Semiotic Analysis - Midterm Assignment

Semiotic Analysis

These two advertisements provide different iconic representation of the same product. Both these advertisements use lots of signifiers. These signifiers are not actually created until we actually find them.

Ad 7 advertises the SKYY vodka in a sexual way. In this advertisement, one woman with bikini is lying down on a beach. She has blonde hair, silver nails, and blue sunglasses on her head. The beach is empty. This woman and the guy standing on top of her are the only people on this beach. A man with a suit on is standing over the woman. He is wearing a blue suit with vodka and martini glasses in his hands. The ocean is very fresh and blue, and the sky is very clear. Everything in this picture is all blue. I think the person who made this ad intentionally made everything blue to signify that this vodka is fresh and enjoyable to drink. The ‘signifiers’ of this image are the woman, man, and the beach. The ‘signified’ are the linguistically expressed “fresh and cool” SKYY vodka.

Ad 8 advertises this product in a mysterious way. In this ad, a brown and white snake is in a wide vase-like glass with its head looking towards the side. I have no idea what this snake is representing. Behind the vase-like glass, there’s the blue SKYY vodka and a blue curtain. Just like ad 7, a lot of blue is represented in the ad. Again, all these blues signifies the new and fresh taste of the SKYY vodka.

The denotations (what it literally means) of these advertisements could be blue vodka and the glasses. The connotation (how it makes us feel or think) of these ads could be the fresh and blue vodka in our mouths that makes us feel cool.

These two advertisements show two different images that are completely different. However, their connotative signifiers are very similar, which could be the “fresh and cool” vodka.

Since Vodka is sold more to men than women, SKYY’s main target is the men. I think this advertisement is designed to be interpreted from a masculine perspective. In ad 7, a woman is objectified to give men sexual pleasure. In my opinion, vodka advertisements don’t need women. They just need to have something other than woman to signify that this vodka is good. Women are not instruments to advertise vodka. Other things like ice and snow can be used to show that this vodka is good.

SKYY's vodka advertisement is not the only advertisement that uses women as instruments to persuade their target. This brownie ad actually is using men. I agree with this ad that brownies somewhat look like those abs, but I think it would’ve been better if they used real chocolaty brownies to appeal to people’s senses and persuade the targets.

I don’t think sexuality should have a role in advertising, but in today’s society, sexuality plays a big role in advertising. In my opinion, vodka advertisements should just have vodka, not a woman with bikini, and brownie advertisements should just have delicious looking brownies, not a man without his shirt. There are thousands of other ways to persuade people to buy the product without using sexuality. These advertisements are actually made for people’s sexual pleasure. For me, they are not advertisements. They are just men and women appealing their bodies to people. I don’t know since when our society has changed like this. We need to stop using sexual objectification as a way to advertise products.