Judith Williamson was an author and professor who analyzed advertisements from a semiotic perspective in her 1978 book "Decoding Advertisements." She argued that advertisements create meanings and social differentiation to promote ideologies about gender, beauty, and social groups. While her analysis of advertisements from the 1970s is still relevant today, updating her research to include perspectives from real audiences could strengthen her arguments. Overall, her work fundamentally changed how media texts are analyzed and has continued influencing scholars through its insights into how advertisements construct meaning and shape society.

1. Assignment 2
The reading I have chosen to analyse is Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in
Advertising (1978). Chapter 1, "A Currency of Signs" by Judith Williamson. This essay will
contextualize and evaluate this extract and dissect Williamson’s school of thought to find
out its relevance to media conditions today.
Her book explores the theory that advertising has no meaning but we the consumer create
all the meaning. An advertised product “initially has no meaning, must be given value by a
person or object which already has a value to us, i.e., already means.” (Williamson,
1978:31). She analyses in detail the functions and appealing natures of advertisements,
seeing their ideological function and how advertisements have affected media society in the
modern times. The book critically examines through over a hundred different illustrations of
advertisements of her time to find out their ideological and economic function and how it
changes individuals and the society they live in.
The first chapter of her book analyses a class of media texts using semiotic signs and
exploring the behaviour of audiences to those sign in advertisements. The extract “A
Currency of Signs” introduces what semiotic signs are and how they work with media texts.
Semiotic signs are meanings and interpretations humans create when observing something
in Williamson’s extract the semiotic signs are from her chosen advertisements. According to
Ferdinand Saussure, a semiotician who laid the foundations of semiotics for society today,
signs only consists of two key elements. The two elements are a signifier and a signified, and
this can only gain some meaning when “it has someone to mean to. Signifier, the material
object, and the signified, which is its meaning.” (Williamson, 1978:17). For example, the
word horse can be interpreted differently by each person the concept is signified and the
sign is the actual thing in the real world.
Williamson in reference to Saussure states, “The referent is external to the sign, whereas the
signified is part of the sign” (1978:17). A viewer’s own interpretations of a text are
important, as they will be drawing from their own codes and cultural values, which is what
this text explores. The extract then has various visible examples of print advertisements in
media culture of that time and Williamson analyses these examples showing us the pattern
that adverts have a certain way of working. Her argument and what she is fundamentally
saying is that advertisements serve another purpose, that there is an advert behind the
actual advertisement, to subconsciously get people ideologies with different messages.

2. Assignment 2
Adverts such as the Marlboro promoting cigarettes or a perfume advert also promoting how
female should look and what is considered beautiful or not. For the cigarette advert, her
idea is that “Connecting an object with an object” (Williamson, 1978:22) with the use of
colour can then give the assumption that the cigarette and the other object have the same
qualities. For example, A4 has a cup of coffee next to a pack of cigarettes which makes the
cigarette more desirable creating suggestions of both being mildness and richness. The
coffee “acts as an objective correlative” (Williamson, 1978:22) making the quality to invoke.
Williamson explains this using differentiation where “the first function of an advertisement
is to create a differentiation between one particular product and others in the same
category” (Williamson, 1978:24). In her A8 example Catherine’s face and the bottle are only
linked by juxtaposition, but placed together in assumption they both have the same
meaning. The image of her face signifies the representation of the product and the image
differentiates from a product to another in the same brand. The style of advertising is
reflective of totemsium.
The idea that already present elements of social groups that you see yourself apart in the
advert will help decide what product you’re going to buy. Mystical, magic and mythical
values are used in association with the product. “An aura of significance that they tell
something about their buyers and actually sell directly to them” (Williamson, 1978:45).
Adverts like women’s hair conditioner claimto have magical properties as the advert is
shown in a magical way to make people think that the product can alter their physical
appearance by using that product, persuading them to buy or consume thinking, it could
have the capacity to achieve the unachievable. Adverts such as the Catherine Deneuve
doing a photoshoot and adding the perfume bottle while she is trying to look desirable and
attractive, promotes the idea that the perfume bottle made me her look like at that. In
reality, it is just the meaning, images and lifestyle that people want through the labels of the
product. The idea of naturalness can be seen utilised as well; in society, naturalness is
accepted meaning unnaturalness is not as much accepted socially. “It is clear that social
values are simply being hammered into nature, which may then be produced to ratify the
original” (Williamson, 1978:124). Nature is a powerful element in advertisement that can
correlate with the product being labelled as such and like totemisum the naturel in adverts
has properties of fresh, enchanting and mystical.

3. Assignment 2
Judith Williamson was born on May 13th 1954, and is currently 63 years old. Williamson was
an author-tuned filmmaker who is also a professor and journalist teaching cultural studies at
Maidstone College of art. The book was originally published in 1978 but has been
republished more than 15 times because the information written is still relevant to the
world of media and human thinking. Williamson’s to a semiotic approach media and her
explanation on advertising has no meaning was praised for through her own experiences
advertising is given a narrative to which it is given meaning. Jonathan Bignell a professor of
film and television reinforces that by stating, “Contemporary ads do not directly ask us to
buy products at all. The aim of ads is to engage us in their structure of meaning” (1997:31).
One of the strengths to her book is that she identifies the structure of advertisements and
how it affects people in society. People generally found her work insightful as she “drew on
current semi-logical methods. The kind of cultural Marxist and structuralism which she
applied has greatly influenced and persisted in other recent work” (Sinclair, 2012:6). Besides
Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising (1978) other notable works
of hers where she analyses aspects of filmand media include Consuming Passions: The
Dynamics of Popular Culture (1988) and Deadline at Dawn: Film Writings (1992).
Judith Williamson semiotic approach to advertisements and currency of sign was successful.
Her explanation of how adverts hold different ideological functions that can change or
create a person’s view on something and how it can affect society itself was proved to us
through her illustrative examples. Her argument is strong because it’s still relevant today as
well still see these components in adverts today that Williamson pointed out as well as
without those sings an advert would not be the same. Her work has had an impacted on
media studies today with her work on audience behaviour to adverts has been insightful, as
Sinclair states, Williamson’s work: “has greatly influenced and persisted in other recent
work, notably that of Robert Goldman, who has coined the notion of commodity-sign”
(Sinclair, 2012:6). Although her book and school of thought is well known in the media
studies canon and have been insightful for media studies, I did find some issues with her
idea. Her work has been reprinted multiple times because her model works well with
advertisements finding the meanings of them by decoding them. However, a semiotic study
points out the ideologies behind the media text but it doesn’t necessarily consider whether
those ideologies are actually accepted by the ‘real’ actual audience. If I were to do a similar

4. Assignment 2
study, I would improve by testing my ideas with a group of real people who all have
different backgrounds and lives to each other. I would gain their opinions and ideologies
one each advert and write down my result then gaining real evidence that semiotics does
show people ideologies. The advertisements in all editions of her book are also in black and
white and Williamson talks a lot of about the use of colour within these adverts, but for the
reader you cannot see the colours only the words she described of the objects.
In addition, Williamsons work is still relevant because it is still being used today in adverts.
Her idea and model to contemporary advertisements today still fits and is relevant because
the nature of how advertisements work in society will not change a whole lot meaning her
work on adverts is right, especially when you look at the advert she analysed are not too
different to adverts we get today. For example, the international dairy foods association
made an advert with Dwayne the rock Johnson where he is holding a cat showing off his
muscles while doing his signature eyebrow look at the camera, having a milk moustache.
Then a picture of the glass of milk at the side with a strapline. This advert is not different
from the Chanel No. 5 advert in Williamson’s book, both use the same models and elements
that Judith proposed. Dwayne Johnson is one of the most famous and beloved celebrities
and having him endorse the awareness to drink milk helps promote it using his social status
and fame just like Catherine Deneuve. Her model of the natural being a more persuasive
element in adverts is being shown. The government made this advert to get more people
drinking milk in general because in society people all know that drinking milk is good for the
bones and such. Scientifically milk is not that healthy for humans as society makes it out to
be in advertisements like these. They want to sell milk to people so it makes sense that the
whole concept of the advert is very natural looking with the cat who is associated with
drinking milk and cats are very beloved by nearly everyone and have naturel properties to it,
most animals do because we see them in their naturel sate living in the wild a place which
naturel from any major human activity. That and the tree being the background correlates
with the product of milk is being labelled as such and totemisum is being utilised as well.
Having a healthy successful person like Dwayne showing off his muscles persuades people
mainly men to buy and consume milk as tries to claimto have magical properties. It can
make people think that the product can alter their physical appearance to look more like

5. Assignment 2
Dwayne. With him flexing his muscle, saving a cat out of the tree, and adding a milk glass
promotes the idea that milk from your local stores made him look and become that.
Similarly, women’s fashion advertisements today also utilise her model. Today perfume
adverts and such are one of the only adverts that have changed at all from the 1940’s. For
example, DKNY has an advert where a blonde model is eating a fresh green apple will the
perfume bottle shaped as an apple is at the top of a pile of real apples. The concept of the
naturel is speaking aloud with the actual product being shaped like apple links it to totesium
and differentiation. The apples look fresh and sweet suggests that the perfume is sweet and
irresistible like an apple. The colouration of the whole image is gold and yellow, the colour
invokes the feeling of joy, magic, passion, warmth, and such it associates that to the
perfume. One way this advert is different and evolved from previous fashion adverts of the
past is that they did not use what’s considered a perfect person to model the product.
Obviously there is not perfect looking person just opinions of perfection but in the is advert
the company made the decision to get a model with a gap tooth to reach a wider range of
audience their targeting. Getting across the message that you will still look and smell
amazing with our product even though the model is not perfect to traditional perfume
advertisements.
To conclude I think Williamson’s work is relevant today because of well it fits in
advertisements today and from the past. Her analyses I though is right and is insightful on
how “it creates structures of meaning” (Williamson, 1997:11) and ideology in adverts. I also
think that adverts are the same but have also evolved keeping up with contemporary times
but still keeping in the style of advertising. New forms of adverts that was not there before
like commercials and pop ups also still relates to Williamson’s work. Her study is a great in
depth guide about ways advertisements can decoded.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bignell, J . (1997) Media semiotics: An introduction. Manchester University Press.
Sinclair, J. (2012) Advertising, the Media and Globalisation: A World in Motion. Routledge.
Williamson, J. (1988) Consuming Passions: The Dynamics of Popular Culture. London Marion
boyars

6. Assignment 2
Williamson, J. (1992) Deadline at Dawn: Film Writings. London Marion boyars
Williamson, J. (1978) Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising.
London Marion boyars
Intro- whois Williamson,history,andhermotivations.Infomrationaboutthe readingandhistory
Intro- Describe
The essayis askingyouto considerthe relevance of the approachandfindingsto mediaconditions
today
Her mainpoint The advertbehindthe advertegfemininitybeautyormale majority.
Justads create differentiationbetweentheirproductandotherslike it, theycreate social
differentiationbetweengroupsof people.Asencourage usalignourselveswithanddifferentate
ourselvesfromothers.
“She drewon currentsemilogical methods,the analysisof how meaningisproducedwithinimages,
to showhowmagazine advertisementswere structuredsoasto invoke commoncultural meanings
familiartoreaders.”Advertising,the MediaandGlobalisation:A WorldinMotion 2012:9
“But has anothermeaning,whichIbelieve inmanywaysreplacesthattraditionallyfulfilledbyart
and religion.Itcreatesstructuresof meaning”1997:11
“It is notmy purpose here tomeasure itsinfluence.Todoso wouldrequire sociological research
and consumerdatadrawingon a far widerrange of material thanthe advertisementsthemselves.I
am simplyanalyzingwhatcanbe seeninadvertisements.Their veryexistence inmore thanone
mediumgivesthemashortof independentrealitythatlinksthemtoourownlives;since bothshare
a continuitytheyconstitute worldexperiencedasreal"(Williamson,11)