A META-ANALYSIS OF FAST-FOOD

SEMIOTICS: MCDONALD'S AND BURGER

KING’S ADVERTISEMENTS.

Lucas Airhart
CAS 204
Final Presentation
Hypothesis: McDonalds and Burger King are some of
the most successful fast-food companies worldwide
because they employ the communications and marketing
tactic of semiotics within their advertisements which
subconsciously persuades the viewer into purchasing their
product and creates brand loyalty.
Thesis: Semiotics are used similarly in McDonald's and
Burger King’s company logos and video advertising, and
this relays the consumer psychological or hidden messages
with the end goal of creating brand loyalty.
• Whenever you think of fast food two of the first
companies that might come to mind are
McDonald's and Burger King.

• We are going to look at five studies about the

semiotics used within McDonald's and Burger
advertisements and products and highlight four
common themes between the companies.

• If my hypothesis is correct, this study could be

used as a guide for communications and marketing
experts to create successful fast-food branding, as
well as informing consumers why fast-food
advertisements are so successful.
 COMPANY LOGOS

• One of the easiest ways to recognize a fast-food company is their logo, it is a very powerful tool.

• “To be successful, logos must be (1) recognizable, (2) bring forth a consensually held meaning for the
intended target market, and (3) induced positive affect” (Cowin & Matusitz, 2011, p. 23).

• “A logo that is well designed becomes a visual shortcut for the meanings associated with it, and hence
influences its viewers to receive the brand message with its emotional effects, bringing about extreme
loyalty to the brand” (Cowin & Matusitz, 2011, p. 24).
• A very recognizable logo after it had
taken shape around 1968.

• “The logo was selected because of its

long history, and remarkably established
‘golden arches’ as well as its ability to
withstand controversy through its brand
efforts” (Cowin & Matusitz, 2011, p. 26).

• The logo utilizes the colors red and gold

which are associated with feelings of
urgency and hunger.

• The “M” looks like one of the company's

French fries, which are one of their
highest selling products.
• Burger King's logo took the shape we
know around 1969.

• “It could be said, following pierce's

classification of signs, that food images
are icons inasmuch as they resemble or
imitate the signified object, displaying
the same qualities as the item they
represent” (Lukianova, 2015, p. 60).

• This means that Burger King's logo is very

effective because it looks like one of the
burgers they sell.

• They also utilize red and tan colorings

within the logo to stimulate hunger.
 TV AND VIDEO ADVERTISEMENTS

• During every major event Burger King and McDonald's usually have
commercials that play.

• “Pictures are easier to be understood and have more impact than

words, visual aspect generally has a greater opportunity to
communicate excitement and mode of imagination” (Merlina, 2020, p.
136).

• They want the consumer to become excited about the food, which is
why many times you are hearing about the “new product” they are
serving now.
• “The aspects which have to be available in the advertisements
are: first, the advertisements must construct the form of the
verbal sign (title, subtitle, and text or it can be the slogan of the
product) furthermore, they also constructed the form of
nonverbal (related to the picture and the logo of the brand) sign
that can be analyzed” (Sofiyah, 2019, p. 8).

• This means they will always include their logo or slogan, and
images of the products they want you to be excited about, they
want to appeal to your emotions.
 HIDDEN MESSAGES IN THE ADS

• “In case of fast-food advertising, the mechanism of meaning creation

via irrationally perceived visual imagery lacks the second essential
ingredient - the stage of logical determination as we skip from the
stage of basic familiarity with the image and what it denotes to an
opinion (shared with other people) about its pragmatic meaning, it's
functionality” (Lukianova, 2015, p. 61).

• As consumers if we see something within a commercial, we tend to

believe it's true.
• This image is from a 2021 Super Bowl ad for McDonald’s

• It shows young, skinny, healthy people eating McDonald’s, so happy they are singing on the drive home.

• It makes consumers ignore health concerns about fast food and believe it'll make them happy.
• “Psychological effect that is produced by advertisements gradually will
crystallize and collectively will be generally public behavior” (Sofiyah,
2019, p. 26).

• It is normal to go and eat at McDonald's and Burger King regularly

according to their advertisements, which creates the notion in the
viewer's mind that it is normal.
 CREATING BRAND LOYALTY

• McDonalds and Burger King have both succeeded, where many others have failed, in
becoming two of the most recognizable fast-food companies worldwide.

• The reason there are so many advertisements and so much effort is put into the semiotics
within them, is the end goal of creating brand loyalty with their consumer base.

• Companies also must be highly adaptable especially when it comes to new technology and
most recently social media.
• For customers to stay loyal, the company must
follow them wherever they consume the most
advertisements, as consumers require constant
reminders of their favorite brands

• “Therefore, Burger King took an initiative to create

a YouTube channel to advertise their products as
YouTube has been accessed a lot and attracts a
large number of Internet users” (Wirasana, Pratiwi
& Juniartha, 2021, p. 2).
 CONCLUSION

• While various studies have been performed on McDonald's and Burger King's advertisements, this
study aimed to arrive at common themes prevalent within both.

• Both companies have powerful but similar logos and utilize a constant flow of TV and video
advertisements.

• While it is easy to recognize their advertisements on this surface, both companies utilize hidden
themes and messages to truly strike a chord with the consumer.

• All of these aspects are put together with the end goal of each company creating brand loyalty, and
the willingness of consumers to eat their food without giving it a second thought.
• Weakness of the study: Only five studies were referenced and were limited in
scope. More research data and input data from a wide demographic of
consumers who witness fast food advertisements daily could improve the study.

• Strength of the study: There is no shortage of fast-food advertisements and

studies that break them down into their core concepts. This can be useful for
the average consumer as well as communications and marketing experts
working in advertising. It could potentially help consumers who struggle with
over consumption of fast food explain why they do.
 REFERENCES

Cowin, E. & Matusitz. (2011). The ongoing transformation of the McDonald's logo: A semiotic perspective. Journal of Visual
Literacy, 30(2), 20-39.

Fell, E. & Lukianova, N. (2015). Fast food and the semiotics of gastronomy. Journal For Communication Studies, 8(2), 59-73.
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-461805

Merlina, T. (2020). Verbal and visual signs of brand logo designs in some fast food’s advertisements: A semiotic study.
Manners management and entrepreneurial journal, 3(2), https://jurnal.unnur.ac.id/index.php/manners/article/view/358

Sofiyah, A. N. (2019). Semiotic analysis on fast food restaurant advertisements. State Islamic University Sunan Ampel
Surabaya, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/196574388.pdf

Wirasana, I. B. P., Pratiwi, D. P. E. & Juniartha, W. (2021). Uncovering implied messages in Burger King advertisement: A
semiotic analysis. Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, 28(1),
https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/JJBI/article/view/32928