toyota Seeks Gold for New Green Buildings, 2003, Greener World Media, Inc., viewed 26 November 2007, http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=24531. Hartley, J. (2002) Communication, Cultural and Media Studies: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge, 1-237. Metaphor Definition, 2007, Syque, viewed 28 November 2007, http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/metaphor/metaphor_definition.htm. RP News Wires, Toyota Aggressively Aims for Zero Emissions, 2007, Reliable Plant, viewed 28 November 2007, http://www.reliableplant.com/article.asp?articleid=2946. Sign (linguistics), 2007, Wikipedia.org, last modified 21 October 2007, viewed 26 November 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_%28linguistics%29. Syntagm and Paradigm, 2007, Syque, viewed 27 November 2007, http://changingminds.org/explanations/critical_theory/concepts/syntagm_paradigm.htm. Zero Emissions, Toyota, 2007, Picarad.com, viewed 25 November 2007, http://picarad.com/zero-emissions-toyota/. Bibliography Burch, Robert, 2007, Charles Sanders Peirce, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2007 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), viewed 26 November 2007, http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2007/entries/peirce/. Fiske, J. (1990) Introduction to Communication Studies, 2nd edn., London: Routledge, Ch. 5 and 6. Fowler, Rhys, [student paper, n.d.], Electronic Media: Changing Social Behaviour, The Media and Communications Site, viewed 27 November 2007, http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/sections/go.php?url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/rtf0401.doc&f=1. GreenBiz.com. Toyota Seeks Gold for New Green Buildings, 2003, Greener World Media, Inc., viewed 26 November 2007, http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=24531. Hartley, J. (2002) Communication, Cultural and Media Studies: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge, 1-237. Micks Cultural Studies, n.d., Communication, Cultural and Media Studies Resources for Students, viewed 28 November 2007, http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cultstudie.html. Mrs. Dowlings Literature Terms: Connotation/Denotation, 2007, Mrs. Dowlings Virtual Classroom, viewed 28 November 2007, http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/area/literature/Terms/Connotation.html. RP News Wires, Toyota Aggressively Aims for Zero Emissions, 2007, Reliable Plant, viewed 28 November 2007, http://www.reliableplant.com/article.asp?articleid=2946. Ruiz de Mendoza Ib碵ez, F.J., and Diez Velasco, O.I., 2001, High Level Metonymy and Linguistic Structure, University of La Rioja, viewed 28 November 2007, http://sincronia.cucsh.udg.mx/metonymy.htm. Sign (linguistics), 2007, Wikipedia.org, last modified 21 October 2007, viewed 26 November 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_%28linguistics%29. Syntagm and Paradigm, 2007, Syque, viewed 27 November 2007, http://changingminds.org/explanations/critical_theory/concepts/syntagm_paradigm.htm. Zero Emissions, Toyota, 2007, Picarad.com, viewed 25 November 2007, http://picarad.com/zero-emissions-toyota/. Read More