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ABSTRACT
Kita sering kali melihat iklan dalam berbagai bentuk, baik dalam bentuk gambar, tulisan bahkan suara. Terkadang kita tidak menyadari bahwa iklan tersebut sedang mengusung suatu konsep atau menyimpan makna yang lebih dalam namun tetap dikemas sedemikian rupa sehingga menarik perhatian publik. Semiotika adalah ilmu yang mempelajari tanda yang sangat tepat untuk digunakan dalam menganalisis iklan dengan tujuan mengungkapkan pesan-pesan di balik gambar dalam suatu iklan.
Dalam skripsi ini, saya menganalisis dua buah iklan Voodoo Hosiery. Voodoo Hosiery merupakan produk fashion terkenal di Australia yang memproduksi stoking dan beragam legging. Saya menangkap suatu konsep yang mereka gunakan dalam iklan seri mereka, yaitu konsep female domination.
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CHAPTER TWO : THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Semiotics ... 6
2.2 Saussure’s Theory ... 7
2.3 Barthes’ Theory ... 8
2.4 Female domination ... 10
CHAPTER THREE : FEMALE DOMINATION IN VOODOO HOSIERY ADVERTISEMENTS 3.1 Female domination in Voodoo Hosiery Advertisement One. ... 15
3.2 Female Domination in Voodoo Hosiery Advertisement Two. ... 34
CHAPTER FOUR : CONCLUSION ... 49
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 54
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APPENDIX
• Voodoo Hosiery advertisement one.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
2 Maranatha Christian University written warning for drivers because they do not need to read long phrases or sentences. Based on The Routledge Companion To Semiotics, not only do signs take the form of words and images but also gestures. (Cobley 26) For example, if somebody is standing with hands on hips, this gesture signifies aggression. (Frater) Those forms can be united in one medium such as advertisements. If we try to analyze those signs by using relevant theories, we can get a profound message from it.
In this thesis, I would like to analyze two Voodoo advertisements using semiotics. I believe these advertisements in the form of pictures and texts are used to deliver a message to the public. Two theories that I will use in analyzing each element in those advertisements are those from Saussure and Barthes. Saussurean semiotics defines that a sign consists of “signified and signifier” (“Sign”). Based on Course in General Linguistics, sign itself is an arrangement of “signifier and signified”. “The two elements are intimately united, and each recalls the other” (Saussure 66). To make signified and signifier clearer, Saussure retains “sign to designate the whole and to replace concept and sound-image respectively by signified [signifie] and signifier [signifiant]” (Saussure 67). Different from Saussure, Barthes sees semiotics a little bit deeper than what Saussure does. According to Barthes, there is a “second-order semiological system”. In the “second-order semiological system” the sign in the first system is used to be the “signifier in the second-order system.” Therefore, Barthes does not stop until finding the signified but he continues till myth. (113)
3 Maranatha Christian University advertisements of Voodoo as my data resources. The first reason why I choose these advertisements is because all Voodoo advertisements on billboards are provocative. They become provocative because they always show naked men who are dominated by women. Hence, to show this message I need to analyze the two advertisements by using semiology since there are some signifiers that convey one message that many people need to know. The second reason is because they are the first two advertisements by Voodoo.
Voodoo is a legwear brand in Australia. Based on voodoohosiery.com.au, “Voodoo is the number one legwear brand in department stores, with Australian women seeking its fashion forward and innovative styles for corporate dressing, and special occasions” (“Voodoo”). Based on voodoohosiery.com.au, Voodoo becomes a number one legwear in department stores because of its quality, its up-to-date design and also its promotion. One of their promotional media is printed advertisements. Their advertisements always bring the concept of Voodoo. This concept can be seen in all their advertisements, especially their ad campaigns that are formed as billboards. As a winter hosiery brand, Voodoo sells stockings, leggings, opaque stockings made from thick materials that the customers will feel warm when they wear them in winter.
I am sure that using Saussure’s and Barthes’s semiotics can help me analyze the Voodoo advertisements. I purpose to show all signifiers and signified in these advertisements. The relationship between signifiers and signified leads us to get the sign system and finally reveal the message in the advertisement.
4 Maranatha Christian University and aware that some common things that we often take for granted actually carry a message.
By reading this thesis, people will not only treat advertisements as a cool picture or a media of promotion but also get a deeper message from it by using semiotics theory.
759 words
1.2 Statement of the Problem
In this thesis I would like to analyse the following:
1. What are the signifiers and the signified of Voodoo advertisements?
2. How do the signifiers and signified reveal the concept of female domination in the advertisements?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1. To know the signifiers and signified in the Voodoo advertisements.
2. To show how the signifiers and signified reveal the concept of female domination in the advertisements.
1.4 Methods of Research
5 Maranatha Christian University and signified in those advertisements through Semiotics. Finally, I wrote my thesis.
1.5 Organization of the Thesis
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analysing those two Voodoo’s advertisements using semiology, I notice that the advertisements put forward female domination concept. The advertisements adopt female domination concept because the female domination itself is in line with Voodoo’s tagline, which is “by using feminine power, it can bring men to their knees”.
In the first advertisement, the elements of female domination are more obvious than that of the second one. The first advertisement depicts the elements of dominatrix and the slave, which can be seen in female domination. On the other hand, in the second advertisement, the elements of dominatrix still appear but the image of a slave who is represented by the man is not as obvious as that in the first advertisement.
50 Maranatha Christian University placement of the women and the men in these two advertisements become the first order in sign system.
In the first advertisement, there is a woman and two muscular tanned naked men; while, in the second advertisement, there are three women and one muscular tanned naked men. In the first advertisement, there is one woman and two men. We can see that the woman is really powerful. We can see her power from her body language and her attitude towards the man. As I have explained in Chapter Three, her body language shows that she is more powerful than the men. Besides, she is in complete control of the two men.
In the second advertisement, there are three women and one man. We still can see that the women are more powerful than the man from their body language and their attitude towards the man, but in this case, it needs three women to bring the man down which is different from the first advertisement. I have noticed that there are some reasons for the contrastive number of women and men between the first and second advertisements. I strongly believe that one of the reasons for using three women is because “three” is connected to sexuality which supports the concept of female domination. Besides, the position of the three women creates an image of a penis which is related to sexuality.
51 Maranatha Christian University statement about male/female power and equality which was very topical at the time.” Even though the second advertisement is not as strong as the first advertisement, the second advertisement has the same concept as the first advertisement which is female domination.
I also find that Voodoo always uses a muscular tanned naked man. This is stated on Voodoo’s facebook, “…again with the trademark naked Voodoo man.” So, I believe that Voodoo’s trademark is the naked man and the man is objectified in here. As in female domination, men are always objectified.
As I have written in Chapter Two, female domination is part of female supremacy. In female domination, the woman is always the superior sex, while the man is the submissive one. The woman is called dominatrix; while, the man is called slave. As a slave, the man will always be controlled and subdued by the dominatrix. The concept of female domination itself is against patriarchal. For society which uses patriarchal system, men are more important than women. Women seem to be complimentary for men’s existence. On the other hand, Voodoo tries to change the traditional idea commonly known in society. This is strengthened by the statement of Voodoo in their Facebook which is “… changing traditional ideas of male/female power, which really set the Voodoo brand apart.”
52 Maranatha Christian University After analysing the two advertisements using semiotics, I realize that semiotics which involves Sausure’s, Barthes’ theory needs other supporting theories so that my analysis will be more thorough. In order to back up my analysis, I relate my analysis with the female domination concept, and a little bit of female supremacy.
As a researcher, I believe it is very important to master the basic knowledge of semiotics. The understanding of the first order and the second order of a sign is so important. So, I relate the first and the second order in the advertisements with female domination concept and the element inside of it.
For further researchers, they can analyse more from Voodoo advertisements, because I find that these advertisements can be analysed from totally different points of view. I believe it will be very interesting to analyse the advertisements from another point of view. We will find not only what can be seen in advertisements but also what cannot be seen; for example, about the number of women and men in the second advertisement. If we use a different theory, it can lead us to a different interpretation. Besides, there are five more Voodoo’s advertisements which I have not analysed.
Semiotics teaches me not only to pay attention to what is clearly seen but also to the unseen one. Semiotics leads me to learn many ideologies, concepts, thoughts that are related to my research. Semiotics makes me aware of not taking any pictures or signs for granted. We will know more about signs and the message behind them.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text(s)
Voodoo.Web. 05 September 2012.
“Voodoo Ad Campaigns.” Facebook.com. 7 May 2012. Web. 05 September 2012.
References
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Chandler, Daniel. “Sign.” Semiotics for Beginners. 13 January 2009. Web. 22 October 2011.
Cobley, Paul, ed. The Routledge Companion To Semiotics. Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
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Maranatha Christian University “Concept development in Marketing and Advertising.” Brigitte Schuster's
Writing. Web. 01 Oktober 2012.
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Fredrickson, Barbara., Tomi-Ann Roberts. Objectification Theory. United States of America: Cambridge University.1997.
Gamble, Sarah, Ed. Feminism and Postfeminism. New York: Routledge, 2006. PDF File.
“History of Gloves.” Gloves.2005. Web. 16 September 2012.
“Hosiery.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionaru 7th Edition. 2005. Print.
Lorelei, Mistress. The Mistress Manual The Good Girl's Guide to Female Dominance. PDF File.
Murnen, Sarah K, et al. Sex Roles vol. 49. 2003. PDF File.
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Maranatha Christian University “National Geographic Study: Women Prefer Their Men Tanned.” August Man.
Web. 25 September 2012.
“Power Body Language.” Changing Minds. 2002. Web. 25 September 2012. Saussure, Ferdinand. Course in General Linguistic. United States of America: The
Philosophical Library, Inc, 1959. PDF File. Sutton, Elise. Female Domination. 2003. PDF File.
“Teaching Dogs Not to Pull on Leash.” Webmd. Web. 05 September 2012. “The History of Voodoo Dolls.” Planet Voodoo. Web. 01 July 2013. “The Marlboro Man.” Adage. Web. 05 September 2012.
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