Marketers use both verbal and non-verbal techniques to make their messages as persuasive as possible in order to influence customer attitudes and lifestyle behaviors. Very important to a successful ad is the use of semiotics. Thus, the placement of certain images, text, colors, and other signs plays a key role in the overall effectiveness of an ad. This article analyzes how the ads can be effective from the standpoint of semiotic analysis.

Advertising is a form of mass communication that seeks to motivate the potential customers by affecting their buying behavior of a particular product or service. Many advertisements are designed in such a way that they transfer the messages directly to customers who then unfold the message from the elements of semiotics.

Semiotics is all about signs and symbols. For these purposes, advertisers sometimes embed their persuasive messages with visual information. Mass media, including the Internet and the billboards are used to deliver these messages.

Advertisements are seen everywhere, for instance, on the shirts worn by the cricketers, on the roadside walls, behind the vehicles and of late even in the mobiles. Advertisements are often placed in such places where they are conspicuous or in those media where one can easily or frequently access visual, audio and printed information. Advertising spending has dramatically increased over the years. In the year 2006, $155 bn was spent in US alone on advertising while in the same year $385 was spent worldwide. It is estimated that global ad spending will increase to $500 bn by 2010.

Advertising Express Magazine, Semiotics and Visual Communication in Advertisements, Mass Communication, Modern Semiotic Theory, American Pragmatic Philosophy, Ferdinand De Saussure, Social Theory, Semiotics Analysis, SMS Services, Visual communication.