Mindful decoding of marketing communications: marketing semiotics

The moment we step out of the house, subtle signs of marketing attempts made by communication experts start surfacing. At times, these attempts go overboard by creating an undesirable attitude towards a brand. However, signage, hoardings, banners, road signs, traffic lights, the attire of people walking on the street, the hawkers, roadside eateries, the body language of the crowd are all communication signals in one way or the other. Indian market place is busy with people from different states coming together for business. Therefore, the communications have to be such that people can comprehend the messages inspite of their varied regional backgrounds. Thus, an intermingling of cultures and a very high diversity in terms of clothing, language, mannerisms makes designing of messages even more complicated since they have to suit different folks. Media revolves around every person for grabbing attention; this research describes these attempts to understand the science behind communication in a simplified manner in a crowded place. Metaphors, metonymy, syntagms and paradigms are four concepts related to semiotics that drive the interpretations of the messages. This paper renders interesting observations on marketing communication, analyses and decodes different signs and symbols in a creative manner giving the science of semiotics a whole new dimension.