Semiotics 101
Semiotics, a philosophical theory founded by Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, centers on the idea that everything has an inherent signified meaning.
It was eventually turned into a practice that examined signs, symbols, and the way meaning is created and interpreted, within verbal & non-verbal communication, gestures, images, and objects.
The way we assign meaning to things we encounter is both conscious and subconscious.
In market research, we use it to investigate the visual and verbal cues presented across the marketing comms landscape which may include images, ads, websites, social media, video, product shapes and/or labels. It is either applied to a topic, a category, or both.
10 Ways to Use Semiotics
Internal Alignment & Brand Positioning
POSITIONING INSPIRATION
Decoding a central concept or idea integral to your brand positioning to inspire creative thinking around bringing it to life in a way that feels culturally relevant and uniquely ownable.
POSITIONING DECODER
Decoding 2-4 themes to understand all of the meanings and associations attached to each theme, with the goal of selecting one as the central idea of your brand positioning.
INTERNAL PILLAR DECODER
A way to spark creativity around the DNA of your offering by exploring the signified meanings and cultural expressions of your brand pillars and identifying emergent ways of bringing them to life.
Innovation & White Space Opportunities
EMERGENT OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS
Decoding a concept, idea or category to identify the newest, most emergent expressions to serve as inspiration from which to develop future focused innovation or messaging strategies.
ADJACENT CATEGORY DECODER
Analyzing similar categories outside of your competitive set to gain a more comprehensive picture of the consumer brand landscape and inspire innovative ways forward.
CATEGORY DECODER
Analyzing a category to identify saturation points and white space opportunities to inspire culturally relevant brand messaging and product innovation.
External Messaging
Inspiration
MEDIA PORTRAYAL DECODER
Investigating media or advertising images, film or videos to identify new storylines and/or opportunities for fresh portrayals to exist.
ADVERTISING AUDIT DECODER
An in depth look into your company’s advertising history to identify saturation points and to inspire new, creative ways of bringing brand messaging to life.
CONSUMER SEGMENTATIONS
Decoding consumer moments to encourage new ways to bring occasions to life and inspire new messaging or product innovation opportunities.
PACKAGING DECODER
Analyzing the signified meaning of a product’s shape, size and texture as well as the signified meaning(s) of it’s label(s) / packaging
