The Communication of Luxury: A Semiotic Analysis of a Luxury Brand’s Perfume Commercial

Abstract

This study explores the mode of communication of luxury in the case of Chanel. It includes a review of theories regarding the cultural concept of luxury. It discusses the psychological, historical, cultural and sociological aspects of luxury in order to explain its dynamics and significance. It also elucidates the discourse of advertising, and the practice of luxury branding and communication. The methodological base for the study is semiotics with its structuralist and post-structuralist approaches to meaning, and its emphasis on the complexity of cultural systems through discourse. The analytical section is an in-depth description of a Chanel commercial, deconstructing the component parts according to semiotic and discursive categories. It offers an interpretation of the commercial’s intended (preferred) reading concerning this particular luxury brand of perfume and conclusions regarding the distinguished modes of communicating luxury.

Keywords

• luxury
• commercial
• communication
• meaning
• brand
• value