Semiotics and Pure Imagination

Semiotics is probably the most interesting elements in advertising. It puts a signature on a product, the ad agency, and the company. 

This is a pretty long ad for Chipotle, but it's one of my favorites. It achieves the purpose of convincing others that food should be served and made in better conditions. This is one of the prettiest, and the most imaginative ads I have ever seen. It takes on the essence and sophistication of a short film, it also looks like a music video by Pixar! This video uses semiotics by picking on the basic components of story telling. What's interesting about this campaign is that it's also a promo for a game. They use a scarecrow as a worker for a mass produced food company called Crow Foods. The simplicity of a scarecrow scaring off birds really emphasizes the scarecrow's good nature, heroism, and how he is the protagonist. The backdrop of a bustling big city (which appears to be a combination of New York and Chicago), is used to represent how everything is moving so fast, the quality of minor things, especially food, has declined. And finally Fiona Apple's surreal and beautiful cover of "Pure Imagination," gives the audience several things to consider. One of them being how imagination, like the scarecrow's, could be used to make something different. The possibilities are endless, "Want to change the world? There's nothing to it." It also looks at how imagination could be taken in any direction a person chooses. The crows use imagination for the wrong reasons, whereas the scarecrow uses it for the right reasons.

This add is a great example of semiotics because it tells a story. Stories have connotations and denotations, qualities ads have. This campaign combines all of that, stories are meant to have symbols that resonate with the audience. This story has five million views on YouTube and could possibly inspire other to make something from "pure imagination."

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/brilliant-creative-billboard-advertisements/

This ad is pretty self explanatory, there's a dog scratching it's self. The ad is on the floor and the text reads "Get them off your dog." You'll notice that the dog is huge for a reason. While it's interactive and funny, it's meant to be viewed from a distance to see how irritating it is to have such little pests the dog can't seem to get rid of, while the dog owner can. The dog owner or the person who sees this, can help control and help the dog This ad uses semiotics because the size of the dog makes the viewer sympathetic. And the "fleas" or people are made to make the problem more visible.

I like this ad, it's creative, funny, and interesting to look at. It's simple and straightforward.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/recent-fashion-ads-that-were-actually-good

This print ad is interesting for a number of reasons. It uses semiotics in an interesting way. If you notice, there are people who are the around the ages of 40-60. The attire is conservative and almost dated, and the label Lanvin Paris is also included. This is definitely advertising to an older generation. Possibly one that grew up in the 1960s, or who are baby boomers. The older models were picked because Lanvin knows their market. Lanvin has been around for a quite a while (since 1889), they're familiar with their consumers: successful baby boomers who can afford looking like a million bucks. Although Lanvin appeals to a specific and particular audience, they give the impression to both young and old. For the older audience: no matter how old anybody is, anybody could look fabulous. For the younger audience, it's saying, with a little patience, you could age gracefully and look as good as you like. 

Overall, this ad uses semiotics to show that fashion, Lanvin is timeless, and if an older person can pull it off, anybody can. I like this ad because it's unusual at first glance, and it's unpredictable for a fashion ad.

These three types of advertising are all successful because they're bold, and more importantly, they make their symbols obvious. Consumers can take these in any direction they choose, yet they make the consumer think. They leave the rest to the consumer's imagination.