Re: w03 Roland Barthes
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:31 am
The Pepsi advertising image is very powerful in coded iconic way since the cans are basically the signature of these drink. Showing their own can with a enemy look alike(Coca-Cola) can using a background color of blue which is known as the Pepsi color shows a contrast. The audience would easily get that the other can does not belong to the image. Also, the linguistic message shows that even the straw does not enjoy being in a can of Coca-Cola. When you take away the red coke can, it is just an normal image of a straw in a can of Pepsi which people see almost everyday. Making the "other" looks unusual creates the contrast that shows the product selling from the advertisement more believable. And, the words "Joy Pepsi" makes the message even more obvious. In commercials and advertisements, these kind of images are to make the message sent more obvious, convincing, and efficient intentionally. What about an image from everyday life?
In the picture taken after a dinner celebrating Chinese New Year with my friends and I, there are also some elements that shared our happiness and wishes to others. In the photo, we were all wearing red which is an iconic color for Chinese New Year or even in a Chinese community. Red equals luck and good. As I post the photo to a social network site, I added a caption saying "Lunar New Year dinner with friends" makes it even more clear that we were celebrating Chinese New Year, and we dressed in red purposely. All the images are somehow planned when they are being created. An everyday photo may not have as much intentions as an advertisement, but there are still some ideas rooted in the photographer's mind as a picture being taken.