Microanalysis of an Advertisement Through Semiotic Interpretation

The purpose of this article is to understand how a semiotic analysis can spell out implications for practitioners in the advertising industry. The article presents a microanalysis of a television commercial, frame by frame, based on constructs identified from literature proposing a schema called the ‘Ad Heptameter.' This schema through its seven units - signs, codes, myths, syntagm, paradigm, denotation and connotation, facilitates in the questioning of meanings and serves as an entry point to engage with the advertising content or message. This work presents a theoretical overview of semiotics to practitioners and is also proposed as a venue for effective partnership between academia and practitioners in advertising. A semiotic Ad Heptameter is put forth to address the theory-practice gap. It has the potential to evaluate, assess and revisit storyboards, pre-production or production phases thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the advertising message.