How is the use of semiotics used throughout our radio advert?
In this essay we’re going to be critically analysing our radio advert, which was based on our hair product ‘Soft, Silky and Smooth’, which is a 3 in 1 product which includes a dye, shampoo and conditioner. Using key theorists such as Judith Williamson,
Roland Barthes and Stuart Halls, we are going to use their theories to critically reflect and apply them to our advert.
Within our radio advert we used Stuart Halls 1980 theory of encoding and decoding model (Mcquail et al 1993:146). The speaker (encoder) in the advert is sending the message to the audience (decoder) this is described by Williamson as ‘A large part of any advertisement is this ‘message’: we are told something about a product, and asked to buy it’ (Williamson 1982:17). This is shown throughout our advertisement when the speaker says, ‘…With fibre locking components that will transport you to paradise….get your soft, smooth and silky shampoo now’, when the speaker says this it communicates to females, stating that beauty is hard work but also that this is the only product that can make you feel beautiful.
Though what the speaker says in the advert isn’t always true such as, the product
‘transporting you to paradise’, an example of this is from Williamson he believed
‘The information we are given is frequently untrue, and even when it is true, we are often being persuaded to buy products which are unnecessary’ (Williamson
1982:17). However there are different concepts of paradise for example, being relaxed, and laid back, which we decided to incorporate within our radio advert.
In our advert we were presenting our hair product which is a 3 in 1 component consisting of shampoo, conditioner and hair dye, and what the speaker says throughout the advert might not be guaranteed for all hair types meaning its going to keep all hair types moisturised, and soft, silky and smooth, it’s also not going to
‘transport you to paradise’, but it might make it feel like paradise for example the smell when the speaker says this it plays on our senses, it brings back memories.
Yet Williamson talks about how consumers of society have this need to have a ‘social place’ (Williamson 1978: 14) which expresses the need for identification and in our advert we tried to cultivate this meaning of belonging through the question ‘are you using.’ Which creates the sense that our advert is relating directly to them giving them a sense of power. Which if not found the consumer is subject to a state of
‘powerlessness’ (Berger et al 1972: 142).
Our product ‘ Soft Silky n Smooth’ symbolises softness, tranquillity, and beauty mirrored by the speakers soothing voice. And this hidden ‘meaning’ of the product is

what transform’s the ‘language of the object into that of the people’ (Williamson
1978: 14), signifying how we transformed our product into meaning that the consumer can relate to.
Shown further through the iconic signifier ‘Je T’ Aime -Moi Non Plus’ (soundtrack) that has two juxtaposing elements. Firstly it’s relating to France, which is known for love and the arts where a simple painting of a man and a woman can be seen as sexual provocation (Berger et al.1972: 50) giving the consumer the idea that by using ‘Soft Silky n Smooth’ they will be able to find love, or sexual prowess. Also this song was used for the Miss Dior perfume advert (Coppola 2011) relating to
Williamson ‘s idea about how Channel also a perfume brand is know for relating it’s perfume’s to beautiful front figures like Catherine Deneuve who signifies glamour and beauty because Catherine is known in the world of magazine and films for glamour and beauty which connotes the idea that her status is gained through her sexual appeal, (Williamson 1978: 25) therefore by using this same soundtrack our product also signifiers sensuality and beauty.
Myth is described as a “language” (Barthes: 1972) and it is not central to one object, you can apply myth to pictures, writings or discourses. When applying myth to our radio advert, it is evident that all the individual components from the sound effects to the written speech and the music have their own meaning and from this “unity”
(Barthes: 1972) is formed because when they are fused together it creates a greater meaning. Through our advert the task was to create meaning not only from the actual written speech but we had iconic signs and symbols to also enhance our product.
We thought by using the sound effect of a waterfall in the background it will create a sense of relaxation as we describe some of the ingredients used, are from a tropical island and also the physical sound of the water can be reminiscing of it cascading down their hair. Also the use of this sound effect brings out different connotations such as the idea of enrichment, as the jungle contains many exotic fruits and natural plants that can be used in hair products, and this is used to entices our viewers and lure them into wanting to take an interest in the product.
Overall the symbolic signs evoke us to want to buy the product, and the idea of myth is to create a sense of signification within the mind, so that our audience can picture themselves using the product. In addition the aim of our advert is to make women indulge within their femininity but to also make them feel beautiful and have a product, which can leave them feeling as if they were in paradise.

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