Denotative Meaning Semiotics analysis on THE AXE PHOENIX edition, “FiRE UP HER
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migrating to Egypt every five hundred years, and it refers to the Phoenix
as a bird living in India. His account is clearly inspired by Garuda, the bird of the Hindu god Vishnu.
According to the Greek mythology, the Phoenix lived in Phoenicia next to a well. At dawn, this bird bathed in the water of the well, and the
Greek sun-god Helios stopped his chariot the sun in order to listen to its
song. In China, the Fenghuang, also has a mythical bird superficially
similar to the Phoenix. It is the second most-respected legendary creature, which the first is the dragon, largely used to represent the empress and
females, and as such as the counterpart to the Chinese dragon, traditionally
seen as masculine or imperial. The Phoenix is considered the greatest and the leader of birds.
Then, in Japan, the Phoenix is literally called hō-ō Immortal Bird.
In Korea, the Phoenix was called Bonghwangsae or Bulsajo; it is literally meant as Never Dying Bird. In Russian folklore, the Phoenix appears as
the Zhar-Ptitsa or firebird. Zumrud-u Anka is a Turkish version of the Phoenix. The word Anka comes from the word for necklace, for the
birds neck is covered with white feathers forming like a necklace. And the Belgian said that the Phoenix is presented as a symbol of rebirth,
immortality, and renewal
as in The Belgian € 10 silver coin.
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From the various short definitions of the Phoenix above, the writer may analyze the image as connotative levelC
2
.
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http:. wikipedia.org.
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b . Connotative Meaning
As the connotative levelC
2
, the setting context of this advertisement shows the man is flying with a woman; the AXE Phoenix is
firing and the background is blue color. The first connotative meaning in this image is a woman expression and her position; it is indicating that she
is the object of this advertisement. To clarify these, the writer may take the reason which showing her
as the object of the advertisementC
2
. The first is the arrangement of the tagline. The sentence shows that the word “her” is positioned in the object
of the sentence, objective pronoun. It means that the woman in this context is the point of marketing advertisement. The second is the word
“imagination”. It is placed to emphasize the objective pronoun to be clearer, to make clear the object pronoun of sentence.
Then, the facial expression of a woman seems pointing to be the object; and it is also strengthened by the explanation in the white-square,
AXE PHOENIX REBIRTH OF DEODORANT BODY SPRAY FROM AXE ODOR, AND FLIGHT WITH ITS IMAGINATING FRAGRANCE FIRE UP
WOMEN’S IMAGINATION. This information announces that the product is especially for men; it will give fragrance for women and in relating to
this context, will give the magical secret word, the imagination of womenC
2
.
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The word “imagination” in this context, not creative or free thinking, but it is which is related to the AXE perfume product, AXE Phoenix. The
company imitates the myth of Phoenix to be in the AXE productC
2
. The company uses the metaphor as well on all the images above to be in AXE
products. It is to press that the AXE products will give as the power effect symbolic and sign values as the same interesting as the metaphor used.
The company wants to give space to the consumers to create the place connotation process that imagination of myth bird of Phoenix is going to
turn to the AXE Phoenix product. As audiences know that AXE is the perfume product that contains
the water composition which may give good smell. But in this advertisement, the elements, the object of advertisement, AXE Phoenix,
the context the blue color, and a man with his wings and the text the tagline that informs the audiences that the mythical bird of Phoenix is
clearly on AXE product as the metaphorC
2
. Slightly, the woman position, AXE product and the tagline are the
three elements of this advertisement. Those have the relation as what the image shown. It creates the narrative statements that a man brings a
woman to fly; while his hand arising and the black armpit which are indicating to the product as a deodorant product which is used by a man
are the creative strategy of advertisements. In addition, the facial expression of a woman with the tagline are strengthened that a woman is
the object in this advertisementC
2
.
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For more interpretation, the blue color as dominant color is pointed as the man world; a man and the background are blue color not does a
woman. So, in this advertisement, the controller is a man. And the fire that writing the imagination tagline and imagination which is caused by AXE
Phoenix are the two cores of symbolic and sign values to persuade consumers. So, it is going to talk about the AXE Phoenix fires up a woman
imagination to be more, and AXE Phoenix is a deodorant for a man who becomes the representative of consumersC
2
. Then, the AXE company wants to fix the state of consumer minds to
be every woman smells the AXE Phoenix which is used by a men, it will fire her to get the imagination and
to be: “this is AXE product; it may give anybody something more like the images above the symbolic and sign
values like imagination, sensuality, power, and melt”C
2
. In addition, the connotative process will attach to any kind of
interpretation. It may be interpreted as patriarchy or man domination. In this context, patriarchy may say a woman does not have any kind of
power, “look A man has saved a woman from a fire”C
2
. On the contrary, feminists matriarchy will have different
arguments. They will argue that the domination patriarchy is not what is shown in this image. Although, the advertisement elements are shown as
the men power, with the indication of the tagline, blue color, the objective pronoun of her and the deodorant product, feminists state that the
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advertisement image shows the weakness of a men power. They get trap from the consuming the productC
2
. To clarify this, the men are being busy to get the imagination of
women. They should buy the AXE Phoenix, spraying or consuming the deodorant to cover their black armpit, in the name of getting the
imagination of women. It means that this is the weakness of men power and feminists will say that the women are now to be the controller of men
power and have something magical secret imagination as men need. Furthermore, the men are not confident with their weakness, so they
should buy the AXE Phoenix to persuade and to get the magical secret that women have, imaginationC
2
. If this connotation stays form long time, it will be a myth. The myth
is about the role of power effect like domination, controller and confidence. It also talks about the women who have the magical secret,
imagination, and the extraordinary power of men is given by producers to be interpreted by freely.
Hermeneutic code is signed by the facial expression of a woman, the tagline and the imitation myth of Phoenix to be in the AXE product. They
show the consumers to have better interpretation on this image based on the background of the consumers.
Semantic code is talking about the domination of men, patriarchy, which is pointed by blue color as the home world, the tagline. And in other
hand, the domination of women, matriarchy, is informing that men are
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being busy, they should consume the AXE Phoenix perfume product to get the confidence and woman imagination.
Cultural code is the myth of Phoenix which has an extraordinary power. It is imitated by AXE Company to transform to AXE products. The
Company wants the AXE Phoenix perfume product as same interesting as myth to persuade consumers to buy the products.
As the description above, the writer concludes that symbolic and sign values are transforming to the products of AXE. The Company uses
every metaphor to persuade consumers via advertisement media. They imitate the basic definition of Nun, Chocolate, Forbidden fruits the figure
of Hillary and the myth of Phoenix to be in the AXE perfume products by
giving the edition as same as the basic definition.
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CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION