Concept List: Semiotics and the Study of Political Ads-Roland Barthes
What's connotated from the Panzani ad
"Italianicity"
what is an example of something non-coded in the Panzani ad
"i see a tomato, i see a bag..."
what are the 2 types of linguistic messages
1. The denoted message 2. The connoted message
What are the 4 signs from the Panzani ad that are identified from the non-linguistic part of the image and the constitute the symbolic message, or connoted image
1. The half-open bag signifies return from market 2. Tomatoes and peppers signify Italianicity 3. The collection of objects signifies a total culinary service 4. The overall composition is reminiscent of, and therefore signifies, the notion of a still life.
How many types of linguistic messages are at work
2
Describe the Panzani Ad
A pasta ad-- Within this ad are some packets of pasta, a tin, a sachet, some tomatoes, onions, peppers, a mushroom, all emerging from a half-open string bag, in yellows and greens on a red background.
What did the Daisy ad's director (Bill Bernbach) mean when he said advertising was an art, not a science
Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art
Why can analyzing the connotation of an image be a challenging task
Analyzing the connotations of an image can be a challenging task because an image can have multiple meanings
What's a third signifier in the Panzani ad
Another signifier is the bringing together of the tomato, the pepper and the tricoloured hues (yellow, green, red) of the poster; its signified is Italy or rather Italianicity.
What's another signifier in the Panzani ad
Another signifier is the half-open bag that lets the supply spill out over the table, 'unpacked'.
Why study advertising
Because in advertising the signification of the image is intentional, full and frank
Describe the context of Goldwater and LBJ with this Daisy ad
By the time the ad ran, Goldwater's chances against LBJ were slim, even though the ad is often falsely credited with assuring the win. And there were two dozen other ads from LBJ's camp—humorous, informative, dark, and neurotic. Daisy became the iconic spot of its era.
How many meanings can an image connote
Each image can connote multiple meanings. Which ones are taken, depends on the viewer.
Meaning get into the image
How meaning gets into the message/what kind of messages do they want to convey
How do images work
Images function as conveyers of meaning
What were political ads like prior to the Daisy ad
In almost every case, the attacks in prior political ads were rational, fact-based arguments
What did the Yes We Can ad do that was different from other ads
Instead of scaring people or berating opponents, the ad made us believe that a better life and a better country were within the realm of possibility. It is described as being the embodiment of Hope.
What did the Daisy ad ultimately do
It changed politics forever.
Which meaning of an image someone interprets depends on what
It depends on the viewer
What did the Daisy ad do for political spots
It helped make emotions (primarily, fear) a staple of political spots
What is a photograph, in regards to history
It is an object that is here-now in the present, but which connects to something that indisputably existed in the past
How many times did the Daisy ad play
It ran only once, despite it being so famous and having such a large impact
What does the Daisy ad show
It shows a 3-year-old girl counting as she plucks daisy petals. In the background there's a mission-control countdown followed by a massive nuclear blast.
What did the Yes We Can ad do
It took Obama's inspiring words and turned them into a song.
What does the Please Re-elect Gerald ad do that's different from other ads
It's not often, but in this political ad Gerald Daugherty uses humor. The ad doesn't show typical, cheesy, cliché political lines you normally hear in a candidate's ad like "I'll lower taxes" or "I'll fight for you." This was a fresh take on who this politician is, and he even brought his wife into the ad.
Why is the SNL skit reassuring
It's reassuring to know that you can always find humor in the satirical reflection of our country's electoral process.
What is the Connoted image
It's the symbolic message
How does the term Relay relate to a real relay race
Like a relay race-- linguistic passes off to symbolic and it all conveys meaning
Is there any code or deeper meaning in a denoted message
No
Does a denoted image have a code
No, it's a pure image
Can we remove the connotations of a denoted image
No, it's a purely literal, denoted image.
Are all the visual elements in an image connotators
No, not all the visual elements are connotators so there always remains purely denoted elements within the frame
What does Relay mean
Text and images work together to convey meaning
What was the Daisy ad
The Daisy ad was a 60-second political TV ad that aired in 1964
How was the Kennedy political ad very innovative and distinctive for its time
The Kennedy political ad was very innovative and distinctive for its time as it demonstrates sophistication for the emerging medium of television with the use of "mod" graphics, a catchy jingle, multi-demographic imagery, and overall optimism
Despite the SNL skit being from 2012, how is this depiction of undecided voters still relevant today
The SNL parody is from 2012, but the depiction of undecided voters is still relevant today as we are coming close to our next presidential election and many will be trying to choose who to vote for
The Daisy ad is described as being what
The ad is described as being an emotional political attack ad that is suggested to have inspired today's world of negative political advertising.
What is the achorage of an advertisement
The anchorage of an advertisement anchors you (the viewer) to what they (the business) want you to interpret rather than your own interpretation (Anchor the meaning down that they want you to get out of it)
How is the Panzani ad like a still life
The composition of the image, evoking the memory of numerous paintings, sends us to an aesthetic called the 'nature morte' or, as it is better expressed in other languages, the 'still life' The image looks like a painting and is attractive and aesthetically pleasing to viewers
How are advertisements intentional, full and frank
The concepts of the advertising message are formed by certain attributes of the product and these concepts have to be transmitted as clearly as possible. If the image contains signs, we can be sure that in advertising these signs are full, formed with a view to the optimum reading: the advertising image is frank, or at least emphatic.
What are the connotators in an image
The connotators within an image are all the visual elements that can be used to connote signifieds
Describe the sign from the Panzani ad which shows a return from a market
The image forms the the idea that we have in the scene returned from the market --A signified which implies the freshness of the products and their domestic preparation
Meaning of "Literal image denoted"
The literal image is just what we see and what's presented in the picture
What's the difference between a creator and a consumer in advertisements
The meaning by the creator and the consumer may be different depending on how they interpret it
What's the message behind the Daisy ad
The message behind this political ad was that Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was a genocidal maniac who threatened the world's future. Two months later, President Lyndon Johnson won easily
What's the Symbolic message
The non-linguistic part of the image and constitutes as the connoted message
How does photography elude history
The photograph is a pure image. It eludes history as it takes the photograph and makes it eternal. The photographs rescued history and allows us to look at history as if we were there
Linguistic caption labels in the Panzani commercial
The sign Panzani gives not simply the name of the firm but also, by its assonance, an additional signified, that of Italianicity'. The words are the linguistic caption
What's symbolically connoted in the Panzani ad
The symbolic image is inferred from the literal image-- the bag, tomatoes, and all that how it symbolizes Italian culture
Another difficulty with analyzing the connoted signifieds is what
There is no suitable language for expressing or articulating them
What do the tin cans and natural produce signify/convey in the Panzani ad
They convey a certain image of being organic and natural and being something that's easily prepared
What are the denoted images in the Panzani ad
This is non-coded in that the image of the tomato represents a tomato, the image of the pepper represents a pepper, and so on. In this case we have a signifier and a signified which are essentially the same - this is a message without a code.
What was the SNL skit that made fun of undecided voters
This is political satire
What was the Yes We Can ad
This was a campaign ad for Obama made by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas.
What does the open bag signify
To read this sign requires only a knowledge which is in some sort implanted as part of the habits of a very widespread culture where 'shopping around for oneself is opposed to the hasty stocking up (preserves, refrigerators) of a more 'mechanical' civilization.
Explain: Voting as "psychological purchase"
Voters don't oppose a candidate because they dislike his or her policies; they often oppose the policies because they dislike the candidate. It's like the buying and selling of the presidential candidate
A dictionary defines the word ideology as what
a "systematic body of concepts"
The common domain of signifieds of connotation is a what
an ideology
the literal image is what and the symbolic image is what
denoted; connoted
Non coded
interpreting the visuals
Did the Daisy ad even mention Goldwater's name
no
Signifiers
something not explicit in the ad
What's the denoted message in the Panzani ad
the caption and the labels on the produce
What is the literal image synonymous with
the denoted image
Connotation
the implied or associative meaning of a word (what's suggested but not directly expressed)
What's the denoted message
the literal image
Denotation
the literal meaning of a word
Coded
the sign of the message-- perceived through our ability to connect to our prior knowledge
Semiology
the study of cultural meanings embedded in media forms, often used to explore and interpret 'hidden meanings' embedded within texts
Semiology of images
the study of images and the symbolism behind them (what messages we can infer from them)
What's the connoted image
the symbolism inferred from the image
Meaning of relay
the text adds meaning and both text and image work together to convey intended meaning
What's the connoted message in the Panzani ad
the word 'Panzani' which connotes Italianicity
We're surrounded by these signs-- so much so that we do or don't do what
we don't even recognize these signs
Why do we primarily remember the Daisy ad
we remember it primarily because of its brilliant, innovative approach to negative advertising.
Linguistic
written words
Is everything intentional in an ad
yes
Does the Kennedy political ad feel long old
yes, because its ad characteristics are out of style for the times
