C103 - The Semiotics of Advertising
Week 1, Asynchronous Bundle 1
Written assignment due Friday 6/27, 11:59 pm on Canvas

Introduction

• The purpose of reviewing this material is to identify reasons why advertising is of real interest as an object for study and analysis.
• Although we will start to introduce semiotic concepts and terminology only next week, I ask you here to think about a range of questions which will be representative of the kind of thinking you need in applying semiotics to the analysis of texts such as advertisements and comment on those questions briefly.
• I expect it to take you no more than one hour to review the material included in most bundles, plus whatever time it takes you to think about it and do the written assignment.

Asynchronous material

Q1 and background information starts here:

• Here's a nice Coca-Cola ad I really like
• UK version in English (the singer is a club R&B singer, not someone with a major national reputation)
• (No particular reason to watch this one too, but if you like the ad... The video is almost identical, but the musical performance is different, with a background chorus added)
• Here's a direct port into Spanish
• Here's a more interesting version in Tagalog, the majority language spoken in the Philippines
• Q1: Point out several meaningful differences shown by the Philippine version as contrasted with the UK and Spanish versions (which are shot for shot identical). Are these differences enough to make you feel differently as a viewer of the ad or in your attitude toward the product?

Q2:

• The song is called "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", and it was originally recorded by a jazz pianist and singer named Nina Simone in the early 1960s. (This link is just a recording of the song that was posted to youtube, not a video based on it.)
• This version became an anthem used by the US civil rights movement in the 60s.
• But the song can be performed differently, so it has a more personal interpretation, rather than the forceful social message. This version has Nina Simone performing the song live at a European jazz festival in 1976.
• Q2: Can you identify any specific details that make this live performance feel different from the original recording? Do you feel this version has more to do with the singer's internal life than external circumstances involving our broader society?

Q3-5:

• Q3-5: To warm up for thinking about ads in this course, take a look the assortment of excellent ads given below, and consider how you would personally respond to the questions accompanying them. In your written submission, talk about three of the following six ads (make sure we know which ones you are writing about!), using the question accompanying each ad as a guide to how you might talk about it. An adequate answer might take 3-4 sentences, generally.
• Let's consider an assortment of interesting ads, for various reasons
  • ATP tennis circuit
    • What helps this ad grab your attention? (Don't hesitate to bring up sexual topics explicitly in this course if they are relevant; Bundle 2 explores sexuality in advertising more extensively.)
    • Just FYI, here's an article explaining the practice of changing balls regularly in high-level tennis. 
  • Nike freestyle basketball
    • How does the rhythmic editing and soundtrack relate to basketball products as a market niche for Nike?
    • Here's an ad with the same basic idea but a completely different cultural perspective (Brazilian soccer players at an airport).  
  • Make 7-up yours
    • What makes this ad amusing? Think of as many points as possible, and reflect on how they are "sharpened", i.e., made as potent as possible in the production of the ad.
  • Nike chainsaw
    • This ad was criticized severely when it was shown once during an Olympic telecast. Can you figure out why? Do you agree that it was objectionable? (We will revisit this ad once more during this course, exploring the fact that it tells a narrative.)
  • Columbian anti-cocaine ad
    • This ad is pretty gross. Do you find it effective in turning you against the recreational use of cocaine?
  • Cat herders
    • I love this old Super Bowl ad (my wife breeds Siberian cats as a hobby and we have lots of cats at home). What features of the ad make it amusing? How does it advertise the product? (Can you even tell what the product is??)