What is Semiotic analysis?
- 1. Semiotics “The Study of Signs” Semiotics is a key research tool for online social insight projects. Purple Spinnaker London +44 7887 644 799 julie@purplespinnaker.com www.purplespinnaker.com
- 2. What is Online Semiotics? Semiotics is the study of cultural signs and symbols. Online Semioticians look at the structure & meaning of online content. Online Semioticians deconstruct popular and shareable content into What does popular and shareable content look like? Text, Video, Photos, Blog Posts, Conversations, comments etc. What are the key themes and topics in the content News, Health, Science, Finance, Sport, Unusual What is the underlying message in the content Educate, Inform, amuse, alarm, Online Semioticians identify the relationship between online content & how people consume, share, react and respond to it. ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010 2
- 3. Where can Semiotics add value? Semiotics provides analysis of the “unconscious cultural patterns” that shape online consumer behaviour and response to content and other online consumers. Semiotics uncovers “meaning” in the wider online cultural landscape, rather than simply spitting back the opinions of consumers. Semiotics, in conjunction with other Social Insight Methodologies can be applied to: Brand strategy Brand Positioning Proposition development Gap analysis Market and competitive evaluation Communications and advertising evaluation Creative development Product innovation Online lives are studied, however it is key to that a holistic view is taken as online and offline lives are now very closely interconnected. ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010
- 4. Semiotic Case Study - Content Objective of Project Understand the impact of shared content on website visitors Key Questions Is there an underlying semiotic code for the content which is most often shared? Is there a difference in content shared in different geographic locations? What impact does sharing content have on new users? Key findings Yes, there is an underlying semiotic code for content most often shared Yes, there is a difference in “how” content is shared in different geographies Shared content increase the number of unique site visitors The approach Identify Shared Content Develop Semiotic Code Develop Test Content Run Trial Analyse Results ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010 4
- 5. Select “nnn” pieces of shared content ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010 5
- 6. Identify Primary Code for content which increase new users The top 5 content formats for driving new unique users to the website is identified. Narrative Theme Underlying message Gruesome Spectacle: Them vs Us 1 The Next Chapter Horrific, visual, unusual Gruesome Spectacle: Imparting knowledge 2 The Next Chapter Horrific, visual, unusual 3 The Next Chapter Science & technology Imparting knowledge Money: wealth, poverty, 4 Quirky/Funny economics Imparting knowledge 5 The Next Chapter Nature Imparting knowledge These are sample semiotic content codes – each website has its own unique code ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010
- 7. Content is created which maps to the semiotic code identified Business Entertainment News A content test project is carried out which uses the “project” content to test its share ability with the website community and a control group to measure the impact of the content on the project measures. These are sample pieces of content from www.guardian.co.uk ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010 7
- 8. Business Questions Addressed: Key Questions Is there an underlying semiotic code for the content which is most often shared? Is there a difference in content shared in different geographic locations? What impact does sharing content have on new users? Key findings Yes, there is an underlying semiotic code for content most often shared Yes, there is a difference in “how” content is shared in different geographies Shared content increase the number of unique site visitors We can use this knowledge to Understand our readers motivations to share content Enhance and refine the content on the website Increase share ability of content within the key customer and prospect group Refine content to reflect key interests and seasonal changes Increase traffic to the website or online service Improve search engine optimisation keyword strategy Improve social media connections and discovery of property Measure the impact of the website content strategy ©Copyright purple spinnaker Ltd. 2010
- 9. To find out more about Online Semiotic Analysis Contact Us Email: julie@purplespinnaker.com Call: +44 7887 644 799 Purple Spinnaker London +44 7887 644 799 julie@purplespinnaker.com www.purplespinnaker.com 9