If the painting above isn't a pipe, what is it?
I can recall first being introduced to the idea of semiotics in my art history class during undergrad. Semiotics can be described as "the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation."
So if the title and text within the image is telling me that it's not a pipe, then the artist is implying that it's a painting right?
According to Swiss Linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, a sign is the whole that results from the association of the signified with the signifier. Imagine a bicycle. The concept of the bicycle would be the signified, while the signifier would be the image of the bicycle.
But since I'm seeing this image through my computer screen, then it's not really a painting, but a digital representation of a painting?
How does this relate to marketing? The idea of semiotics can seem a bit abstract, but Semiotic Analysis Specialist, Jeff Hecker, does a great job in breaking it down in his "An Introduction to Marketing Semiotics" video. Other than being used as a market research approach, the usage of semiotic theory can help brands:
- Understand symbols around a category
- Support message alignment
- Identify emergent trends that can be leveraged in creative/positioning
- Mitigate risk
- Understand communications performance
- Triangulate with other research approaches
A must-watch video for an introductory run-down of semiotics.