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VERBAL AND VISUAL SIGNS OF NIKE ADVERTISEMENT: A

SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS

BY

I Gusti Bagus Ngurah Somashrawa

English Department Faculty of Arts, Udayana University

Abstrak

Studi ini membahas tentang "Tanda Verbal dan Visual di iklan NIKE: Sebuah Analisis Semiotika", yang menggambarkan tanda-tanda verbal dan visual dalam iklan. Penelitian ini juga menganalisis tanda-tanda verbal dan visual yang mendukung iklan NIKE, dan fungsi dan makna dari tanda-tanda verbal dan visual yang ada di iklan. Ada empat teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu teori tanda visual dan verbal yang diusulkan oleh Dyer (1993), teori makna dan fungsi yang diusulkan oleh Leech (1977), teori tanda yang diuraikan oleh Chandler (2001), dan teori warna diusulkan oleh Chapman (2010).

Tanda-tanda verbal iklan menggunakan makna afektif untuk menarik orang tertarik pada produk. Fungsi ekspresif digunakan untuk mengekspresikan perasaan dan sikap pencetus nya. Arti konseptual juga digunakan dalam memberikan informasi dari pesan agar pembaca menangkap pesan dari iklan. Informasi Fungsi cenderung yang paling penting, yang menyampaikan informasi dari pembicara / penulis pendengar / pembaca. Makna konseptual dominan dalam penggunaan informasi bahasa. Mengenai hasil, makna dan fungsi dari tanda-tanda telah ditemukan dalam iklan. Arti dan fungsi tanda-tanda dapat dideteksi dari pembuat iklan yang memberitahu informasi tentang NIKE dan membujuk pembaca atau orang untuk mengunjungi toko.

Kata kunci: NIKE, tanda verbal, tanda visual, arti, fungsi

  • 1.    Background of the Study

The advertisement chosen to be analyzed as a case study is NIKE.

NIKE is well known around the world as the best quality of shoes that can be used for doing sport activities such as: dancing, running, football and else. The good features of NIKE shoes: Made of skins, using high technology. NIKE shoes has a competitive price with the other and then can make people satisfied when having it. Then, people can get the selection quality of the shoes with a better price. This is the reason why people choose NIKE than other brands.

  • 2.    Problems

Based on the background stated above, the problems of the study can be formulated into research questions as follows:

  • 1.            What verbal and visual signs are used in NIKE

advertisement?

  • 2.    What are the meaning and function of the verbal and visual signs used in the NIKE advertisement?

  • 3.    Aims

Every scientific study should have certain aims to be achieved in

relation to the formulated research problems. The aims of this study are as follows:

  • 1.    To find out the verbal and visual signs supported the NIKE advertisement.

  • 2.    To analyze the function and meaning of verbal and visual signs that exist in advertisement.

  • 4.    Research Method

The data in this study were taken from Nike Ad on Behance website (www.behance.net) and (http://innakristiannepalacios.files.wordpress.com).

The data were collected through documentation method. The data were taken from the two Ads presented above. The first, step is observing the data source, the second step were attempting to understand the data. Then, the verbal and visual signs data from the advertisement were retrieved. Finally, the data were then analyzed based on the applied theories of (i) verbal and visual sign by Dyer

(1993), (ii) the meaning and function by Leech (1974), (iii) theory of signs by Chandler (2001) and (iv) theory of colours by Chapman (2010).

The collected data were analyzed using qualitative method. It is used in order to explain the data based on the theory of visual and verbal sign proposed by Dyer (1993). Next, the meaning and function was analyzed based on the relevant theories by .Leech (1974), the theory of signs used to elaborate here is the theory proposed by Chandler (2001). Then, the aspects of colors were analyzed based on theories by Chapman (2010).

  • 5.    Result and Discussion

    • 5.1    NIKE advertisement 1

Informational Function is the function that tends to be the most important one, which conveys the information from the speaker/writer to the listener/reader. Conceptual meaning is also called logical or cognitive meaning. Conceptual Meanings are the essential or the core meaning while other six types are the peripheral. Conceptual meaning helps us distinguish one meaning from the meaning of other sentences. Thus, conceptual meaning is an essential part of language. A language essentially depends on conceptual meaning for communication. The conceptual meaning is the base for all the other types of meaning.

“What’s the Secret of the Speed?”

Informational Function is used to convey the information from the speaker/writer to the listener/reader. The conceptual meaning of this sentence is to attract people’s attention to know what kind of product is used to increase speed moreover, in this era, there are so many athletes who are looking for good quality of shoes for running race and comfort to use for daily activities.

Affective meaning refers to emotive association or effects of words evoked in the reader, listener. It is what is conveyed about the personal feelings or attitude towards the listener. In affective meaning, language is used to express personal feelings or attitude to the listener or to the subject matter of his

discourse. Expressive function can be used to express its originator’s feeling and attitudes, swear words and exclamations are the most obvious instances of this.

“Ask the Master”

The affective meaning of this sentence is to persuade the readers to ask the company about the product and is intended to introduce the readers about the product. This sentence reflects the affective meaning because it explains the personal feelings of the readers. Expression function is used in this sentence to express its originator’s feeling and attitudes.

  • 5.2             NIKE advertisement 2

Conceptual meaning is also called logical or cognitive meaning. Conceptual Meanings are the essential or core meaning while other six types are the peripheral. Conceptual meaning helps us distinguish one meaning from the meaning of other sentences. Thus, conceptual meaning is an essential part of language. A language essentially depends on conceptual meaning for communication. The conceptual meaning is the base for all the other types of meaning. Informational Function tends to be the most important one, which conveys the information from speaker/writer to listener/reader.

“Ruffles? No thanks.

I break rules. I prefer it modern.

Dare to dance by NIKE”

The conceptual meanings of these sentences are intended to change the people’s old style into a more modern and more confident with the NIKE shoes. The conceptual meanings of these sentences are also explained by comparing the old style with the modern style. Nowadays, many people prefer and feel confident with a more modern style because, it looks cool and is made of better materials and qualities. It is also designed specifically for Nike shoes to look cooler and comfortable in use by all people in this modern era. Informational function is used in this sentence to convey the information from speaker/writer to listener/reader.

“Allows me to custom design my shoes.

So I can dance with my own style”.

Affective meaning refers to emotive association or effects of words evoked by the reader to listener. It is what is conveyed about the personal feelings or attitude towards the listener. In affective meaning, language is used to express personal feelings or attitude to the listener or to the subject matter of his discourse. Expressive function it can be used to express its originator’s feeling and attitudes, swear words and exclamations are the most obvious instances of this. For this function, affective meaning is clearly important.

The affective meanings of these sentences are about the creator of the ad was bored with the old style and also like to have his own style that is more modern because, he considers shoes do not have good quality and would like to have or modify the more modern shoes in this era and also want to look more confident with the NIKE shoes. Expressive function is used in this sentence to express its originator’s feeling and attitudes.

  • 6.    Conclusion

The conceptual meaning is used to give information of the message in order to make the reader catch the message of the advertisement. Informational Function tends to be the most important one, which conveys the information from speaker/writer to listener/reader.

This is the description what the advertisement is all about and people can assume the meaning of these NIKE advertisements. In affective meaning, language in NIKE is used to express personal feelings of the advertisement or attitude to the listener or to the subject matter of his discourse. Expressive function is used here to express its originator’s feeling and attitudes, swear words

and exclamations are the most obvious instances of this. The viewers can easily

understand the function and meaning of the movement, place, physic and etc. Model in NIKE Advertisement is used for delivering the verbal and visual signs to make people interested to the product also there is hidden message behind it.

  • 7.        Bibliography

About NIKE: http://nikeinc.com/pages/about-nike-inc

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