1. Convention Tabulator – Semiotic Tool #2 of the series
Breakthrough using ‘recombination’
Useful for:
Marketers
Innovators &
Advertisers

2. Semiotics is the science of meaning
Take at look at this picture, you probably recognise the style. Semioticians call this a ‘Code,’ namely, Impressionism.
Let’s explore a bit of jargon to get going....
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

3. Semiotic codes operate as a system with scale E.g.Z
Zeit Code – Culture versus nature
Uber Code – Western high culture
Meta Code – French high culture
Code - Impressionism
Sub Code - Park scenes
Meaning units
Code Device - Women holding sun umbrellas

4. Bear in mind some definitions
to begin unwrapping semiotics
Codes operate on different scales going from mega big to very small and precise.
A Zeit code – is a broad set of metaphors operating internationally. E.g. The idea of culture being civilised versus nature as uncivilised.
An Uber code operates across a continent or region that has cultural similarities and describes a common concept e.g. Western high culture
A Meta code is an overall theme within a Uber Code e.g. French ‘High Culture’ which often brings to mind art (painting)
A Code is expression of that theme e.g. Impressionism as an artistic movement expressed by painters such as Seurat or Monet
A Sub Code is a further atomisation or expression of the Code which is common to that Code e.g. scenes in parks were common Codes of Impressionism
A Code device is a part of a Sub Code which is recognisable as a part of the whole as you see it again and again e.g. People holding umbrellas to create shade from the sunshine.

5. Semiotics is the science of meaning cont’d
Let’s get back to the picture
Most people look at the picture and see a French impressionist painting
You don’t consciously have to look at the umbrella, the clothes, the river, the use of colour (Sub Codes) – you just instantly know this overall style
There’s a lot of information here you don’t consciously process (Sub Codes) but they are essential to understanding the overall picture
So - a meaning of genuine impressionist painting that most people would agree on is ‘refined culture’
Yet this is trash can impressionism!
The painting is made up of soda cans which transforms this visual into something else entirely
It’s meaning becomes pop-art impressionism, effectively perverting intellectual culture.
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

6. Semiotics is the science of meaning cont’d
Often we don’t understand how we arrive at meaning so quickly. We just do it
Semiotics breaks down meaning into units (Sub Codes and Code Devices) which can be recombined to create new meanings
So you can make the familiar strange very quickly by using different meaning units (e.g. soda cans)
Check it out - the cans are easy to see in the umbrella in picture “A” below and become less obvious as you move to picture “B” and “C” respectively A B C
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

7. Semiotics is the science of meaning cont’d
All you have to do is take the basic structure (the Code – in this example, Impressionism) and change meaning fast by using different meaning units (e.g. Soda cans)
So in this example we move from a meaning of refined culture for a ‘pure’ impressionist painting
And end up at a meaning of pop culture impressionism or more specifically trash can impressionism simply by using soda cans to create art
Applying recombination in this way is a low risk, high reward approach to generating breakthrough comms & products and services
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

8. Demo of the power of your unconscious to recognise codes & meaning
Read this....
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! Those whacky kids at Cambridge, what will they come up with next?
This is a bit small could we make it 20% bigger?
Language is a complicated multi layered code. It’s so powerful that our unconscious recognises the code even when it’s been messed with. You have just experienced the power of your unconscious to recognise codes and meaning.
semiotic-analysis™ – see

9. And de-code intuitively if a pizza restaurant is
authentic, fashionable or status driven
You tap into knowledge that sits there in the background and ‘read’ these different pizza restaurants.
How?
You ‘read’ the pizza restaurant ‘Code’ overall to get a feeling without even consciously thinking about it
You don’t look at all the Sub codes (e.g. Floor type + furniture type + pictures) add them up and go ‘ah this is a so and so type of pizza restaurant’
Instead you are an instinctive semiotician – the trouble is you don’t know what you are doing and how to apply it systematically or how to escape your unconscious assumptions around Codes.
This is a bit small could we make it 20% bigger?
semiotic-analysis™ – see

10. Example of semiotic recombination Let’s...
Find the ‘Codes’ of an advertising category; and
Use them to create breakthrough advertising
Bear in mind...
To do this at a ‘high’ level takes years of practice!
However anyone can do this basic exercise and benefit hugely from it
The end result of the exercise is it allows you to spot new ways of ‘recombining’ standard codes of advertising
The reason you might want to do this is a follows - it can create breakthrough territories to explore at low risk – this is a real example which came through from agency training
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

11. Breakthrough with semiotics - Step 1
To begin, we will identify the standard themes (Sub Codes) you would expect to see on air travel ads (Code). To warm up, here’s some visuals for some key themes you’ll spot
Discovery
Comfort
Service
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view

12. Step 1 – Figure 1 – Sub codes
We fill in the Sub Codes across the top of the grid as noted below, leaving the left hand column blank until Step 2.
Sub Code = Discover
Sub Code = Comfort
Sub Code = Service
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

13. Breakthrough with semiotics - Step 2
You need to get your head into the category fast – so:
Look at 10 typical airline ads on YouTube
When you watch the adverts, have front of mind the airline Sub codes noted in Step 1 – discover/ comfort/service – which are being communicated in the ads (the what)
Jot down any other Sub Codes (ie the different expressions/ways used to communicate the Codes) you see
And then jot down any examples of those Sub Codes that appear again and again (Code Devices)
Figure 2 overleaf shows a table generated from doing this exercise
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view

14. Step 2 - Figure 2: the Sub Codes of airline advertising
Sub Codes / Code Device
Sub Code = Discovery
Sub Code = Comfort
Sub Code = Service
Code Device
Planes flying in the sky
People asleep
Welcome Smiling hostess
Holiday Beaches
Roomy Seats
High Quality Food
Exotic Destinations
Staff Putting Pillows out for those asleep
‘Luxury’ Environments
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

15. Step 2 - Figure 2: the Codes of airline advertising
Look at Figure 2 below. A client found an interesting Rubik’s recombination by considering the Sub Code of ‘Service’ – (Code Device = Smiling Crew) and Sub Code of ‘Discover’ (Code Device = Exotic Destinations).
This created a new Sub Code of Authentic Destinations
Codes / Sub Codes
Sub Code = Discovery
Sub Code = Comfort
Sub Code = Service
Code Device
Planes flying
People asleep
Welcome
Smiling hostess
Holiday Beaches
Roomy Seats
High Quality Food
Exotic Destinations
Staff Putting Pillows out for those asleep
‘Luxury’ Environments
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

16. Step 2 - Figure 2 New Sub Code created Authentic Destinations
Code Device: Where our staff go on holiday
Where we go
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
This Qantas air stewardess is holidaying in Fiji where Qantas fly to
semiotic-analysis™ – see

17. Breakthrough with semiotics - Step 3
Overall you are looking for interesting combinations
Imagine you had a Rubik’s cube and....
Each side of the cube is a Sub Code
And each square on each side is a Code device
Now - rotate the cube at random and you’ll create a new set of Sub Codes by combining Code Devices – just like we did in the air travel example completed in Step 2
Using this approach allows you to stand out’ (e.g. From Step 2 - staff profiled in adverts) yet ‘stand in’ (pictured in paradise)
Maps allow you to Map the Visible stuff
Onto what the underlying beliefs are to get the macro view
semiotic-analysis™ – see

18. Want more information on breaking through with semiotics?
Please
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