Interpreting Advertisements: A Semiotic Guide, Language, Media & Education Studies, Import

by Marcel Danesi

111 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2010

About the author

Marcel Danesi (b. Marcello Danesi, 1946) is a current Professor of Semiotics and Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto. He is known for his work in language, communications, and semiotics; being Director of the Program in Semiotics and Communication Theory.

He has also held positions at Rutgers University (1972), The University of Rome "La Sapienza" (1988), the Catholic University of Milan (1990), and the University of Lugano.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies and is a past-president of the Semiotic Society of America.

Reviews

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great little introductory whirlwind through semiotics and how they can be applied to advertisements. The information on semiotics that was presented was immediately applied to the case of a particular advertisement which made the book easy for me to read and contributed greatly to my understanding through the examples. Many of the advertisements investigated are shown in black and white with the except for two Chanel pieces where permission to reproduce the ad was not granted (boo). Several videos disappointingly aren't featured visually in any way but the description of them is decently thorough. The actual images are beginning to feel dated, being from the early 1990's, but the commentary on culture that accompanies the interpretations still feels valid.