Reversing The Ontology Of Anthropocene Do Semiotics Of Sustainability Advertising Hold The Promise?

Abstract

Oxford Dictionary defines the Anthropocene as the epoch denoting the current geological age when human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. It defines semiotics as the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. In advertising, it refers to the use of a host of audio-visual and verbal cues for invoking awareness, interest and positive action among the target audience / public at large (Johnson, 2012).

The present study, following Benson, problematizes the dominant Anthropocene ontology of considering humans as villains of extinct species, polluted environment and climate change (Benson, 2019). It proceeds from the premise that there is an opportunity to redefine the relationship between humans and the natural world and thus evolve an alternative ontology of humans in rather than to nature.  The research question it addresses is if the semiotics of sustainability advertising hold the promise of developing the alternative, pro planet ontology of the anthropocene.

The study explores the emergent strands of communicating sustainability through the semiotic analysis of select advertising campaigns. It draws on Pierce’s triadic system of symbolic interpretation that comprises the representamen, the object and the interpretant (Kadim & Abbas, 2022). For example, a drop is a representamen that signifies the liquid fossil fuel and may thus be interpreted as an indicator of a fast-depleting natural resource. The paper notes that these semiotics - more so when backed by the commitment of purpose- imply the emergence of social and environmental advertising as the mainstay of fostering brand identity as well as stakeholder engagement. In our recent work, we have acknowledged the power of such advertising in influencing people’s perceptions and sustainability behaviours (Saxena et al., 2023) and the use of such advertisements as teaching and learning objects. The paper develops a communication framework for fostering pro-planet cognition, affect and behaviours.