A Socio-semiotic Multimodal analysis of Meaning in Energy drink advertisements

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore the meaning making resources in multimodal advertisements that influence brand patronage. Drawing from Guther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen’s Grammar of Visual Design (1996, 2001, & 2006), richly situated in Hallidayan semiotic orientation, this article analyses two energy drink advertisements (Bullet and Supakomando) advertisements as multimodal resources. The data for the analysis are drawn from the official Instagram page of the two brands. The study specifically examines the interpersonal functions (gaze, shots and angle) and compositional functions (salience and framing)as obtained in visual grammar. The analysis shows that advertisement made good use of demand gaze, close shots and frontal angles to interact with the viewers. For the compositional meaning the images for greater emphasis were properly foregrounded and there was proper distribution of colour. The presence of well- built models and young male celebrities were employed to pass the message of strength and energy, moreso, to create a strong link between the images and the audience. These findings suggest that all the multimodal resources employed in the creation of the advertisements are structured as meaning making resources, not dependent on the verbal texts.