1. An Active Audience: Just one or many? Michele Morehouse This Final Project is Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree

2. Purpose of Study Are brands’ effective in succeeding to make their audience aware of their presence? If so, how is this accomplished? What media is used? What processes accomplishes this?

3. Research Question How can audiences misinterpret the dominant meaning of an advertisement?

4. Hypotheses Hypothesis 1: Narrative structure and style elements effect how the decoders interpret the dominant meaning within an advertisement. Hypothesis 2: Connotative and Denotative meanings cause audiences to have his or her own interpretation. Hypothesis 3: People alter or interpret information or content to fit his or her existing views.

5. Semiology

6. Sign SymbolIndexIconAllegorySignal

7. Denotation

8. Connotation Pose Object Photogenia Aestheticism Syntax

9. Lexical Meanings “Port” Root Word Example: Import or Portable

10. Text and Narration

11. What is an Audience? “several groups divided by their reception of different media and genres, or by social and cultural positioning” - Shaun Moores

12. Audience Reception Theory Encoding-Decoding Process

13. Structure of Meaning “the world has to be made to mean” - Stuart Hall (2001)

14. Dominant MeaningMAPPING

15. Classifications of Decoding Dominant Negotiable Oppositional

16. Dominant Position

17. Negotiable Position

18. Oppositional Position

19. Dominant Paradigm

20. Active Audience Uses and Gratification Theory

21. What Drives an Audience? Social Cultural Environmental

22. Consumption

23. Fan Community “varying degrees of semiotic productivity, produce meanings and pleasures that pertain to their social situations out of the products of culture industries” -John Fiske (1992)

24. Selective Processes Selective Exposure Selective Perception Selective Retention

25. Selective Exposure

26. Selective Perception “as a symbolic sign vehicle or structured discourse” - Hall (1979)

27. Selective Retention

28. Challenge Can an Audience interpret the dominant meanings presented in the advertisements? Results: Successful Encoding-Decoding Process

29. Methodology Study Part 1: Textual Analysis Study Part 2: Survey Collection STRUCTUREFUNCTIONS

30. Textual Analysis Number of Case Studies: 5 Sources Allocated from: YouTube Brand Focus: Samsung Mobile  Galaxy Campaigns Time Frame: 2013 to 2014 Analysis Key Components: 1.Case Study Summarization 2.Narrative Structure  Theme and Motif 3.Style  Settings, Imagery, Verbal Cues, Music, Cultural References Sphere of Denotative and Connotative Meanings

31. Exhibit 1: Connoted and Denoted Meanings: AdvertisementConnotativeDenotative Sweet Dreams Create something extraordinary“Design Your Life” Evolution & A Long Time Coming No longer fiction, but reality (Smartwatch  Gear S) “Its Finally Real” Right Up Our Street Popularity“Britain’s most popular phone” Introducing Galaxy Gear Circle User initiative Tutorial Note Pun Intended Product ValuePuns: “I will domi-note you!” “I will have an Ameriaco-note.” “Note in my house!”

32. Sweet Dreams Theme (Narrative): “Everyone has a story and every story starts somewhere.” (Samsung U.S. News, 2013). Denotative: “Design Your Life.” Connotative (Style): Imagery, Verbal Cues and Music

33. Evolution & A Long Time Coming Theme: “I’m on my way.” (Journey) Denotative: “Its Finally Real.” Connotative: Imagery, Verbal Cues and Cultural References

34. Right Up Our Street Theme: “Capture every moment beautifully” Denotative (narrative): “Britain's most popular phone” Connotative (style): Imagery & Verbal Cues

35. Introducing Galaxy Gear Circle Theme: “Ease of Access” Denotative: “Design Excellence,” “Intuitive Experience” & “Hands Free Intelligence” Connotative (style): Music and Emotional Appeal

36. Note Pun-Intended Theme: “Do you Note?” Denotative (narrative): “Do you Note” Connotative (style): Settings, Imagery and Verbal Cues

37. Survey Analysis Number of Participants: 45 Number of Data Collection Rounds: 3 Where did survey take place: Communications Department from the College of St. Rose Demographic: Undergraduate Students

40. GAPS Sweet Dreams  Oppositional Evolution & A Long Time Coming  No gap established Right Up Our Street  Oppositional Introducing Galaxy Gear Circle  Negotiable Note Pun-Intended  Oppositional

41. Beyond the Surface 1.I needed to understand the structure of an advertisement 2.Understanding the structure of meanings produced.

42. Dominant Meaning Each case study makes a connection with the audience How? Relatable Themes to an audiences life AdvertisementTheme Connection Sweet DreamsEveryone has a story to tell or create Evolution & A Long Time Coming Different generation’s childhoods illustrating the product through iconic pop culture Right Up Our Street Every moment in life needs to be captured no matter the importance Introducing Galaxy Gear Circle People are always on the go in life, always in constant motion Note Pun-IntendedSocial Interaction – being with people and having fun

43. Narrative Structure 1.Structure and format are fundamental to the production of content 2.Narrative Structures devices  motifs and themes (set the foundation for two new standards of thought) a)Motifs  central themes: Dominant Meaning and Slogans b)Themes  storyline themes: cultural and social references

44. Dominant Style Devices Imagery: Vulnerable 1.Open to interpretation 2.Accessible by the audience Verbal Cues: Secure 1.Symbolic 2.Duality of denotative and connotative meanings

45. Standards of Style Devices 1.Active audience can consciously consume content: a)Ex. Denotative details of the content => visual objects 2.Active audience is unconsciously active in consuming content: a) Ex. Connotative Context => Tone

46. Dominant Style Function AdvertisementEmotions Sweet DreamsDetermination, Light-heartedness & nostalgia Evolution & A Long Time ComingUpbeat & reminiscence Right Up Our StreetUpbeat Introducing Galaxy Gear CircleDetermined & Fast-pace Note Pun-IntendedSilly & Trivial Ex. Sweet Dreams  obscure emotions 1. Mysterious 2. Gloomy 3. Dark

47. Aesthetics & Emotional Appeal 1.Audiences draw upon illustrated emotions in the content 2.Process to fit his or her needs 3.Each scenario is different

48. Encoding-Decoding Duality Encoder ------ Message ------- Decoder Transmission Successful! Encoder------Message-X-X-X-X-X- Decoder Transmission Failed!

49. Degree of Participation Dominant GAP  Oppositional Oppositional Gap  Present + Successful = Audiences full participating Oppositional Gap  Present + Failure = Audiences as partially active. Partially Active: 1.Audience chooses to interpret given information, but feels disappointed or left unsatisfied 2.Audience couldn’t relate to the information at all

50. Active Audience Discoveries Audiences are defined as: 1.Selective 2.Either aware or unaware of content 3.Actively Passive

51. Limitations Hall’s decoding classification  too basic Why? Audiences offer multiple interpretations

52. Future Study Create new measurable devices that: 1. Identify the how dominant meanings are consumed 2. How are the messages conceived by the audience Result of measurable devices: 1. Brand can produce an appropriated message that reaches the audience 2. Audience can clearly identify the dominant meaning within the content of an advertisement

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