The first function of an ad is to create difference.
Only goods which are essentially the same, such as cigarettes, beer, soap and
perfume, need to be advertised.
The way in which difference is created is by means of an image. However, an image is only of use in creating a difference in so far as it is itself part of a series of differences.
Catherine Deneuve,
is a well known French actress and celebrity, is pictured beside a bottle on which the words "Chanel No. 5" are inscribed. In order to successfully decode the ad, the "informed" reader must recognize the fact that Catherine Deneuve is part of a system of signs which marks her as different from other celebrities. They are then invited to make a connection between the signified of Deneuve (sophistication, elegance) and the signified of the perfume. The ad refers back to the system from which the sign (Catherine Deneuve's face) was lifted. It is only by referring back to this system of differences that the sign can function.
By way of another example. In this case, Margeaux Hemingway
Margaux Hemingwayis pictured beside a bottle on which the word "Babe" is inscribed. Within the "celebrity" referent system Margeaux Hemingway may be differentiated from Catherine Deneuve in that she is a "tomboy". The two celebrities are clearly differentiated from one another in terms of what they signify.
Source Judith Williamson Decoding Advertisements .
English lessons on Skype at:
http://tutoringexcellence.blogspot.co.uk/
The way in which difference is created is by means of an image. However, an image is only of use in creating a difference in so far as it is itself part of a series of differences.
Catherine Deneuve,
is a well known French actress and celebrity, is pictured beside a bottle on which the words "Chanel No. 5" are inscribed. In order to successfully decode the ad, the "informed" reader must recognize the fact that Catherine Deneuve is part of a system of signs which marks her as different from other celebrities. They are then invited to make a connection between the signified of Deneuve (sophistication, elegance) and the signified of the perfume. The ad refers back to the system from which the sign (Catherine Deneuve's face) was lifted. It is only by referring back to this system of differences that the sign can function.
By way of another example. In this case, Margeaux Hemingway
Margaux Hemingwayis pictured beside a bottle on which the word "Babe" is inscribed. Within the "celebrity" referent system Margeaux Hemingway may be differentiated from Catherine Deneuve in that she is a "tomboy". The two celebrities are clearly differentiated from one another in terms of what they signify.
Source Judith Williamson Decoding Advertisements .
English lessons on Skype at:
http://tutoringexcellence.blogspot.co.uk/
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