Decoding by Floch

Another semiotician, the Frenchman, Jean-Marie Floch, also analysed antidepressants.

He analysed 130 (Floch, 2001: 79) advertisements representing the commercial communications on these medicines. Floch developed a semisymbolic system to analyse such advertisements. A semisymbolic system involves a coupling between expression and content of a language representing, in this analysis, discourse about patients, their psychological states, as well as restoration of their health (Floch, 2001: 75).

He also found that, on further investigation of the plastic expression and figurative dimensions of the visual aspects of these advertisements, that this discourse was constructed by means of a specific encoding process. This type of encoding was formed

by linking the category, euphoria versus dysphoria, which represented the overall content of these advertisements (Floch, 2001: 75).

Floch identified 12 visual categories that constituted the expressional content of these advertisements: categories of values and colours, of composition, and of techniques or styles. These 12 categories are (Floch, 2001: 75):

• Clear versus dark

As with the Ludiomil^® advertisement used by CIBA, the Sédatonyl^® advertisement (see Figure 3.14) illustrates an anxious and frustrated female, represented in dark (black), contrasted by her becoming clear (white). This colour change occurs as a result of the female taking the medicine and developing a ‘piece of mind’.

Figure 3.14 Advertisement of Sédatonyl^® (Source: Floch, 2001: 83)

• High versus low

In the Sédatonyl^® (see Figure 3.14) advertisement, a topological representation is provided on paper by means of the top figure, the initial dysphoric state, and a bottom figure, the final resultant euphoric state.

• Symmetric

The Sédatonyl^® and security that is

restored by the resem , to an isosceles

triangle. The dissymm n and the symmetrical

form represented by the f

•

The Laroxyl^® ry by means of a

contrasts the shaded area.

Figure 3.15 Laroxyl^® advertisement (Source: Floch, 2001: 89)

al forms versus dissymmetrical forms

advertisement (see Figure 3.14) portrays calm blance of a yoga position, the “lotus” position etrical form is represented by the irate woma

emale in the calm, lotus position.

Shaded versus contrasting

advertisement (see Figure 3.15) illustrates this catego person shaded by a dark cube, whereas a stretched arm

• Monochromatic versus polychromatic

Floch explained that this category refers to an advertisement where one part is only in grey or black tone (one colour) and the contrasting part in bright colours (many colours).

Figure 3.16 illustrates how this category can be incorporated in an advertisement of an antidepressant found in South Africa. In this advertisement the depressive state is depicted by photographs in a grey and black tone, whereas the healthy mental state is depicted by a colour photograph.

Figure 3.16 Monochromatic and polychromatic aspects incorporated in an advertisement for a leading antidepressant medication

(Source: Osman, 2006c: 41)

• Continuous lines versus discontinuous lines

The advertisement for Dipiperone^® (see Figure 3.17) illustrates a human figure with a bird (possibly a dove) holding a twig (which could be an olive branch) in its beak sitting on the human’s head. This image is sketched by using only thin, continuous lines. The continuous lines together with the dove and the olive branch can represent a relative

non-dysphoric (peaceful) state. Another advertisement may, for example, have the word

“anxiety” written in jagged (discontinuous) letters reinforcing the word’s meaning.

Figure 3.17 Dipiperon^® advertisement (Source: Floch, 2001: 80)

• Thin lines versus thick lines

Floch stated that an advertisement can, for example, consist of a picture drawn in thin lines, whereas the medicine’s name is written in thick, dark lines. This ultimately causes the medicine’s name to stand out. Figure 3.18 illustrates how this category is incorporated in an advertisement for an oral anaesthetic ointment sold in South Africa. In this advertisement the drawings, as well as all the important attributes, are in bold lines to attract attention.

• Definite planes versus vague planes

The Anafranil^® advertisement (see Figure 3.19) plays with the perception of depth in which a woman is depicted with a vague, blurry face trapped in a house (representing the depression) looking through a window wanting to escape (longing for an euphoric or calm life).

Figure 3.18 An oral anaesthetic ointment depicting the category of thick lines versus thick lines

(Source: You, 2006c: 56)

Figure 3.19 Anafranil^® advertisement (Source: Floch, 2001: 82)

• Single forms versus multiple forms

In the advertisement, Atrium^® 300 (see Figure 3.20), an “anti-tremor tranquiliser for the chronic excessive drinker”, a series of brandy snifters were placed in a row, one behind another, to provide the multiplied effect of the original, single form. Here, according to Floch, the multiple forms symbolises an alcoholic person losing his or her brandy as a result of the alcohol-induced tremors. This is depicted by the perception of the alcohol level in each snifter decreasing from front to back which is as a result of the multiple form.

Figure 3.20 Atrium^® 300 advertisement (Source: Floch, 2001: 86)

• Simple forms versus complex forms

Floch gave the example of an advertisement promoting the muscle relaxant effect of the antidepressant medicine depicted by means of a rope knotted in a complex way and then being untied. The rope therefore represents a group of muscles in a knot (the complex form) which can then be untied (the simple form) by the medicine when taken. Figure 3.21 illustrates how this category is employed in an advertisement for the treatment of

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). In this advertisement the bowel is in a knot (the complex form). Here the simple form (bowel untied) that results after taking this medicine is not illustrated but left up to the reader’s imagination.

Figure 3.21 Advertisement for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome illustrating the use of the simple versus complex form category

(Source: Sales representative handout from Novartis, 2006)

• Pictorial techniques versus graphic techniques

Floch’s explanation for this category was that in some instances a drawing of an anxious person can be found in one half of the advertisement, and in contrast to this, a photograph of the person enjoying life on the opposite side.

• Layout in conjunction versus layout in disjunction

Pragmazone^® 25 (see Figure 3.22) illustrates, in the top half of the advertisement, the disjunctive state in which social or family ties are broken. In contrast to this representation, this drug offers to restore the disjunctive state as is depicted by the bottom halve of the advertisement where the family is happily together.

Figure 3.22 Pragmazone^® 25 advertisement (Source: Floch, 2001: 85)