Introduction
This advertisement was intended to capture the audience of the whole world since it was designed to market Coca Cola during the Olympic Games in London. The advertisement uses more graphics than words, and this was intended to appeal to the global audience following the games. If people did not understand the words used, they could derive meaning from the graphics used in the advertisement.
Most of the communication in this advertisement is visual, and the subject of advertisement is repeatedly used throughout the advertisement. Therefore, the viewer of this advertisement will understand the theme as the most repeated object in the advertisement. The words accompanying the advertisement are highly suggestive, and the meanings derived are directed towards the subject of advertisement.
Denotation and Connotation
This advertisement has many aspects of denotation and connotation. Literary, denotation refers to the meaning that is found in the dictionary. This means that a person will focus on something as it is and will not go further to find the deep meaning (Kowaltzke and Stewart 2008).
Therefore, in this advertisement, a person will focus on the subject, Coca Cola. This person will just say that the advertisement is about Coca Cola, and the other aspects of this ad will be overlooked. To this person, Coca Cola is just a beverage that people take when they are thirsty, and the advertisement just tells people that it is good to take Coca Cola.
On the other hand, connotative meaning goes beyond the facts of something, and there is an additional meaning to what is said. The speaker (communicator) intends to say more than what he said. There is some meaning attached to words that are uttered and actions performed (Kowaltzke and Stewart 2008).
For instance, this ad appeals to the viewers’ emotions, and they draw an association between the drink and sports. The meaning is that the athletes featured in this advert use Coca Cola while performing some winning stunts. The association created by the advert is that people who take Coca Cola are winners like the sportsmen who win in the Olympic Games.
The context of this advert is also very essential in deriving the meaning of the advert. Almost all the countries of the world will be represented in the Olympic Games, and the advert is meant to touch some universal aspects. This is because people from different races are represented in the advert. This means Coca Cola is not restricted to one region, but it has traversed the borders of the globe; thus, it has a universal, international aspect.
A person who like this advertisement will get both the connotative and denotative meaning; this will help this individual understand the concepts behind this advert. This sheds light to the many graphics used in the advert. A person understands that the advert is aimed to address diverse issues, such as the refreshing quality of the drink, the importance of the games and the universal unity brought about by the Olympic Games.
Polysemy
This advertisement has some aspects of polysemy. Polysemy means that it is possible to interpret something in more than one way (Sage 2004). This is because it features many athletes who, probably, drink Coca Cola. These people win in different kinds of sport, thus the advertisement tells all the possible consumers that they will be winners as well if they take Coca Cola. The same advertisement could be interpreted to mean that athletes who drink Coca Cola will be unbeaten.
In such a way, some athletes who are fond of Coca Cola will always be victorious. Some other people (not athletes) who drink Coca Cola in this advert get inspired that they get an opportunity to become like real athletes and even try to compete with them. The advertisement also features other celebrities, such as singers. The meaning derived by this is that Coca Cola makes people become more than athletes, but individuals successful in various spheres.
Technical Codes and Symbolic Codes
In film, codes and conventions are utilized in such a way that the viewers are encouraged to take the story as true. These aspects of advert are targeted to make the viewers see some things the way the film director intended; thus, the directors of almost all movies have the capacity of encouraging auditory to accept some certain views, ideas and groupings of people (Jennifer 2005). This makes the film have some real life effects.
Symbolic codes mainly focus on the character featured in the film in terms of aspects, such as costumes. In this advert, many characters are dressed in sports gear, the colors of which match with those of the drink. The athletes filmed in the video are healthy, and this shows that Coca Cola is a healthy drink.
On the other hand, technical codes refer to the assignment of the person in the context of actions under play. In this advert, the athletes are participating in various games. The crowds surrounding these athletes are happy and jovial, and the director wants to show that people who take Coca Cola are always in a good mood.
Use of Recognizable Conventions
The advert director has used conventions with which people can associate. Conventions in film help the audience get the meaning of various episodes in film (Hoynes 2002). Thus, the video starts showing how people open a bottle using a bottle opener.
Many people are familiar with this process, and it looks obvious to some people. However, when this bottle is opened, people are inspired and get a great store of energy, and the action starts. The athletes starring in the video are also well-known to the viewers, and this is a common convention used in this advert.
Representation
Representation is the process of bringing some things into reality. This advert is the representation of the future events during the Olympic Games. These athletes taking part in the Olympic Games are getting thirsty, and this thirst is quenched by Coca Cola. The representation of this reality is very significant since it shows that people are prone to thirst when they engage in rigorous exercises. The reality of this representation is further revealed in that people can quench their thirst drinking Coca Cola.
Conclusion
This advertisement has many features of film representing media experience. This is because it focuses on appealing to people’s emotions during the Olympic Games. The advert also captures the atmosphere of the moment. The director knew that people would seek to associate Coca Cola with the Olympic Games, and the advertisement would be effective if the features of the games were incorporated. Therefore, the director went forward to include these features making the advert become successful.
References
Hoynes, W 2002, Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, Pine Forge Press, Chicago.
Jennifer, V 2005, Cinematic Storytelling, Michael Wiese Productions, Texas.
SAGE, 2004, The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies, SAGE, New York.
Stewart, C & Kowaltzke, A 2008, Media, New Ways and Meanings, 3rd Edition, Jacaranda Press, New York.