Beyond the Veracity: A Semiotics Analysis of

Perfume Adverts Icons

An Academic Paper presented to

Dr. Claudette A. Baluran

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course

ENGLISH 240- English in the Media

By:
Mariell I. Paderos
AB English 4B
Semiotic derives from the Greek semesion, meaning sign, semainon
which means signifier and semainomenon meaning signified or
indication. Generally, semiotic is the study of signs or an
epistemology about the existence or the actuality of sign in
societal life.

Saussure's 'theory of the sign' defined a sign as being made up

of the matched pair of signifier and signified.

Signifier

The signifier is the pointing finger, the word, the sound-image.

A word is simply a jumble of letters. The pointing finger is not

the star. It is in the interpretation of the signifier that
meaning is created.

Signified

The signified is the concept, the meaning, the thing indicated

by the signifier. It need not be a 'real object' but is
some referent to which the signifier refers.

The thing signified is created in the perceiver and is internal

to them. Whilst we share concepts, we do so via signifiers.

Whilst the signifier is more stable, the signified varies

between people and contexts.

The signified does stabilize with habit, as the signifier cues

thoughts and images.

Semiotics is frequently used in advertising to signify an

advertiser's message through the use of signs or symbols. A sign
can be better understood as a signifier, or a symbol that
signifies something else. In some cases, the sign can be an
exact representation of the thing being signified, while in
other cases, it may be a symbol associated with it.
1. Images
One of the most frequent symbols used in advertising is the
visual image of the product being sold. For instance, a
restaurant that sells fancy desserts in addition to their
main entrees may take out a billboard advertisement
strategically placed two to three miles away from the
freeway exit where the restaurant is located. Placing
something as simple as a picture of a dessert on the sign
may be just enough to pique the curiosity perhaps the
appetite of the passerby, some images dont even have to be
of whats being promoted. Instead, a commonly associated
symbol will suffice. For example, a picture of skull and
crossbones next to a pack of cigarettes could be used to
advertise the harmful nature of cigarette smoking.
2. Text
Text can also be used to serve as a symbol in advertising
in the same way that an image is used. Frequently one word
will convey a message with the same effectiveness as an
entire picture. For example, the word communist might be
flashed on the screen during a political advertisement
designed to disparage the policies or political views of an
opponent. In this case, the word would signify a left-
leaning approach, which can also be symbolized by words
such as socialist. Similarly, a positive message can also
be conveyed to endorse a political candidate, using words
such as bravery or conservative to set the candidate
apart from his opponents.
3. Symbols
Symbols do not have to be visual in nature. They can be
audible, as well. Music, for example, is a sort of
universal language that advertisers use to convey the mood
of their message. The actual content of the music itself
can also be a symbol for an advertised product or message.
For example, a catchy jingle may be used to advertise a
particular place of business on the radio. From time to
time, the words of the song may include the phone number of
the business. The jingle is meant to stick in the memory of
the target audience and be there as an easy symbol to
recall when needed.
4. Process
The use of semiotics in advertising is in many ways a
process. Just because an advertiser chooses a lizard to
present its business by serving as its logo and mascot does
not mean that every time consumers see a lizard they will
think of that company. Instead, semiotics employs the use
of repeated symbols that eventually come to signify the
product. The messages effectiveness can still be
instantaneous, but the branding that takes place by
introducing such a symbol will generally take months, if
not years, to establish. Advertisers do this, not only
through repetition, but also through the combining of
symbols, bringing words, images and music together into one
meaningful and coherent composition.
These signs all stand in for the idea of a tree. But they do
so in different ways. We generally categorize signs into three
types:

1) Iconic signs- icons are signs where meaning is based on

similarity of appearance. So our drawing of our tree stands
in for the notion of tree based on a crude similarity
appearance.
2) Indexical signs- indexical signs have a cause-and-effect
relationship between the sign and the meaning of the sign.
There is a direct link between the two. So a leaf might be
an indexical sign.
3) Symbolic signs- these signs have an arbitrary or
conventional link. The word tree, t-r-e-e only comes to
stand in for the notion of tree because of the conventions
of our language. In another convention, the symbolic sign
for tree might be arbor (German) or (Japanese)
 Signified: Signifier:

Feminine, A beautiful
Youth, Beauty, woman with a
Wealth, Free, flower vines on
and Wild her shoulder.

I think the flower vines speak about wildness, beauty and

freedom. The skin color of the artist and its background seems
to be dull but the flower vines have its vibrant/bright colors
that give more exposure/attention to the buyers. The colors seem
to be exciting; the buyers must be very excited and curious
about this product. It also gives youthful glow, and it seems
favorable to the adults. To the teenagers, I think the color
would seem more fun. The hair of the artist signifies
cleanliness or organized in some things. For the perfume bottle,
it signifies wealth, beauty and very feminine. So I think this
would really be an effective advertisement picture for women.
Because most women really like the style which is trendy or
expensive look garments/things. And lastly, the beautiful woman
in this picture symbolizes youthfulness, beauty, health and
feministic.
 Signified: Signifier:

Beauty, wealth, A beautiful, rich

fame and and sexy
royalty woman wearing
color gold dress

This picture was indeed very catchy. The color scheme and what
the artist was wearing signifies for wealth and royalty, and of
course everything was gold because the name of the perfume was
also GOLD. To display her riches she wore the outstanding
earrings and bracelet. It is also big just to inform everybody
that it really signifies riches. The dress was also revealing
because that is now the new trend, glamorous and very sexy that
would probably be a good image to the millennial. The artists
look was so fierce just to signify strength and power because of
wealth. The eyes were looking straightly just to signify and
grab a maximum attention to buy this product. As what you can
see, the image was also reflected in different angles that
signifies different personality of a woman.
 Signified: Signifier:

Beauty, A beautiful
Intimate, naked woman
Natural, with a ribbon
Freedom, and on her body
Confidence

The color of pink and purple signifies feministic, beauty,

floral, intimate, confidence and love. It also signifies that
the scent of the perfume is overflowing and not strong. The
smoke also looks like a flower which is very fresh looking and
smells great and also because the name of the perfume is Flower
Bomb. The picture looks like very affectionate and intimate in
the sight. The naked woman seems very seductive, and maybe this
is also their way to catch the attention of everyone. I think
the naked woman is just natural, because in America most women
or should I say all of them were not really familiar in the word
conservative. For the perfume bottle, it looks very expensive
which most woman truly likes.
 Signified: Signifier:

Intimate, A beautiful
Beauty, woman being
Confidence, kissed by a
Luxurious, and handsome man
Daring

The colors are very nude which mirrors the color of the perfume.
The colors are quite luxurious. The picture of a man kissing the
neck of a woman shows intimacy and very seductive. It also looks
like she is in control and man is drawn to her because of the
smell of the perfume. It seems like the mans weakness is a very
great scent which he smells to the woman. He was intoxicated and
he cant even help himself. They were also seems naked and it
makes it more intimate and heated. The font is very
sophisticated just like the perfume and it is at the top of the
advertisement so it stands out. The woman is also looking
straight in camera which gets out attention and it also shows
that she has power over the man. Theyre not looking to each
other because it seems like theyre guilty of something like an
affair. The womans face is very seductive. The name of the
perfume is quite mysterious which makes the customers to know
more about the perfume.
 Signified: Signifier:

Pure, clean, A beautiful

fresh, woman wears
confident, white outfit.
beauty,
carefree, and
comfortable

A casual relationship pose indicates that theyre couple. The

woman is wearing all white which is a theme for the perfumes
name Pure White Linen. It signifies purity, cleanliness, fresh
looking, confidence, comfortable, and carefree. The woman looks
like shes in an upper class lifestyle that transfers onto
perfume. The background seems like its summer, theyre sailing
on a yacht and its associated with wealth and a relaxing summer
holiday. The direct eye contact of a woman in the picture
connotes independence and confidence on the womans behalf. The
image also tells us that wearing this perfume is not just
limited to special occasions it also promotes leisure,
confidence, freedom, and the concept of living in a luxurious
life.
In the discourse of advertising it can be a wish, a need, a
desire or a worry to be solved, for instance. In this sense, the
paper deals with the signified or signifier meanings of
contemporary ads. The approach is based on the assumption that
communication is achieved via decoding and encoding messages.
The signified represents the overall message about the meaning
of the product which the ad is creating by the use of the image
(the photographed model). The ad functions by showing us a sign
with easily readable mythic meaning (the photographed model is a
sign for feminine beauty) as well as by placing this sign next
to another, potentially ambiguous, sign (the name of the
perfume) (Barthes 1972).

Semiotics has a great help in advertising company in terms of

promoting their products. People nowadays are more on visual
representation; it helps people to decide what to buy if they
see the product on their two eyes.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

 "Language is, then, positively a distinctly
human opening of and opening to the world:
Not just a distinguishable or instrumental but a
constitutive faculty."
--Raymond Williams

Semiotics, Structuralism and Television--- Seiter

Great advertising executions must tell great

stories with brands as the heroes.
-- Millward Brown
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