A Semiotic Analysis of Lipstick Advertisements by Using Charles Sanders Peirce’s Theory

Abstract

This study is attempted to explain and analyze the semiotic process and the meaning of icons, indexes, and symbols in lipstick advertisements. The semiotic approach is used to identify and analyze the data which focuses on representamen, object, and interpretant by using the triadic semiosis concept of Charles Sanders Pierce’s theory. The objectives of this research are to find out the meaning of icons, indexes, and symbols in the lipstick advertisements and explains their semiosis process. This research applied the descriptive qualitative analysis method. Based on the finding, the researchers found the lipstick advertisements using the semiosis process triadic and it started from the representamen. Also, the researcher found the semiosis process form in the three data of lipstick advertisements and found the interpretation of the three icons (pictures), one index (cause by an effect), and seven symbols (written language) from three data of the lipstick advertisements. Besides, the researcher also finds that the picture (icon) on the advertisement can be the first aspect that can give direction to the meaning. From the result analysis, it can be affirmed that all aspects of the advertisements have different meanings and different interpretations.