Abstract
Brands are semiotic systems that create value in the marketplace by differentiating competitors in a category, forming emotional connections with consumers, and aligning the company’s symbolic equities with contemporary cultural trends. The author aims to expand the current state of semiotics for marketing beyond advertising research to the whole gamut of media and consumer touch points in contemporary marketing, from strategic communication to retail design and consumer behavior. The importance of this paper is not limited to marketing, but raises important issues about connections heretofore ignored between semiotics, business, and the production of value in the marketplace.
About the author
Laura R. Oswald (b. 1958) is a consultant and independent scholar. Her research interests include semiotic theory, brand semiotics, ethno-semiotics, and visual semiotics. Her publications include “Semiotics and strategic brand management” (2010); “The role of advertising in developing brand literacy among affluent Chinese consumers” (2010); Marketing semiotics: Signs, strategies, and brand value (2012); and Creating value: The theory and practice of marketing semiotics (2015).
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