Socio-semiotics: exploring the social life of brands

The paper hypothesises that brands have social lives as they enter into relationships with people. Brands are not just products that satisfy functional needs.

Socio-semiotics: exploring the social life of brands

Inka Crosswaite Added Value, South Africa

INTRODUCTION

'Forget that commodities are good for eating, clothing and shelter and treat them as non-verbal medium for human creative faculty. The essential function of consumption is its capacity to make sense, because goods are needed for making visible and stable the categories of culture'. (Douglas and Isherwood, 1979)

Consumer culture is a complex phenomenon of visual representations and the politics of visibility. Products have become markers of social distinction and form a distinctive part of peoples' lives. Brands are partners in achieving social goals...

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