Introduction
In the modern world where every decision of the human being is influenced by the powerful media of advertisement, it is necessary to consider and undertake a semiotic analysis of the advertisements which would enlighten our perception of advertisements and realize the power source behind them. One of the classic contributions to the study of advertisements of the present day is the book Advertising and promotion, an integrated marketing communications perspective which deals with the integrated marketing communications perspective and observes how advertisers should correspond with clients through the various forms of communication the most significant among being print advertising. (George and Belch 2004).
In this context, we need to analyze the power of print advertisements that can reach mass readers in the most effective means. It is “because the advertisements are in print, the use of color, text and photography are all key factors in ensuring a successful campaign” (Henderson). In this paper, we attempt a semiotic analysis of the printed advertisements for Ralph Lauren, one of the most successful fashion designers of the day to bring out the underlying meanings or the hidden messages of the piece.
Main body
In analyzing the printed advertisements for Ralph Lauren Romance, a fragrance with products for both men and women, we can very well realize that this specific media powerfully conveys the message of the advertiser, addressing both the targeted sexes through effective signs and methods. The semiotic analysis reveals that the advertisements for male and female audiences separately have all the effective ingredients to attract their projected customers by means of body language, symbols, connotative meaning, color coding, the form or structure employed connoting sex and lust, and others.
The presentation of both the advertisements is powerful as they speak through images, symbols, postures, movements, shades, expressions, etc, conveying the complete meaning of the advertiser to the specific addressees. Therefore, there is no question regarding the competitive advantage or the product value of the advertisements even in separate reflection.
The targeted addresses of each advertisement are apparent in the semiotic analysis of the advertisements. “There is no doubt that males and females read and process information from advertisements differently so therefore it is essential that this is taken into account when creating advertising campaigns for the different sexes” (Henderson). It is clear that the advertiser communicating with males and females in separate advertisements and the advertiser effectively affects the addressee in the decision making regarding the purchase. The semiotic study discloses that these can be well-identified as part of international advertisements targeting the highly fashionable and trendy young males and females of the global market.
In an evaluation of the images used in the ads, we find that they are the most effective ones reaching the targeted consumers through the figures of the two most attractive and stylish figures of Filippa Hamilton and Thierry Pepin and their body movements and expressions. Both the images are balanced along with the text, and they effectively arouse the most appropriate impact on the audience.
Conclusion
Another remarkable effect is provided by the mixture of the colors, the right combination of black and white in the professionally shaded background which arrests the color sense of the audience. As the color combination goes hand in hand with the semiotic interpretation of the advertisements, there is no better or different contribution to the advertisement possible.
Works cited
George, Belch E and Belch, Michael A. Advertising and promotion, an integrated marketing communications perspective. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004.
Henderson, Emma. Ralph Lauren Ads for Men and Women. A Semiotic Analysis. Web.