On the Semiotics of the Sense of Smell in Advertising Images. The Case of Perfumes Cover Image

Sur la sémiotique de l’odorat à travers l’image publicitaire. Le cas du parfum
On the Semiotics of the Sense of Smell in Advertising Images. The Case of Perfumes

Author(s): Mihaela Munteanu Siserman
Subject(s): Media studies, Theory of Communication
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: semiotics; sense of smell; signifying universe; perception; synaesthetic effect;

Summary/Abstract: The advertising image whose object of reference is a perfume pertains to a semiotic programme that goes beyond strictly visual perception: the image of the objects built mentally, by triggering several analysers simultaneously, under the effect of synaesthesia. How can one experience the smell of a perfume (except for the cases when the advertising image is accompanied by sample vials or, as regards magazines meant especially for women, by pages scented with various fragrances), given the fact that our “figurative universe” (Bachelard) grants more prominence to the visual representation of an advertising object (i.e. a perfume)? The advertisementfor a perfume becomes a perceptual space that ensures the association between sensation (perception) and signification (the sensory world gains meaning in and through the process of signification).

  • Issue Year: 2/2014
  • Issue No: 14
  • Page Range: 7-15
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: French