The Role of Semiotics Analysis In Advertisement: Bibliometric Analysis
Abstract
Semiotic analysis in advertising plays an important role in understanding how signs, symbols and meanings are constructed and received by audiences. With the development of digital technology and social media, an understanding of semiotics is increasingly relevant to examine how brands build identity and create emotional resonance with consumers. This research aims to analyze the development of semiotic studies in advertising using bibliometric methods with VOSviewer. With this approach, scholarly publication patterns can be mapped to identify trends, academic collaborations, as well as key topics in advertising semiotics studies. The method used in this research is a systematic literature review (SLR) combined with PRISMA-based bibliometric analysis. Data were collected from journal articles published between 2014 and 2024, then analyzed using VOSviewer software to map the linkages between concepts. The results show that the study of semiotics in advertising has experienced significant developments in the past decade, with a focus on visual and linguistic representations, mythology in advertising, and multimodality in digital media. Bibliometric network visualization reveals a close correlation between semiotic theory and strategic marketing concepts.
References
Andini, C., Sosrohadi, S., Fairuz, F., Dalyan, M., Rahman, F. F., & Hasnia, H. (2022). The study of Japanese women in the facial treatment advertisement: A semiotics perspective of Pierce’s theory. (2), 337-347 http://dx.doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v5i2.21592
Bartolini, M., Bottani, E., & Grosse, E. H. (2019). Green warehousing: Systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 242–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.055
Bhatti, A. M., & Bashir, A. (2024). Semiosis of advertisements: Message theory into action. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 7(4), 59–72.
Chen, Z. T., & Cheung, M. (2022). Consumption as extended carnival on Tmall in contemporary China: A social semiotic multimodal analysis of interactive banner ads. Social Semiotics, 32(2), 163–183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2020.1720992
Cooper, C., Booth, A., Varley-Campbell, J., Britten, N., & Garside, R. (2018). Defining the process to literature searching in systematic reviews: A literature review of guidance and supporting studies. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), Article 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0545-3
Dalamu, T. O. (2021). Social semiotic genre: Exploring the interplay of words and images in advertising. Anuari de Filologia. Llengües i Literatures Modernes(11), 29–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1344/AFLM2021.11.2
Ersan, M., & Altın, D. (2024). Militancy and male representation in advertising: A semiotic analysis. Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22(2), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.18026/cbayarsos.1260418
Faizullah, D. A. A., & Arslan, M. F. (2024). Semiotics of deception: A linguistic analysis of packaging industry in Pakistan. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT), 7(4), 1–26.
Ghidoli, D., & Montanari, F. (2021). Finding a socio-semiotic role for data science: A review of applications and case studies and some critical reflections. Mediascapes Journal(17), 75–103.
Harnum, S. D. (2023). Ferdinand de Saussure's structural semiotic analysis on Axis ads. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4485117
Hasyim, M., & Arafah, B. (2023). Semiotic multimodality communication in the age of new media. Studies in Media and Communication, 11(1), 96–103. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i1.5865
Heathy, B. H. (2020). Gender stereotypes in advertising: A critical discourse analysis. Language in India, 20(1), 45–56.
Huang, C., Yang, C., Wang, S., Wu, W., Su, J., & Liang, C. (2020). Evolution of topics in education research: A systematic review using bibliometric analysis. Educational Review, 72(3), 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1566212
Korenkova, M., Maros, M., Levicky, M., & Fila, M. (2020). Consumer perception of modern and traditional forms of advertising. Sustainability, 12(23), 9996. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239996
Lourenção, M., Giraldi, J. D. M. E., & de Oliveira, J. H. C. (2020). Destination advertisement semiotic signs: Analysing tourists’ visual attention and perceived ad effectiveness. Annals of Tourism Research, 84, 103001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.103001
Lumampauw, A., Lestari, R., Marta, R. F., & Fernando, J. (2020). Awakening revealed through Rose’s visual analysis on #LangkahHijau commercial advertisement. Avant Garde, 8(2), 121–133. http://dx.doi.org/10.36080/ag.v8i2.1231
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Patriansah, M. (2020). Poster analysis of public services advertising by Sepdianto Saputra: Study of Saussure semiotics. Arty: Jurnal Seni Rupa, 9(3), 203–214. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/arty.v9i3
Qudratova, Q. S., & Yigitaliyeva, M. A. (2021). Verbal and nonverbal means of influence in advertising texts. Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research, 10(4), 420–425.
Rudrakumar, S., & Venkatraman, R. (2022). A semiotic analysis of Saussure and Barthes’s theories under the purview of print advertisements. Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies, 18(1), 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.52462/jlls.189
Shaddiq, S., Iyansyah, M. I., Sari, S., & Zainul, H. M. (2021). The effect of marketing promotion management on public service advertising in strengthening digital communication. Strategic Management Business Journal, 1(2), 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.55751/smbj.v1i02.16
Shukla, M., Misra, R., & Singh, D. (2023). Exploring relationship among semiotic product packaging, brand experience dimensions, brand trust and purchase intentions in an Asian emerging market. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(2), 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331219850443
Skrede, J., & Andersen, B. (2021). A suburban dreamscape outshining urbanism: The case of housing advertisements. Space and Culture, 24(4), 517–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331219850443
Starr, R. L., Go, C., & Pak, V. (2022). ‘Keep calm, stay safe, and drink bubble tea’: Commodifying the crisis of COVID-19 in Singapore advertising. Language in Society, 51(2), 333–359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0047404521000567
Sulatra, I. K., & Pratiwi, D. P. E. (2020). The ideology within COVID-19 public service advertisements: A semiotic approach. Humanis, 24(4), 350–363. http://dx.doi.org/10.24843/JH.2020.v24.i04.p02
Travere, A. (2023). The interplay of signs and visuals: Unveiling the symbiotic relationship between semiotics and visual communication. Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies, 2(3), 28–40.
Ylänne, V. (2021). UK magazine advertising portrayals of older adults: A longitudinal, content analytic, and a social semiotic lens. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 15(1), 7–38. https://doi.org/10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.1700
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal La Sociale

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.