Ad Analysis Essay

Our brains are constantly processing what we see and read all the time. What we process through our eyes affects our thought process and the way we think. Ads have become a massive force in altering the minds of peoples buying and belief habits, especially in the past century with the rise of social media & the internet. There are a variety of different strategies when it comes to ads. Ads can be designed to sell a specific product, awareness, prevention. To find the motives and the purpose of an ad a process known as semiotics is used. Semiotics is the analysis of signs, ads, or symbols. The anti-tobacco ad exemplifies the three parts of semiotics, which is signifiers, signified, and sign. These three steps are used on the ad to determine the overall meaning of the ad. The

The ad chosen for this essay has a huge effect going with the smoke arrangement that creates a great emotional connection which completes the overall message. The overall message trying to be conveyed with this ad deals with the fact that smoking can lead to death and that can be found out by using the steps in semiotics which will be addressed in this essay. The first step involved in semiotics is identifying the signifiers. It is during this step which the basic details of the ad are presented. Starting off simple is the background of the ad. The background is a solid background. The first of the major signifiers in the ad is the man in the lower right corner. This man has some noticeable details that really stand out. The first of these being how his head is laid back in an unconscious state. The acne on his face also stands out well. Something however that isn’t quite as noticeable is the fact that he has no hair which contributes to the signifier for the man. The second signifier in the ad is the bold text on the left side. The text is made prominent in the ad due to its strong, bold look. Although it doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case, this