Semiotics in a Snickers Commercial

A sign in semiotics can be split into two parts. They can be identified as a signifier or a signified. to begin we will look at the definition of a signifier. A signifier can be defined as a word that describes the sigh. For example, if you were to see the word dog you would visualize a dog. Next, we have signified. The signified is an image that is associated with the sign. This would be when you saw a picture of a dog and thought of the word dog. In commercials, companies will use signs to help create myths about the company. This blog will explain how signs create myths in the Marilyn Monroe super bowl commercial. To begin we have the screen pan up to reveal that Marilyn Monroe is Willem Dafoe. He is shown to have an angry face and starts making rude comments to a director who is filming him in a movie. We then see ann assistant to the director come out with snickers telling him to eat it because "your not you when you're hungry". Wilhelm takes a bite only to reveal that Marilyn Monroe was Wilhelm all along, and she was only acting that way because she was hungry. This commercial uses Wilhem, and Marilyn as signified images to show hunger and anger, and happiness and satisfaction. These signs create the myth that snickers will always satisfy your hunger, and cure your hangriness. This commercial ties this all together in a comedic way, and then shows the snickers bar at the end of the commercial as a signified sign to get the consumer thinking about the candy. In conclusion, snickers used two well knows celebrities to create sighs that gave birth to the myth that snickers satisfies all hunger