Semiotic Analysis Of Bic Advertising

Analyzing the Bic advertisement using semiotics:

An advertisement is a form of communication and it is used as a way to educate and inform an audience. It is based on a brand’s image and values and it explains what the brand is all about (Nelson, 1974:729-754).In advertising the role of women are viewed as being “physically beautiful, and women as dependent on men” (Ludnstrom & Sciglimpaglia, 1977:72). The Bic advertisement represents a very sexist and stereotypical view of women. Semiology is the “study of signs and sign systems” and it is used to analyze visual texts that are advertised in the media. A semiotic analysis was conducted on the Bic advertisement with a focus on denotation, connotation, ideology, hegemony and gender and racial

The suit can also be seen as a ‘power suit’ because she may hold a powerful position in her career. This idea is reinforced by ‘Work like a boss’ in the caption of the Bic advertisement. In Western cultures the color red has a lot of connotations so her red painted nails could be a sign that she is passionate about her career and about the celebration this advertisement commemorates with the ‘#HappyWomensDay’ caption at the bottom left-hand corner. Considering that red is mostly associated with danger, the red nails could also signify a warning to people not to underestimate her just because she is a women. Her smile could be an indication that she has just accomplished something big in her career such as winning a huge case or landing an important client for the firm at which she works. It could also show that she is happy about her career choices and perhaps everything else in her

Hegemony is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Journalism as: the way in which a dominant or ruling class does not merely have the power to control a society’s political institutions and economy, it also exerts a form of moral and intellectual leadership that has the effect of making subservient classes acquiesce in their own domination (Harcup, 2014:61).

In the advertisement, the woman is wearing a ‘power suit’ which indicates that she maintains some sort of power over a group of people and they do exactly what she demands of them because she is in a position of significant importance and she has the authority to relieve them of their professional duties. In a way, she is bribing them to do what she says otherwise they will lose their jobs. The manner in which the text is set out looks like it represents a hierarchy that classifies the boss as the dominant individual, average working men are below the bosses but they are superior to a ‘lady’ and a