The Semiotic Method: Two Advertisements - Assignment Example

Cultural and communication studies: Semiotic analysis of two advertisements Most people, especially those living in the modern civilized world, are bombarded by thousands of signs and symbols. Some of them are obvious and relevant while others may be invisible or not apparent to the casual observer. The traffic signals are examples of the obvious ones. A driver’s foot automatically moves towards the brake pedal as he or she sees the stop signal glowing red. The interpretation and study of these signs and signals is referred to as semiotics. Semiotic analysis, on the other hand, has a deeper connotation. According to Maasik and Solomon, a semiotician takes ‘a shirt, a haircut, a television image, anything …as a sign, as a message to be decoded and analyzed to discover its meaning. Every cultural activity for the semiotician leaves a trace of meaning, a kind of blip on the semiotic Richter scale, that remains for us to read, just as a geologist "reads" the earth for signs of earthquakes, volcanoes, and other geological phenomena” (Maasik & Solomon). This paper is a semiotic analysis of two advertisements with reference to aesthetics, ideology, and intended audience. The selected advertisements are for Prototype and Overlord II. Before moving on to the actual analysis, it would be worthwhile to review the importance of such an analysis. Differences in culture, education, social status, personal outlook, and other relevant factors can result in a particular image being interpreted in various ways. Moxey is of the opinion that “semiotics makes us aware that the cultural values with which we make sense of the world are a tissue of conventions that have been handed down from generation to generation by members of the culture of which we are a part” (Moxey 61). Hence one culture may interpret an image in one way while a different culture will see it in a totally different way. An advertisement showing the picture of a man playing bagpipes and a quilt will represent Scotland to those aware of the dress and the instrument. For others, the picture will only show a man wearing a skirt and playing some sort of an instrument. In that sense, there can be a lot of ambiguity in how a picture or any other object is interpreted. This has been taken to the extreme by the paintings titled, ‘The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte. One of the works depicts a smoker’s pipe with the caption, ‘Ceci n’ est pas une pipe’ meaning, this is not a pipe. As Chandler writes, “as our minds struggle to find a stable, meaningful interpretation, we may not be too happy that there is no single, ‘correct’ answer to this question – although those of us who are relatively ‘tolerant of ambiguity’ may accept that it offers a great deal of food for thought about levels (or modes) of reality” (Chandler 69). This indicates the imaginative power of the human mind. For instance, a person who has never seen a pipe may interpret it as something else. Chandler goes on to add that semiotic analysis can also be an intellectual and fascinating mental exercise. Semiotic analysis can bring about the type of culture in an organization or a society. This is probably the most important reason for undertaking such an exercise. Askanasy reviews a hotel advertisement where the bellboy offers his clean and polished pair of shoes to a wealthy guest. The guest heading for a meeting had apparently got caught in a downpour, but did not have the time to go to his room and change. The subtlety of the act will be apparent on closer analysis. The author analyses that “a hotel where the people at the lowest levels share a dress code with highly prestigious clients must be an elegant hotel. Hence the shoes symbolize not just service, but also statues. Together they symbolize the organization” (Ashkanasy et al 82). Moreover, clean shoes made of high quality leather are symbolic of wealth and class especially in western culture. It is this aspect of the culture that is utilized in the advertisement to show that the hotel is culturally suited to the wealthy and classy sections of the society. Both Prototype and Overlord are action games as is apparent from the layout. Experts often use techniques developed by Saussure, considered to be the father of semiotic analysis, or Pierce when conducting a semiotic analysis (Smith 244). For Saussure, there are two essential components when conducting analysis, namely a signifier and a signified. In this case, the signifier is the image and the words, if any, on the advertisements. The signs that can be perceived on the ads form the meaning which may be interpreted differently by people in various ways. For Pierce, the components are the signifier, signified, and the interpretant. The ads itself form the signifier, while the interpretant will result in the analysis which becomes the signified. The Prototype and the Overlord ads are the signifiers, the (following) analysis becomes the interpretant, and the results form the signified. Smith, referring to Pierce states that there are three kinds of signs that can be present in the image or in this case, the advertisements. They are iconic, indexical, and symbolic (Smith 244). One thing that is to be noted is that the ads were selected at random and this writer has no personal preferences for the types of games selected. This was done so that no prejudices or biases can occur during analysis. This writer has no personal knowledge about both the games and the analysis is done solely based on the two visuals and the accompanying words (signifiers). Judging whether an image has aesthetics is personal. Something that feels aesthetic to one culture or person may be seen as gaudy or garish by others. In this instance, it is felt that both ads do have an aesthetic appeal considering the environment of the games. Both ads have dark shades with no or very little bright colors, which is an indication of the nature of the game. Overlord promotes the product with the ‘pre-order now’ box prominently displayed in brown, white and red. Prototype is set in a modern setting from the automobile seen in the background and the modern looking leather hood worn by the image of a person shown prominently on the left side of the advertisement. The background is suggestive of action with an indistinguishable figure running towards the right. Overlord is clearly set in medieval times as seen by the cloak worn by the prominent figures and the gnomes and other characters shown at the bottom. Prototype has more variety with regard to visuals whereas the other ad only shows characters, most of them not seen only in fantasy settings. Both advertisements have very little text. The fonts used are also indicative of the period in which the games exist. Prototype has a solid modern font within brackets. Overlord has the classic or archaic type of font as seen in old books and other manuscripts again indicating that it is played in a medieval or ancient setting. The visuals seen in Overlord are iconic in the sense that it reminds one of witchcraft, and black magic. One thing that stands out is the sword held in the hands of the hooded figure. There are no guns or even an indication of any other type of modern weapons. One cannot guess the exact nature of the game in Prototype looking at the visuals except that it is action oriented. Ideologically, both advertisements appear to appeal to the negative side of human emotions especially when analyzing the text used in them. Prototype gives prominence to the words ‘conspiracy and deception’ while Overlord stresses the word ‘evil’ and its changing face. A person with a positive mental attitude may not be attracted to both the games, given the visuals and the text seen in both advertisements. To be more specific, the copy in Overlord is as follows – “Evil has a new face… and some old friends” (Computer game cheats). The incomplete sentence as illustrated by the dots has some connotation intended by the makers of the game. It could be a veiled support of evil which is seen as getting the support of some old friends. In the case of Prototype, the attitude shown is apparently more or less the same. The ad prominently displays the words – “Conspiracy, deception, and deadly shape shifting action” (PC Games). The impression, to the uninitiated, to the intricacies of the two games is that both have a negative or unhealthy outlook on life, emphasizing violence, evil, and conspiracy as a solution to any sort of problems that can be present in the society. In short, both the games as represented by the advertisements fall short of any qualitative ideology, and dwells on the negative aspects of human emotions. The intended audience is obvious from the analyzing the two advertisements. Violence is what first comes to mind even from a cursory look at the visuals and the accompanying text. It can be argued that anybody who is more attuned towards violence for problem solving will be more attracted to both the games. It is more destructive than constructive even if the intentions are good. In other words, both ads seem to give the impression that violent reaction is the answer whether it is in support of good or evil. The two advertisements analyzed here dwell more on the negative aspect of destruction rather than construction. It also appears that a certain section of the society is more attuned to violence and destruction rather than on peace or constructive activity in pursuit of an objective. The fact that such games like Overlord and Prototype is accepted among computer users is indicative of the fact that business and marketing has the power to control or influence the attitudes of people. Using programming, visuals, texts, and the overall attitude and perception in society, these games take advantage of the negative emotions within a society. The concept of semiotic analysis is extremely relevant in such instances. Unless such analysis is made, the business aspect and profit factor within software development will be given precedence. It is true that the imaginative power of the human mind can result in diverse interpretations of a given situation, whether it is an advertisement, news reports, or any other matter than can be seen by the public at large. But this power has the capability to bridge the differences in culture, qualification, and capabilities, by those people who are intent on harmony and understanding. The negative factor is that semiotic analysis can also be used to exploit the differences within societies and countries. But the fact remains that semiotic analysis is a powerful tool in understanding the attitudes of individuals and groups within a social, political, or organizational, setting. Works Cited Ashkanasy et al. Handbook of organizational culture & climate. 4th Illustrated edn: SAGE, 2000. Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics: the basics. Illustrated 2nd edn: Routledge, 2007. Computer game cheats, PC Computer Games, PC Game Reviews. GamesRadar. 12 June 2009 < http://www.gamesradar.com/pc> Maasik, S and Solomon, J. ‘The Semiotic Method’ from Signs of Life in the USA. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1994. 4-9. 12 June 2009 < http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/solomon.htm> Moxey, Keith P F. The Practice of Theory: Poststructuralism, Cultural Politics and Art History. 3rd edn: Cornell University Press, 1996. PC Games. GAME.co.uk. Gameplay (GB) Ltd, 2008. 12 June 2009 < http://www.game.co.uk/pc/> Smith, Kenneth Louis. Handbook of visual communication: theory, methods, and media. Illustrated Edition: Routledge, 2005. Appendices Appendix 1 Source: GamesRadar: Computer game cheats Appendix 2 Source: GAME.co.uk: PC Games Read More