Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

30 p.

Publication Date

2006

Publisher

Philosophy Documentation Center

Source Publication

American Journal of Semiotics

Source ISSN

0277-7126

Original Item ID

doi: 10.5840/ajs2006221/49

Abstract

This semiotic analysis of early Nike women's advertising explores the evolution of the women's brand from its launch in 1990 through 2000, and includes twenty-seven print campaigns. The semiotic analysis is enhanced by in-depth interviews of the creative team. The study is framed by a single research question. What symbolically ties these ten years of advertising into a cohesive whole and how? Ultimately, three distinct mediated communities emerge. The story behind these communities, expressed semiotically and orally, suggests that the power of this advertising lies in its mediated construction of community life. The resonance of these ads is rooted in the creatives' ability to construct signifiers that reflect the cultural and social experiences of women, with storytelling as the single most binding force across this ten-year period.

Comments

Accepted version. American Journal of Semiotics, Vol. 22, No. 1-4 (2006): 165-194. DOI. © 2006 Philosophy Documentation Center. Used with permission.

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