Cultural Codes in a Bottle: A Comparative Semiotic Analysis of Coca-Cola and Sprite Advertisements

Abstract

The popularity of a product among the public is considered as a massive source of competition in the contemporary world of consumerism. Advertisements are used as the medium to achieve this popularity that is the visual, verbal and non-verbal promotion of a service, product, or idea used for targeting the audience and expecting their favourable response. An advertisement uses signs and symbols as its non-verbal elements. The present study is concerned with the analysis of the visual and non-verbal signs and symbols to see how Eastern and Western cultures differently construct the denotative and connotative meanings and their depiction of the myth prevalence behind the distinct cultures. The study uses Roland Barthes’ theory to comparatively analyze the Western advertisement of Coca-Cola and an Eastern advertisement of Sprite to interpret and compare the cultural narratives and myths behind the signs and symbols. The results of the study shows the literal and cultural narratives depicted through the signs and symbols and the myths behind these elements used in the advertisements. The findings of the study reveal a stark contrast between the values that the Eastern and Western cultures associate with different objects and events and also in their depiction of myths that is in the construction and the deconstruction of the myths prevalent of these distinct cultures. Future researchers can incorporate the same framework to analyze even larger sets of advertisements, including the comparison of old and new trends in advertisements, and study them for a wide range of other products and services like healthcare, hygiene products and maternity and feminine health products etc to reveal even richer cultural perspectives on different aspects of life.