The creation of the universe, logically speaking, is just the creation of symbols. Every creation, every object, every thought and every word are invested with a meaning by the interpretation based on the qualities they possess. The human mind, with its ability to think and relate, forms the essence of human cognition. The whole process is what we call semantics; the study of meaning. Advertising is a field where interpretation of pictures and words play a major role in marketing a product. This article looks at the different semantic attributes which help in making a successful advertisement.

Advertising in the modern sense is the art of enticement and allure. The choice of words, images and colors play an important role in persuading people to purchase a particular product. Prominently, it is the special use of language in certain advertisements that makes people instantly relate to the products. In fact, advertising depends heavily on the use of language, which is a meaning making process, in other words, it depends on `semantics'.

Of all the domains of linguistics, semantics or the study of meaning has been `the most engrossing, controversial and often tricky' (Prakasam, Anvita: 1986). The application of semantic theories to analyze advertisements has taken precedence in recent times. Though, semantic theories in vogue are mostly western concepts, a look at our literary tradition shows that Sanskrit grammarians, Panini, Katyayana, Patanjali and Bhartrhari developed semantic theories that were more critical.

In the Indian (Sanskrit) tradition there are two main approaches to the study of meaning: The Khandapaksha and the Akhandapaksha. The Khandapaksha approach was more analytical, which advocated that the `word' is the `autonomous use of thought and sense, and the sentence is taken as the concatenation of words' (ibid). Grammarians, Panini, Katyayana, Patanjali and Bhartrhari took the `word' as the `point of origin' for semantic study. The Akandapaksha approach, advocated by Bhartrhari, treated sentence as `a single, integral symbol.'

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