“Persuasive Signs”

Summary: The article opens with the idea of the content analysis process to interpret meaning in a text. It shows this through the example of the peach wine ad and analyze all the components of the ad to show the biblical allusion to show the idea of temptation to convey the wine’s temptation. It then talks about textuality and how it forms the base of advertising by signification systems. It gives the examples jingles, characters, and celebrities to see how these signification systems work to advertise the product. The article then discusses mythologization and shows the concept through the fancy cologne example. It tells us the importance of visual texts to make the chain of connotations. The article then discusses some of the techniques used to create suggestive texts. Layout, design, and ambiguity are examples of techniques that help guide the connotation of the ad so that it can become persuasive, while giving enough room for the interpreter to give their own take and generate interest and appeal.

Personal Example: When reading about the different technique’s advertisers use to make an ad successful, it made me think about sports teams, specifically my favorite baseball team the Texas Rangers. Just like other sports teams, the rangers have the Mascot (Rangers Captain- a horse), team colors, and endorsements.

Reading Connection: On page 65, it says “the textuality generated by ads and commercials is an intrinsic feature of advertising”. It talks about the Rice krispies jingle and it made me think of Ron Washington’s famous saying, “That’s the way baseball go” and how that slogan represented the rangers for a while. Then it talked about creating characters like Tony the Tiger, which made me think of the Rangers Captain (horse mascot) that represents the team. The team itself has famous athletes with fans to endorse their own team, but also celebrities outside of the team help build the team, for example, one of the biggest all-time fans of the rangers, George W. Bush. A trend with the team and fans was the antlers and claw signs. They would make these signs after a good hit and it became a sign for the rangers. All these aspects are built into the brand of the Texas Rangers and are incorporated in advertising the team because they “enhance the product’s recognizability”.