So, You Want to Pitch Semiotics? Here Are 5 Aspects to Consider.

Semiotics is a growing field of interest in the US for marketers and brand teams. The idea of it is often met with reverence and tales of its outputs always seem to be shrined in mystery and mysticism. But the truth is often more practical than that.

Good Semioticians are known for seemingly boiling the ocean and somehow coming up with sharp insights that feel tangible and digestible but the process to get there is a lot more organized than most think. Semiotics is a field that requires diligence and order as, without this, semioticians would in fact drown in their own world of signs and symbols. Despite this, the method is increasingly pitched and considered by teams that aren't always fully aware of how it works or how to apply it.

To help with this, Touch of Whit Creative often partners with clients and agencies before the pitch to ensure feasibility, clarity in scope and, more than anything, to make sure the budget properly reflects the promised output. In this blog we've also outlined some aspects to keep in mind when considering semiotics for your research approach.

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1. Have a Clear Understanding of What it is

Semiotics is the study of signified meaning. It highlights how humans assign meaning to the objects and elements we encounter on a daily basis.

In market research, we use it to investigate the meanings associated with the visual and verbal cues that exist throughout the marketing comms landscape which may include images, ads, websites, social media, video, product shapes and/or labels.

Be Familiar with The Semiotic Lexicon

SEMIOTICIANS- The semiotic specialists hired to analyze a given category, concept or idea that is of interest to a brand.

DECODING- The analysis process. This is when semioticians identify visual and verbal cues that stand out and organize them into specific themes and patterns. Occasionally,  the semiotic process may be referred to as a “decoder”.

SCOPING - The process of exploring and finding the visual and verbal inputs for the semiotic work. This can include internet searches, on the ground cultural safaris or more.

CODES- The label used to describe the specific themes and patterns found during the decoding process. Conversationally, codes may also be referred to as “expressions” of the idea being decoded.

TERRITORIES- When codes have a set of traits or characteristics in common with one another they are grouped together beneath larger category buckets known as “territories”.  

R/D/E -The framework that houses the codes, a universal semiotic R/D/E scale, identifies which codes are Residual (old), Dominant (common) or Emergent (new).

LANDSCAPE MAP- An organizing system that details how the codes and/or territories are associated with one another. These maps often exist as spectrums or quadrant maps and permit clients to see the entire semiotic landscape in one snapshot.

2. Know the Problem You Want It To Solve

Most marketers aren’t always sure how to use semiotics. When engaged correctly, it can effectively help brand stand out in their categories and resonate more deeply with their audiences.

There are more than 10 ways to use semiotics, all of which serve as foundations and guidelines around messaging direction, brand positioning, brand identity, innovation opportunities and more. When considering semiotics clients should ask, what will it help us achieve or make final decisions around that we don’t already know?

Common Problems Semiotics Helps Clients Solve

• What does the shape of this container communicate?

• What meanings might my customers associate with my logo or brand colors?

• What are the visual and verbal signifiers in my category and how can my brand stand out among them?

• Our brand stands for happiness- how do we execute messaging around this idea in a way that feels fresh and culturally relevant?

3. Ensure the Right Decision Makers Are In The Room

Assembling the right internal team is crucial to ensuring understanding and internal adoption of semiotic outputs.

Semiotic reports often provide direction and strategic guidance across insights, marketing, innovation and creative teams. It is crucial that the right team leaders are brought to the table so that they can weigh in on the findings and how they might impact their daily strategic decisions. In some organizations, this may mean that executive team members such as CMOs and VPs of marketing are also a part of the shareout process.

Most importantly, semiotic outputs typically consist of code sets that are vast. To ensure usability, these codes must be sorted through and prioritized down to a small chosen few, a process that requires multiple share out sessions or extended workshops with high-ranking stakeholders and decision makers.

In situations where the onus is on the semiotician to facilitate the final decision, it is imperative that the (s)he is brought into the inner-workings of the business beforehand so that the final strategic recommendations feel ownable and immediately actionable. This may mean that there is a need to incorporate stakeholder interviews with team leaders at the onset of the project.

4. Be Aware of its Uses and Limitations

Semiotics is an excellent tool for identifying the current state or future trajectory of a concept, category or idea but it's not for everyone.

Because the entire approach is built around identifying what's old (or the saturation points) and what's new (white space opportunities), the strategic goal typically centers on getting brands to consider how they can take on or incorporate the more emergent codes into their business process. Brand teams that are less open to leveraging new ideas, or that belong to organizations that are slower to adopt change may not benefit from commissioning a semiotic project. Brand teams that have more agility, faster innovation or product development pipelines or that belong to companies in the midst of a refresh or restructuring would benefit most from a semiotic research approach.

Semiotics is also a time-intensive process. Typical decoders take at a minimum 3 weeks, but, this can be scaled up or down depending on scope and need. The reporting process can also add length to the timeline as often multiple meetings are held to help client teams distill and determine the correct strategic direction for their organizations. Brand teams that need answers overnight may not benefit from partnering with a semiotician unless semiotics is already a built in practice within those organizations and they are fully familiar with how to use it, and how to build upon it internally.

5. Determine Where it Lives in Your Research Funnel

In most cases, semiotics is utilized alone. However, when clients choose to use it alongside consumer research, where it’s placed matters.

After Consumer Insights: A Brand Strategy Tool

When used after consumer insights phases, semiotics becomes a powerful brand strategy tool that helps define or strengthen a brand’s positioning/identity, or sets the foundation of a brand’s marketing strategy. This approach often results in the development of a strategic brand guide book that combines consumer truths of today with the prioritized semiotic codes of tomorrow. The result is a comprehensive document that outlines key guidelines and guardrails for the organization to follow to meet their marketing goals.

This approach will always require additional time. The final output can only be produced once the final codes are selected and the organization is fully aligned on the strategic direction they want to pursue.

Before Consumer Insights: A Foundational Testing Ground

It is common for clients to want to test semiotic outputs with consumers. However, it is also vital to understand that when asking consumers to share their perception of a topic, category or idea, that often can only provide feedback on what’s relevant in their world today. As a result, their inputs will likely fall into the residual or dominant end of the spectrum.

When building stimulus to be tested from semiotic decoders, the focus typically centers on new ideas that have not saturated the mainstream. To ensure consumers can provide feedback in a way that is useful, it is recommended to use early adopters or leading edge respondents who can provide insightful builds that extend beyond the typical consumer perspective.

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Still curious about how to incorporate semiotics into your research approach to ensure the best outcome? Give us a ring.