Brand Semiotics
French sociologist and philosopher Jean Baudrillard passed away in March at his home in Paris following a long illness. He was 77-years-old. Why should a piece of news about a philosopher be of any interest to the business community in Nepal ?
A leading post-modern thinker, Baudrillard is best known for his controversial theory on 'hyper-reality' that led him to argue that 9/11 is more of a dark fantasy that happened out of the American subconscious wish for it to happen. As thought-provoking as this might sound, the 'hyper-reality' discourse is not what makes Baudrillard relevant for the Nepali business community. His business relevance comes from his second major contribution to the world, i.e., the concept of 'semiotics' or an approach used for the analysis of symbolic communication among people and societies. Though belatedly, business communities have come to recognise the importance of the use of icons to depict and relate to social behaviour in order to successfully develop brand profiles.
The concept of semiotics argues that contemporary society is, above material consumption, a sign economy. The more signifiers resonate through the target clientele, the more economically successful the corporation will be. Nike is an excellent example. Blending themes of empowerment, transcendence and irreverence, the advertising campaign launched by Nike promoted the company to the top of the sports shoe and apparel industry. Its swoosh logo is now globally pervasive and Nike has become synonymous with sports culture. Additionally, the simplicity of its swoosh logo cuts right through the issues of race, class, geography and gender to construct sport as a universal and spiritual enterprise.
The idea of semiotics describes and deconstructs the themes and structures of business advertising. It outlines the contradictions between image and practice, and explores the logic of the sign economy beyond material perfection. Although this might sound too abstract for an average Nepali businessman's taste, after some pondering one will come to agree with the importance of semiotics in the 'new' market.
Powerful brands demand expertise in understanding, creating and interpreting meanings at the levels of perception, behaviour and communication. Forward-looking companies have now begun to employ sociologists and historians to help their business specialists build marketing strategies. The barriers between MBAs and sociologists are indeed fast dismantling. A semiotician has to master the balance between these two otherwise unconnected worlds, especially if he is serious about expanding his business beyond his familiar social territories.
Peter Drucker affirmed the relevance of semiotic notion for the business sciences by personally responding to Baudrillard with his own theory on 'post-industrialism'. Drucker's post-industrialist discourse is the one that forecasted as early as in 1957 that technology- and symbolism-driven innovation would soon gain supremacy over traditional manufacturing. Modern business sciences owe as much to Baudrillard as to Drucker.
