March 7, 2021

Does Meaning Make A Message Memorable?

Have you ever seen an ad that made absolutely no sense? Girls Chasing Guys After Applying Deodorant. 

Or the ad that has zero to do with the product?

What about the ad that had stunningly, disturbing visuals? 

I don't know about you but I can say with all honesty, that I don't remember what any of these ads were advertising, the actual name of the product. Even with the Coca-Cola bottle in the corner, I didn't even notice it the first time I saw it. I just remember that they were EPIC FAILS.

It seems to me that much of advertising has lost it's soul, just going for the jugular with it's shock value. Or trying to get you to think you are cool because you know what's going on. It also seems to me that as advertisers, we all have an obligation to produce unbiased and meaningful content, which is kind of scarce right now. Pepsi created an EPIC FAIL with Kendall Jenner (how could anyone think this was a great idea?). But that is a conversation for another day. Then there is Sony's horrific "White is Coming" campaign blunder and Nivea's "White is Purity" racial slur, inaccurate ads that advised wearing masks would increase the risk of COVID, and even ads claiming the pandemic was an evil plot created by billionaire Bill Gates...SERIOUSLY???........and so on, and so on, and so on.

What we all could use is a lesson in Semiotics. 

Semiotics: se·mi·ot·ics /ˌsemēˈädiks/ noun

The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. 

A sign is anything that represents or indicates something else, called the object.

"Semiotic thinking really is the brand management tool of the future." - Professor Mari Abril

Semiotic thinking can help artists, animators, and advertisers understand how their content will be perceived by their target audience. It can also help us to think "out-of-the-box" to create new and innovative content that we wouldn't find with traditional marketing research and that organically jives with humanity as a whole. Doing our due diligence to verify the information is accurate before we create is of paramount importance.

I, for one, will be practicing this "new-to-me" art of analysis because I, among many, are mortified that the number of ads that grossly miss the mark are beginning to outnumber the ads that hit the nail on the head. And as I can only speak for myself, I believe that Meaning Does Make A Message Memorable.