A SEMIOSIS PROCESS ON TOLAK ANGIN ONLINE ADVERTISEMENT

USING BARTHES AND PEIRCE THEORIES

Inggrit Laurenza
Buddhi Dharma University
Tangerang, Indonesia
iluorenza28@gmail.com

Abstract
Language is one thing that cannot be separated with human daily life, it is one of the uniqueness that human
have which distinguish human from others creatures. It holds the main role in communication. The function
slowly evolved as a tool to persuade people both in formal and informal events. Especially in business, the
technology development has forced businessmen to change their strategies on marketing their products.
They began to reach people through social media and increase their advertisement creativity and
attractiveness. Advertisement in many forms, like visual-audio has semiosis process. This research will
focus on classifying and explaining the sign, object, and interpretant on the Tolak Angin online media
advertisement and denotative or connotative sign meaning on the headline of the online media
advertisement. The researcher uses descriptive analysis approach and secondary data as the data types. The
semiotic theories from Peirce and Barthes are used in this study.
Keywords: Semiotics, Advertisement, Peirce and Barthes

Introduction their platform, even so the online marketplace

used to have this feature to fulfill the user
Language is one thing that cannot be separated
satisfaction. The development of this technology
with human daily life, it is one of the uniqueness
also triggers the pattern of community
that human have which distinguish human from
communication, because most of them choose to
others creatures. Language holds the main role in
focus on social media. This should indirectly
communication. Language is the system of
force developments in other fields, such as the
arbitrary vocal symbols used for human
business world. Businessmen began to change
communication (Wardhaugh, 1984). It is
their marketing strategies, and slowly abandoned
functioned to express inner thoughts and
advertising tools such as TV, radio, and
emotions, and communication. Gorys Keraf
newspapers because it has less viewers. They
(1980) mentioned the main function of language
start to turn and create a creative-attractive
as a communication tool, also a tool to express
advertisements also distributed or shows it on
feelings, a tool to make integration and social
social media.
adaptation, and as a tool to hold social control.
The function slowly evolved as a tool to persuade There is no exception for a herbal product that has
people both in formal and informal events. long been famous in Indonesia, Tolak Angin. To
avoid being out of date, this product continues to
Nowadays, social media hold over 80% of media
innovate in its advertising process. In 2020,
communication because almost all of them
Sidomuncul, the producer of this product,
provides room for people to communicate with
collaborated with Andi F. Noya, a presenter and
a journalist who is famous for his intelligence and
success in hosting the Kick Andy program on a
television station in Indonesia. Sidomuncul
succeeded in analyzing which television
programs are still in demand by the public as well
as figures who are able to raise the name of the
Tolak Angin product. Sidomuncul also uses
YouTube for marketing its products.
Usually, before people buy a product, they will
first find out its benefits and uses through social
media. The internet will automatically provide
suggestions for the product in question, from
where to buy it to news about the product. And
this is where the role of advertising takes place,
copywriting and visual design skills are needed to
attract purchasing power. A good headline is able
to attract readers' attention, it is often the most
important element on a page as it gives the reader
an overall picture of the news. It should be
gripping in order to attract people to read a
brochure or article. Headlines are usually written
in a sensational way in order to arouse the
reader‘s curiosity.
Advertisement itself also has sign and symbol
which are able to be interpreted. The study of
signs, symbols and their use or interpretation
known as Semiotics. There are several previous
studies about semiotics such as Semiotics
Analysis of L’Oreal Paris Advertisement using
Denotative and Connotative Meanings by
Monica Devi (2022), Roland Barthes’
Denotation, Connotation, and Myth in the
Change of Four Starbucks Logo: A Study of
Semiotics by Rifa Nadira. And last, A Semiosis
Process On Iphone Online Media Advertisement
by Deina Dewi Puspita, Ria Nirwana and Fourus
Huznatul Abqoriyyah.
Based on the background of the study above, the
researcher formulates two main problems that
will be discussed in this research: What are the
classification of each sign, object and interpretant
on Tolak Angin online media advertisements?
What are the classifications based on connotative
and denotative in the headline on Tolak Angin
online media advertisements through Semiotic’s
theory?
Theory and Methodology
Semiotics
Semiotics is the theory and study of signs and
symbols, especially as elements of language or
other systems of communication. A person who
studies or practices semiotics is a semiotician,
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) is the first
Semiotician who taught about signs. Saussure
defined a sign as any motion, gesture, image,
pattern, or event that conveys meaning. a sign is
something that stands to somebody for something
in some respect or capacity (Peirce, 1931). This
definition emphasizes the role of somebody
cannot be separated from signification because it
is the principle of communication in semiotic.
Semiosis is a process that combines the entity
which can deliver a clear meaning of a selected
object (advertisement) and use it for
communication. Therefore, a sign or
representation has a triadic relation immediately
with the object and its interpretant. This semiosis
is always called by signification. Meanwhile,
Peirce offered a triadic model which consists of
representament, object, and interpretant:
The Representament: the form which the sign
takes (not necessarily Material).
An Object: to which the sign refers, such as
words, phrases, sentences, pictures, etc.
An Interpretant: not an interpreter but rather the
sense made on the interpretation of the
representament and the object.
Firstne Secondne Thirdne
Semiosis
ss ss ss
Sign Qualisi
Decisgn Legisign
ng
Object Icon Index Symbol
Interpreta Argume
Rheme Dicent
nt nt
Tabel 1.1 Pierce’s Trichotomies
Based on its representament, Pierce divided sign
into qualisign, sinsign, and legisign: Qualisigns:
quality on the sign. Sinsign: actual event on the
sign. Legisign: a norm on a sign. Based on its
object, Pierce divided the sign into index, symbol,
and icon: Icon: the sign is designed to represent a
referent by simulation or resemblance. Index: the
sign is designed to indicate a referent or to put
referents concerning each other. Symbol: the sign
is designed to encode a referent by convention or
agreement. Based on interpretant, Pierce divided
sign into rheme, dicent sign or dicisign, and
argument. Rheme: a sign that may the people to
interpret that based on choice. Dicent sign or
dicisign: sign according by the fact. Argument: a
sign that gives the reason about something
immediately.
Roland Barthes (1915-1980) argued that there are
three levels of signification, such as the
denotative, connotative, and the mythical to
analyze visual object. Barthes stated that
Semiology ‘aims to take in any system of signs
whatever their substances and limits like; images,
gestures, musical sounds, and objects.’ (Barthes,
1968). Barthes distinguished the analysis of the
signs into two, the verbal and non-verbal signs.
The verbal sign is like the text of the
advertisement, such as the title and headline. The
non-verbal sign is the images of the online media
ads which support the verbal signs in order to
make the ads as interesting as the package of
advertisement.
Advertisement
“A paid form of non-personal presentation and
promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an
identified sponsor aimed at a particular target
market and audience” (Silverbatt 1955: 185).
Advertisement is an act of persuading people to
trust or believe something, either it is a product or
a person. Guy Cook (1992) said that an
advertisement and its context in communication
should consist of audience, society, function,
material, visual and audio, language and
situation. A headline in an advertisement is the
most important element (Altsiel and Grow,
2007). It must promising a selected value and
believable benefit to the reader.
In this paper, the research will be focus on
analysis the image of Tolak Angin advertisement
as the object research by using the combination
theories of Pierce and Barthes. It has headline,
body-copy, slogan and logo on the brochure. The
researcher uses descriptive analysis approach and
secondary data as the data types. The researcher
focused on classifying and explaining the sign,
object, and interpretant on the Tolak Angin online
media advertisement and denotative or
connotative sign meaning on the headline of the
online media advertisement.
Discussion
The semiosis process based on Triadic semiotics
by Peirce consists analyzes the sign, object, and
interpretant. Representament or sign is the form
which the sign takes and the object to which the
sign refers or concepts and the interpretant is the
meaning created in mind between representament
and object.
Data 1. Tolak Angin Advertisement
In this data, there is a picture of Tolak Angin
advertisement which functioned as
representament who represents the object. Then,
on the picture show its logo “Tolak Angin” Based
on trichotomies of Pierce, classification of object
in this data is icon. And the reader’s reaction in
mind when they see the following pictures is what
Peirce mean by Interpretant. So, the relationship
between representament-object produces
interpretant (dicent sign).
To answer the second problem analysis about the
denotative and connotative meaning about the
advertisement’s headline, the researcher provide
a table below.
Denotative Connotative
“Pilih yang punya “Pilih yang punya
bukti ilmiah” means bukti ilmiah” means
Tolak Angin has Tolak Angin claimed
scientific record for their product as the
its product. best one.
Table 2. Denotative and Connotative Meaning
Denotative is the definitional, literal, obvious
meaning of a sign. This headline is denotative
sign meaning, which the headline means Tolak
Angin has scientific record for its product.
Meanwhile, Connotative means a range of
associated significations, the sociocultural and
‘personal’ implications (ideological, emotional
etc.) of the signs all of these related to the
interpreter’s class, age, gender, ethnicity. This
headline is connotative sign meaning, which the
advertiser considers that Tolak Angin is the best
product.
Conclusion Rifa’i, Bachtiar. (2010). A Semiotic Analysis on
Coca-Cola’s Commercial Advertisements.
Tolak Angin ft. Andi F. Noya advertisement on
Jakarta.
2020 has semiotics elements and signification
meaning. Based on objectives in this analysis is About the Author:
classification of each sign, object and interpretant Name : Inggrit Laurenza
on Tolak Angin online advertisement, it has Institution : Buddhi Dharma University
found the Triadic Trichotomies by Peirce such:
Academic Background :
Representament, Object, and Interpretant. It also
a. Buddhi Dharma University (2018-2022)
has the connotative and denotative meaning as in Aspect of Interest: Semiotics,
accordance with Barthes’s theory. As the main Advertisement.

herbal products in Indonesia, Tolak Angin tried

to engage their customer by an attractive
advertisement.

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Analysis Of L’oreal Paris Advertisement
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Nadia, Rifa. (2018). Roland Barthes’ Denotation,

Connotation, and Myth in the Change of
Four Starbucks Logo: A Study of Semiotic.
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Connotative Analysis On The Advertisement
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