In 2010, Beam Global Sprits and Wine launched an advertising campaign aptly titled “Provocatively Premium” to launch their recently acquired brand Effen Vodka. Being launched in 2003, the brand was relatively young. The campaign had to be align with the bold and risky character of the brand. The campaign was designed and executed by the advertising agency Euro RSCG, Chicago, USA. I will use Semiotic analysis theory which finds it’s first mentions in a the book Course on General Linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) to analyze the key signs in the chosen campaign to decode and communicate their associations with being premium, seductive and affluent.
Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols and their interpretations. As described by Umberto …show more content…
This something else does not necessarily have to exist or to be actually be somewhere at the moment in which a sign stands for it.” Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) in his book Course on General Linguistics discussed about signs and how to decode them. To simplify our understanding of semiotics, he breaks down a sign into three central elements, which are the Signifier, the Signified and the Referent. The Signifier is essentially the words or symbols used to indicate a particular object. The Signified is the mental image or associations evoked in the recipient’s mind regarding the indicated object, as a result of the signifier. The referent is the actual object that is being referred to. To understand the relationship between the Signifier and the Signified, I will also employ the concept of Denotation and Connotation. An analysis of both show that there is a distinction between two types of Signified: A Denotative signified and a Connotative signified. Denotation described the literal, definitional, obvious or the meaning arising out of ‘common sense’. For the art historian Erwin Panofsky, the …show more content…
The second sign that we will decode is the characters used in the advertisement. The first one (Figure 1) is a seductive airhostess, the second (Figure 2) is a flirty ski bunny and the third one (Figure 3) is a strong masculine bellhop. The female models are both beautiful, curvy, dressed in tight seductive clothes. They look like they are easy to please and are looking to have a good time. The male model is an epitome of a perfect man, handsome yet humble, strong yet gentle and has a pleasant smile on his face. The situations in which these characters are placed may be associated with common sexual fantasies; they appear to be out of bounds. Especially the one with the airhostess, which is a manifestation of the popular fantasy of the Mile High Club. The unbuttoned top that the airhostess is wearing (Figure 1) and the fur lined coat that the ski bunny is flaunting (Figure 2) are seen as glamorous with an understated feeling of sexuality. A risk that they are subtly inviting you to take. The way the characters gaze directly into the eyes of the viewer with a naughty smile suggests that they are ready to do their bidding and are willing to accompany them to relax and have some fun. The imagery also stimulates naughty thoughts in the mind of the
Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols and their interpretations. As described by Umberto …show more content…
This something else does not necessarily have to exist or to be actually be somewhere at the moment in which a sign stands for it.” Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) in his book Course on General Linguistics discussed about signs and how to decode them. To simplify our understanding of semiotics, he breaks down a sign into three central elements, which are the Signifier, the Signified and the Referent. The Signifier is essentially the words or symbols used to indicate a particular object. The Signified is the mental image or associations evoked in the recipient’s mind regarding the indicated object, as a result of the signifier. The referent is the actual object that is being referred to. To understand the relationship between the Signifier and the Signified, I will also employ the concept of Denotation and Connotation. An analysis of both show that there is a distinction between two types of Signified: A Denotative signified and a Connotative signified. Denotation described the literal, definitional, obvious or the meaning arising out of ‘common sense’. For the art historian Erwin Panofsky, the …show more content…
The second sign that we will decode is the characters used in the advertisement. The first one (Figure 1) is a seductive airhostess, the second (Figure 2) is a flirty ski bunny and the third one (Figure 3) is a strong masculine bellhop. The female models are both beautiful, curvy, dressed in tight seductive clothes. They look like they are easy to please and are looking to have a good time. The male model is an epitome of a perfect man, handsome yet humble, strong yet gentle and has a pleasant smile on his face. The situations in which these characters are placed may be associated with common sexual fantasies; they appear to be out of bounds. Especially the one with the airhostess, which is a manifestation of the popular fantasy of the Mile High Club. The unbuttoned top that the airhostess is wearing (Figure 1) and the fur lined coat that the ski bunny is flaunting (Figure 2) are seen as glamorous with an understated feeling of sexuality. A risk that they are subtly inviting you to take. The way the characters gaze directly into the eyes of the viewer with a naughty smile suggests that they are ready to do their bidding and are willing to accompany them to relax and have some fun. The imagery also stimulates naughty thoughts in the mind of the