Critical Review #1

Hermann, S. (2018). Hilltops and Marches: A Cultural and Semiotic Analysis of Pepsi and
Coca-Cola Advertising Strategies.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ca-
nuDm4_ajqv5YoUZsY5YdNMc9pXLGp/view?usp=sharing

This research article is a primary research conducted to analyse how the sings in
advertisements are perceived differently utilizing semiotic theory. It uses two well-known
examples of advertisements that share the same purpose of its advert but received
polarising responses. The two adverts that were studied are the “Coca-Cola Hilltop
Advertisement” in 1971 by the Coca-Cola Company and by the Pepsi Company. In order to
understand the semiotic approach, the paper written by the author, Hermann, discusses
semiotics with respect to contexts of historical significance that envelops both
advertisements.

The article is divided in section in which there are more subtopics. The main sections go
according to introduction of the premise of the two advertising agencies, semiotics, a
breakdown of Coca-Cola's Hilltop Advertisement, Pepsi's Live Louder Advertisement and a
final discussion summarising and restating its conclusion and understanding of the case
study. The sections are clearly divided and arranged in a thoughtful manner.

The article seems to be unchallenging for a reader to understand as it provides cohesion

and a clear structure to understanding the content. It begins by addressing the two
companies and the problem behind it, and slowly introduces semiotics, which is the heart of
the study. Therefore, one who is unfamiliar with semiotics will have a better understanding.
Within the main section of semiotics, they touch on important building blocks of semiotics
such as denotation, connotation, and its relevance to advertising, once again tying back to
the case study which is clearly concerning advertisements. Hermann then continues to
dissect the Coca-Cola advertisement in terms of semiotics using multiple elements such as
the actors, the song, the placement of the Coca-Cola bottle so on and so forth while
concluding this section with the result of the advertisement. The same process in which was
used to dissect the Coca-Cola advertisement was again used to study the Pepsi
advertisement. Ending the article with a final discussion once again reinforces the purpose
of the article in a concise and summarised manner.
Each section and the subtopic of the article is explained in great detail and thoroughly, cited
with various journals and papers to complement the research with adequate evidence and
examples. The method of interpretation is adopted allowing the author to express his
perspective and take on the reasoning behind the reception of the advertisements. Though
this approach most often would include a certain level of prejudice, Hermann manages to
touch on the strengths and weakness in both parties of the case study. However, despite the
thorough and rather unbiased approach to the study was undertaken, one shortcoming of
the article is that there is an absence of visual representative throughout the article which
would have aided the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the topic
considering the fact that it touches frequently on visual elements.

This article undertakes a quantitative approach to the study as it draws its conclusion based
on statistics and data as well as the authors own detailed observation. The author also took
the liberty in providing historical context to readers who might not be familiar with the past of
the native land, America, considering it has been published digitally accessible by readers
globally.

In conclusion, Hermann has done a satisfactory dissection and case study pertaining the
research topic despite a lack of visual aid. Detailed thought process was exhibited by the
author in terms of the flow of the topics and by providing context to the study keeping the
global audience in mind.
Critical Review #2

Faizan, M. (2019). The Role of Semiotics in Advertising: Communicative Approach. India’s

Higher Education Authority UGC Approved List of Journals Serial Number 49042, Vol. 19:2.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JFaLiS3pN8-feS6HoVNBzstgfrM1uZBG/view?usp=sharing

This research article is based of secondary research conducted to study and dissect the
principle theories of semiotics and its effectiveness as a tool in introducing new advertising
with the bridge of meaningful signs and symbols. It discusses the methods in which
semiotics can be implemented in marketing strategies in which it will aid in directing a
message successfully to their target audience. The article builds its foundation on the
semiotic theories of two leading scholars Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Pierce as they
are applied frequently in the field of advertising.

The goal of this study is to analyse advertisements that are in the form of images through
the lens of semiotics with basis of a fusion of de Saussure and Pierce's theories. Therefore,
the heart of the article lies in studying and decoding the symbolic messages that advertisers
aim to reach out through the semiotic approach. Faizan, the author, then uses this to
formulate an understanding of the different strategies that advertisers employ to sell to their
target customers. The author is conscious enough to take into consideration that of the
readers who may not be familiar with the model of de Saussure and Pierce and provides an
in-depth summary of the essence of both their theories further on in the article. To further
enhance the understanding of the reader, visual aids are also introduced in the article
(Figure 1).

Figure 1 (Image used to describe signifier and signified.)

The method of qualitative research methodology is deployed which seems to be appropriate
considering the topic of study where understanding of thought and perception of the target
audience or consumer is imperative. The article itself begins with an introduction that gives
the reader an overview of what is to be expected throughout the article. It then continues to
introduce the origin of semiotics followed by (2) purpose of study, (3) advertisements, (4)
semiotics in marketing communications, (5) implementations of semiotics in marketing, (6)
advertising as the blood circulation of the company, (7) research questions, (8) analytical
framework, (9) limitations and suggestions for further study. Though clearly labelled, it
proves to be confusing to the reader as the subtopics are not arranged in a thoughtful
manner and lacks flow and connectivity from one section to another. For example, it
would've added clarity to the article if the purpose of study was stated right after the
introduction to give a premise to the readers to understand what drives the article. Being
stated right after the subtopic of advertisement confuses the reader as they have been
blindly lead into the article without knowing exactly the purpose of the research and seems
detached from what is being discussed in the previous subtopic.

One rather major flaw that has time and again proven to be an eye sore is the fact that this
article is laced with spelling and grammatical errors which reflects poorly on the author.
Simple spelling errors -'Blood irculation', 'fancp-0y'- as well as grammatical errors -plural
and singular nouns are continuously mixed up- that the author has overlooked displays a
lack of care and professionalism on the authors part. It also causes the reader to question
the validity of the article. The lack of grammar and spell checks has triggered a chain
reaction of rendering some lines incomprehensible further affecting the readability and flow
of the article.

The crux of the article where the author decodes an advertisement by the company Dettol is
done in a simple and short manner. Though the author manages to find the denotation of the
advertisement there isn't much explanation. The article could also do with more instances
where the author decodes advertisements as the purpose of the study stated by the author
is to "analyse advertising images by applying a semiotic approach, based on combination of
the theories of de Saussure and pierce". It was rather anti-climactic when only one
advertisement was decoded, that too with a rather short explanation. One other shortcoming
of the article is the listing down of references that has been done in the form of bullet points
which is an inaccurate way of penning down references.

In conclusion, Faizan could have certainly done much more to improve the quality of the
research article. Some of it being proper grammar and spelling check, rearranging of certain
sections of the article and also conducting more thorough decoding and dissection
advertisements. Though it starts off strongly but goes on to lose its direction with its lack of
flow and thorough dissection leaving the reader with a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Critical Review #3

Kenechukwu, S., S. Asemah, E., & O.N. Edegoh, L. (2013). Behind Advertising: The
Language of Persuasion. Asian Economic And Social Society, 3(4).
Kenechukwu, S., S. Asemah, E., & O.N. Edegoh, L. (2013). Behind Advertising: The
Language of Persuasion. Asian Economic And Social Society, 3(4).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wnw7XVZ-
jWbQWHi6bWvIk7gQgo59Ph7z/view?usp=sharing

This research article written in 2013 discusses the language of persuasion that underlies in
an advertisement. The main goal of the researchers' is to examine how a consumer can be
persuaded to support certain goods or services that have been advertised. The authors tie
the psychology and thinking of a consumer to the employment of the language of persuasion
by advertising companies. The paper advocates greater focus into what are the components
of persuasive advertising drives consumers to take the desired action.

The structure of the article is broken into 6 parts beginning with the 1. Introduction, 2.
Impacts of Advertising: A Socio-economic Perspective, 3. Psychology of Advertising: A
Consumer Behaviour Perspective, 4. Understanding the Language of Persuasion in
Advertising, 5. Analysing Persuasive Techniques in Advertising, and 6. Conclusion. The
article is well-structured and labelled clearly paving a sense of direction, beginning by
explaining the meaning and premise of the language of persuasion as well as advertising
slowly leading the reader in to the heart of the subject which is explaining the relations
between the two factors and the techniques implemented that make it work.

The approach employed by the authors is one of interpretation where most of the analysis is
made by the authors allowing them to express their perspective and take on the techniques
of the persuasive advertising. The research method undertaken in this article is a qualitative
method whereby greater focus is placed on the opinions of people and gives us small
portions of high quality detail on topics, as oppose to large quantities of statistical
information. The article goes into thorough analysis, dabbling into the psychology of the
consumers behaviour, and using that information to tie to the techniques that are used by
advertisers to persuade consumers over. This helps the reader understand the 'why's' and
'how's' of the techniques mentioned.
However, considering the research method employed and the absence of hard, statistical
data, it is noticeable that certain claims and analysis made by the researchers lack
references and citations which allows one to question the validity of the statements. There is
a whole section written without a single reference that continues to make bold claims and
assumptions which renders the reliability of the information presented to be jeopardised. In
the beginning of the article, certain explanations such as the core motive of an
advertisement is to persuade the consumer to think or act in a particular way is repeated
multiple times, (7) throughout the same section consecutively.

This manner of writing proves to be a double edged sword as it results in both favourable
and unfavourable outcomes. The former being, the repetition of the particular message
reinforces the idea to the reader strongly. However, though unlikely, this may also result in
the reader skipping over said parts as they find it too repetitive. The article could also do with
some visual representatives to aid the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of
the topic.

Nevertheless, a large part of the article was executed well enough though it could do with
more relevant citations in one or two sections. Detailed thought process was exhibited by the
authors in terms including the readers into the process and providing enough information to
build a comprehensive understanding on the analysis.
Critical Review #4

Yakin, H., & Totu, A. (2014). The Semiotic Perspectives of Peirce and Saussure: A Brief
Comparative Study. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 155, 4-8. doi:
10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.10.247

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gCU0XYLF8sWB8t3ZWvUbwuJeBBAzmpfS/view?usp=shari
ng

This article written by Yakin and Totu discusses the different perspectives of two leading
scholars, Charles Sanders Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure on the semiotic theory. The
primary purpose of the authors is to make a comparative analysis between the two intellects
and to explore the connection between communication and semiotic which can be perceived
as "a signification of symbol" (Yakin & Totu, 2014) or plainly as a study of signs in societal
life. The authors also intend on highlighting the overlapping of the semiotic theory in fields
other than communication such as philosophy, arts, architecture and so on. The authors
have expressed the reason and justification behind their choice of subjects in this analysis
being that the two aforementioned scholars have been recognised as pioneers of the
philosophical theory of knowledge in the history of modern semiotics. This includes the
readers into the thought process and mind behind the decisions made by the authors,
painting a clear picture of reasoning and enforcing the readers' trust in the their words.

The main anatomy of the article is written in 5 sections, numbered and titled accordingly as
1.Introduction, 2. Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of sign, 3. Charles Sanders Peirce's
theory of sign, 4. Comparative analysis and 5. Discussion and concluding remarks:
Communication and semiotic. It is written in an unchallenging manner, is clearly divided and
arranged with easy navigation in mind. The flow of the article is very cohesive and very
much story-like as the introduction begins by taking the reader in a journey beginning with
the history and origins of the philosophy of semiotic from the times of Ancient Greek and
how the philosophy although discussed has been left untouched until applied by a German
philosopher in the end of the 18th century. The author then brings it full circle to the subjects
of the analysis by introducing the two subjects of our analysis and their development ion the
modern semiotic theory and ends the introduction by restating the purpose of the article.
This manner of writing, grips the readers attention from the beginning till the end and allows
one to gain a comprehensive understanding of the basic topic that is being discussed. The
reader feels included in the article through such story-like explanation, almost having the
notion that they are in conversation with the authors which once again enforces trust in the
authors. Once having introduced the premise of the article, semiotics, the authors then begin
to provide a brief summary on the background and works of both the subjects, Peirce, and
de Saussure. It is only after this, does he begin the comparative analysis and dissection of
both their works.

The method of qualitative research methodology is deployed which seems to be appropriate

considering the topic of study where understanding of philosophy, behaviour and viewpoints
are leading factors of analysis. Throughout the article, the authors do not only place focus on
the differences of the two scholars perspectives, they also touch on the similarities that they
share. The compare and contrast of the philosophies is explained in great detail and
thoroughly, and to provide convincing reasonings for the arguments, the authors utilised
published books and journal entries as their references. With the dependable references,
deductive reasoning is employed. The method of interpretation is adopted allowing the
authors to express their perspectives and take on the reasoning behind the thought process,
stand, and theories that the two subjects have made. Though there is no significant bias
detected throughout the article as the authors do not touch on the weakness or strengths of
the theories, merely the differences and similarities, it is fair to note that they described de
Saussure's works as a "masterpiece" which may hint slightly at the notion of faint bias. The
authors have managed to encapsulate the gist of the article effectively in the conclusion,
providing the readers with a crystal clear idea of the primary and main takeaways from this
analysis.

In consolidation, this paper proves to have successfully fulfilled its purpose which is to
"generate a positive contribution in underlining the significance of semiotic theory, not only
towards the enhancement of the semiotic epistemology but also to other researchers and
academicians in related fields or specific areas." It is an insightful and an informative
research paper that exhibits clear and comprehensive thought and analysis.
Critical Review #5

McQuarrie, E., & Phillips, B. (2005). INDIRECT PERSUASION IN ADVERTISING: How

Consumers Process Metaphors Presented in Pictures and Words. Journal Of
Advertising, 34(2), 7-20. doi: 10.1080/00913367.2005.10639188

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vmYDdUPlGRewzmkhkpfK91tY9Ixv8Du-/view?usp=sharing

This primary research article addresses the query of whether the application of indirect
persuasion in advertisements offers some sort of advantage to the advertiser and how the
consumers process these different types of indirect claims. The authors, McQuarrie and
Phillips hypothesise that consumers are likely to become more responsive when presented
with an indirect metaphorical claim. They also develop a postulation that when the indirect
metaphorical claim assumes the form of an image, the probability of consumers to
immediately generate positive inferences during the period of ad exposure significantly
increases. The authors approach this study from an experimental standpoint to further test
the hypotheses previously stated. The effectiveness of this approval will be discussed later
on in the review.

The mainframe of the article is divided into 8 segments and subsections embedded within.
The structure of the article is arranged in a considerate manner with readability in mind as it
flows in an impeccable manner. The authors introduce the variables in which are to be
tested in the following sections beginning with the definition and explanation of indirect
claims in advertising. The explanation is further strengthened with the visual aid that helps
encapsulate the description being given (Figure 1). They then proceed to introduce the
usage of metaphors and pictures, as well as a combination of both as an indirect claim.
McQuarrie and Phillips tie these subjects to the next section by discussing the response of
the consumers in processing these forms of indirect claims. Consecutively, they begin
discussing the research questions, the method of experiment applied, a general discussion
discussing the results and implicature of their findings, and conclude with the implications of
these indirect claims to the public policy, discussing the ethical complications that arise in
the usage of such methods. Arranging the main topics in this manner provides a
comprehensive understanding and a smooth flow to the reader allowing them to have an
enjoyable and informative experience reading the article. This article does a deep dive in all
of their explanation providing substantial reasoning and explanations which are supported by
numerous references. Hence, the doubts of validity of the study does not arise in the mind of
a reader.
 Figure 1 (One of many visual aids used to provide clarity to the reader.)

In their experimentative approach to this research, the study examines two propositions
empirically. The first is " that consumers are more receptive to multiple positive inferences
concerning the advertised brand after exposure to an indirect claim, whether pictorial or
verbal, as compared with a direct claim" (McQuarrie & Phillips, 2005) as well as "consumers
are more likely to generate multiple positive inferences spontaneously, at the time of
exposure, in the case of a pictorial indirect claim as compared with a verbal indirect claim"
(McQuarrie & Phillips, 2005). The propositions are measured by asking consumers to agree
or disagree with a set of possible inferences about the brand. However, this method cannot
determine whether consumers spontaneously generate such inferences at the time of ad
exposure or only do so once prompted by the researchers questions. To overcome this
challenge, the authors have adopted the method of response latency to provide an indication
to determine the occurrence of spontaneous inference formation by the consumers. This
extra measure taken by the authors prove that much thought has gone into designing this
experience with careful care to extract a more accurate finding. Their critical and creative
thinking is exhibited in their response to this posed challenge. The results of the experiment
are tabled in an unchallenging manner further easing the readers ability to comprehend the
outcomes of the experiment (Figure 2).
Figure 2 (Findings of the experiment tabulated.)

Should there be any shortcoming in the well-articulated and extensive research, it would be
the minor drawback of having poor paragraph and line spacing in the layout of the article.
This reduces the rest of the authors effort to provide an easy read to one. However, this is a
negligible drawback as the content of the research paper is informative enough to keep the
reader engaged throughout the article.

In essence, this research study contributes heavily to the knowledge base of indirect
messaging, symbolism and metaphors in advertisements as well as consumer behaviour
and cognition. The authors have done a phenomenal job and have taken a lot of care in
producing this research paper. They has successfully designed and conceived an
experiment that addresses the propositions of the authors.
Critical Review #6

Kappe, C. (2012). The translation of advertisements: issues of semiotics, symbolism and

persuasion. Johannesburg: Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JTC081FfxMl5nrwmuw72BdVmNLv3SFrT/view?usp=sharing

This 118 paged research article discusses the translation of advertisements paying attention
to persuasion, semiotics, and symbolism. It illustrates the significance of symbolism and
semiotics in persuading customers across cultures. The studies uses Coca-Cola as a case
study at in order to explore the techniques used by translators in translating persuasive text
in print classified ads throughout cultures and to problematic on key problems in the
translation of advertisements and on theories which are very beneficial to translators of
advertising materials. This research document conducts a comparative analysis of 30 Coca-
Cola advertisements in English and their translations into French from 1905 to 2011. By
analysing and comparing the English classified ads of Coca-Cola and their translations, this
study indicates how semiotics and symbolism may be used to examine the techniques which
can be used within the ads to acquire persuasion within the specific French settings.

The authors have provided a very clear outline of what is to be expected in each and every
chapter they have produced. This introduces and prepares the reader for what is to come
and also allows one to easily evaluate the content of the research. This extra care and effort
to do so exhibits the dedication of the authors in providing a detailed and clear experience
for the reader and also to their field of study. The research consists of 5 main segments, with
the first being the Introduction. This is where the authors bring to light, the goal, rationale
and approach of the study in which this review will further delve in the upcoming paragraphs.
The authors, then proceed to Chapter One in which they provide the readers with literature
reviews that have been utilised in this study. It is worth noting that the literature used in this
study is from reputable sources including books and journals that are relevant to the field
and support their findings. This chapter is then further divided into several focus areas such
as: the discourse of advertising, the specific concerns of advertising translation, the ethics
and loyalty of advertising translators and discussion of the concepts of culture, ideology and
sociology which affect the translation of advertisements and lastly persuasion, symbolism
and semiotics which the author deems to be critically relevant in the process of analysing
these translated advertisements.
In Chapter Two of the research, the broad theoretical frameworks and methodologies that
the authors use to conduct this takes the spotlight. The analysis of the advertisements are
based on the Relevance Theory, Equivalence Theory, Skopos Theory, Nord's model of text
analysis and Schjoldager's microstrategies within the framework of Descriptive Translation
Studies (DTS). For the reader who is unfamiliar with all these theories, the research article
provides substantial clarification on what they are and how they work. The authors have also
clearly stated perfectly sound justification and reasoning behind the application of the
theories and frameworks with adequate evidence and references. This clearly exhibits signs
that the authors have a clear direction, understanding and expertise in the subject matter
and facilitates the readers to to gain trust in the research and information produced by these
authors.

The following segment which is Chapter 3 presents the chosen data which are the
advertisements and continues to provides analysis of the different translation strategies,
semiotics and techniques of persuasion used by The Coca-Cola Company. It should be
pointed out that there roughly 30 different advertisements analysed in great-detail using the
different methodologies in which all of the are accompanied by relevant imagery and
illustrations to aid the reader in comprehending the dissection of data provided. The
research method employed is that of a qualitative one as there is no statistical data being
analysed. This decision is highly suitable considering the topic and specific focus of research
that the authors have undertaken which applies much critical thinking and study behind
certain choices and decisions. The data collected is in the span of slightly over a century
beginning from the year 1905 until 2011. Such a wide timeframe allows the analysis and
findings to be more accurate, demonstrating the thought and measures taken to make this
research a successful one.

In the final segment of the study, the authors conclude the entire article by summarising the
gist of the finding and address the limitations of the study in which they acknowledge that the
research did not explore all areas of advertising as it was beyond the scope of the research.
As the chosen data of this research is print advertisements, the note that website
advertising, television and radio commercials employ different techniques. This enables the
readers to understand the further potential and undertakings of the study,

In essence, the authors have done a remarkable job in articulating and analysing the
advertisements as well as the translations. The article has successfully related the usage of
semiotics and its relevance to persuasion employed by advertisers in the medium of print
advertisements. Completing this read, it has become apparent that this research is an
important contribution to the respective field of advertising as well as other fields such as
marketing, semiotics and consumer behaviour.
Critical Review #7

Balci, V., & Özgen, C. (2017). What Sports Advertising Tell to Us? Semiotic
Analysis. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 5(6), 24. doi: 10.11114/jets.v5i6.2387

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oSQixhcMmAozdngVVWlVA1UYXxilA9ZZ/view?usp=sharing

This article written by Balci and Özgen discusses about how TV commercials make use of
sports elements and famous athletes in their attempts of persuading and directing a targeted
message to the consumers. The authors notes that it is far more imperative to study how
these messages are being sent out rather than the content of the message itself. The
research method employed in this article is qualitative whilst the approach of interpretation is
adopted allowing the author to express his perspective and take on the reasoning behind the
techniques of the advertisements.

The article consists of 5 topics beginning with the introduction where the author introduces
certain establishments in advance such as the purpose of the research. In the second
section, the methodology used is discussed with the reader providing with reasoning
supported by references and evidence behind the decision. This particular article employs
the semiotic analysis method which is the introduced and elaborated in detail, with tabulation
for easy understanding in the third topic. Within the same topic, the authors begin using the
chosen method of analysis to dissect and understand the reason of the chosen imagery in
advertisements with the provision of visual aids for further reader understanding. The fourth
topic is a discussion where their findings are once again examined ending with their
acknowledgements of limitations and future research in the fifth topic. Overall, this article
possesses a smooth reading flow, where one topic leads into the other seamlessly. The
reader does not feel lost or confused in the direction of the article with the topics being
placed in this manner.

Within the article, it is fair to say that each section of the article is well explained with great-
detail and in depth analysis is provided supported by convincing reasonings and utilisation of
published books and journal entries as his reference. However, several drawbacks in these
article are apparent throughout the read with the first one being severe errors in grammar as
well as sentence structures. One instance of this can be seen in the title of the article, "What
Sports Advertising Tell to Us? Semiotic Analysis" which is grammatically incorrect and can
also severely confuse the reader and making it challenging for them to understand the
meaning of the sentence. Another aspect that can be improved is the placement of the
visual aids. The visual representatives of the analysis is placed after it instead of before.
This poses a challenge to the reader as they are unable to connect the analysis to the
imagery in the beginning and can only do so after the dissection of data is complete. They
are able to only have a vague understanding of what to expect when reading the analysis as
the content relies heavily on the imagery of the TV commercials. The number of
advertisements analysed are merely three and it can be quite difficult to draw a proper
conclusion with such limited data. This limitation however is acknowledged by the authors
themselves which portrays them to completely self-aware also paving the path for further
analysis.

In conclusion, though certain drawbacks exist in the read, overall the authors have done a
satisfactory job in inspecting and study of the research topic. Detailed thought process was
exhibited by the author especially in terms of the flow of the topics as well as providing
context and background information to the readers who do not possess previous knowledge
in the field.