Week 8 - Semiotic Print Advert Analysis

Over the past few classes, we have looked at many different aspects of semiotic analysis in mediated content. This week, we have been given an assignment to analyse a print advert in a semiotic approach. The print advert I have chosen is; Levi's "Who do you want to unbutton" promotion. A series of adverts from the Levi's in 2009. We are asked to consider different theories that have been addressed in class, such as;

• Types of Signifiers
• Paradigmatic Relationships
• Syntadigmatic Related Signs
• Narratives and Myths within our Culture

Analysis of the Advert

Straight off, we see a picture of a beautiful woman standing leaning on a counter on a street corner, with the text "the boy who makes my morning latte" and the promotional text underneath. These are the signs, the images that are most pronounced in the image, its denotative level of meaning. Basically, the "it is what it is" of the image, no arguments can be made against that. There are many different types of signifiers, on a connotative level. The underlying meaning of the image, The woman with her arm up, leaning against the counter, signifying confidence and beauty, while wearing casual jeans and top, her head tilted to the side. It all signifies a casual nature. She is easy going, free, her fashion suggests she is casual, and gives off a spontaneous attitude. The fact that she is in a dream like state, suggests there is a certain sexuality or prowess about her. These features conveyed by Erving Goffman's 1979 study of "Gender Advertisements", and how women are portrayed in print adverts.

The text next to her in large free-hand typography fills up more than half of the image. The fact that it is in red, in this context and with what she is saying, suggests passion, lust, sex. With the text being in free-hand suggesting that this woman wrote the piece of text, and with the colour, conveying the possibility that it was written with lipstick, furthering the thought of sexuality within the image.

As for the area within in the image, on a denotative level, this is just a street, with a few cars in the background and a bike in the right foreground, that could be anywhere in the world. But because of the colour of the cars in the background, straight away, from our own cultural upbringing, we know that this is a street in New York City, simply because of the architecture and style of the buildings and street, and colour of the cars. The cultural associations with New York, the city of opportunity, where you can do make anything of yourself, its young, vibrant, the city that never sleeps, with lots of interesting and different people there. It suggests that she is an active and outgoing young woman.

The condiments on the counter beside the woman suggests that she is at a cafe, and along with the text in the picture, "The boy who makes my morning latte", leads us to believe that she is at this cafe where the boy works, and he is currently getting her morning latte. Which would indicate that the narrative of the story is set in the morning. The bike leaning against a pole to the right, just out of frame, suggests that she is active, possibly concerned for the environment, possibly on her way to work, as getting a latte coffee in the morning would suggest that she needs to get a kick and wake up before a long day ahead.

These connections of events and signifiers are defined as the narrative. This narrative is communicated to us in such a way as to seem familiar, which is does. We can all associate with what is going on in the image, perhaps not location wise, but as in contextually. By piecing together the story, bit by bit, we realize that all aspects of this advert have been thought out very carefully by the advertiser, as so not to be misunderstood by an advert that will be promoted worldwide, as many steps as possible have been taken as to not do any harm that may potentially arise, if an advert has an underlying message, unnoticed by the advertisers. With this advert, the advertiser wants to be associated with an easy going nature, for young people, in fashion, who take things in their stride, who have or want to have sex appeal.The advertisers intended message and their viewers cultural upbringing and  is important to understand as an analyst.