Exercise C

 This advertisement is designed by an American food processing company called Heinz.

Through the use of semiotics in their graphic, this advertisement draws on our perception of reality to create meaning.

A clear signifier used in this advertisement would be the sliced-up tomato pieces that form the shape of a glass bottle. Based on the context that Heinz is a ketchup company, the tomato pieces signify the freshness of the ketchup made by Heinz. This can be observed from the graphic’s close resemblance to the fruit , bright, plump and juicy, implying that the ketchup – which is made up of this fruit – would have the same characteristics as well. 

The fact that they used a real tomato to form the shape of the ketchup bottle implies the authenticity of the ketchup ingredient, suggesting that Heinz uses mostly fresh ingredients in their ketchup. It could also imply that the ketchup tastes just like fresh tomatoes, highlighting the sense of authenticity in its taste. 

The intention of purpose in this advertisement appears to be indicative, as Heinz attempts to influence the thought process of their consumers. Despite being the manufacturer of a food-processing company, Heinz wants to subvert the notion that processed food is unhealthy and not fresh, by highlighting the freshness of the tomatoes in comparison to the ketchup. 

Given that fresh tomatoes are actually healthy and filled with vitamins, Heinz could be associating those traits with its ketchup. 

The use of semantics in relation to the signifier further supports the two key characteristics of freshness and authenticity, that Heinz is attempting to build on.  Heinz claims that “no one grows ketchup” like they do. 

The word “grow” here, further builds on the “organic” concept where Heinz brands their ketchup as being fresh and self-grown. It also highlights a sense of sincerity in their products. This subverts the image of food processing company which merely mass manufactures their goods. The fact that Heinz can claim that “no one” can grow their ketchup this way also highlights their sense of confidence in their product.  

The use of syntactic is seen from the contrast in different shades of red, where the centre part is a significantly brighter shade of red. This seems to bring our eyes to the centre apex of the advertisement, placing the emphasis on their prided product – the Heinz Ketchup. The rich red colour further emphasises the richness of the ketchup.  

All in all, Heinz seems to emphasize greatly on the 3 key physical characteristics of the ketchup – being authentic, fresh, and rich. The words and the image come together to set Heinz apart from its competitor as a superior ketchup brand.


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