The Contrastive Analysis of Billboard Advertisements in Iranian and Non-Iranian Context on a Basis of Applied Semiotics

Semiotics is the theory and study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or other systems of communication. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is. One of the most frequent symbols used in advertising is the visual image of the product being sold. Text can also be used to serve as a symbol in advertising in the same way that an image is used. This descriptive qualitative study was an attempt to contrast and analyze the Iranian and non-Iranian advertisements from the applied semiotics point of view. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, ۸ Iranian and non-Iranian billboard advertisements were selected. The English ads were chosen from the ones provided on the internet. In order for better analyzing, the advertisements were divided into two parts including ۲ English language education institutes and ۲ Iranian Educational and ۴ cosmetics: two non Iranian and two Iranian related advertisements, The selected samples were analyzed descriptively from the D Saussure Semiotics(۱۹۶۴) of signifier (sound pattern) and signified (concept pattern) Theory and if needed the Roland Barthes‘ Elements of Semiology (۱۹۶۴) denotation and connotation theory in order to explore the hidden meaning of these elements to find the similarities and differences between the two. In doing so, the researcher tried to interpret the potential implicit meanings behind the superficial appearance of each advertisement and unmask hidden factors and elements in detail. The obtained results revealed that, in non-Iranian advertisements, encouraging words, which are highly frequent, are used. However, it was found that there are some discoursal features which are primarily related to the life style as well as social and cultural background of the target country.

Keywords:

Advertising , Applied Semiotics , Billboard Advertising , Semiotics , Signified