SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE ADVERTISEMENT “GILANYA BELANJA DI BUKALAPAK”

Abstract

This research aims at interpreting the meaning of each scene in the advertisement Gilanya
Belanja di Bukalapak (Shopping Madness in Bukalapak) by using Roland Barthes’ (1972)
semiotic analysis. It seeks to understand the meaning of the signs in each scene and to reveal
the message in the advertisement. The research used qualitative approach with Barthes’
Semiotics method. These scenes showed several people that strangely used tools or goods,
which can lead to the audience’s false perceptions. The results indicate that (1) the denotation
meaning of each scene shows some people that performed unusual movements when using
some tools or goods; (2) the connotative meaning of each scene is that those people showed
happiness with unusual movements when shopping with big discounts at Bukalapak; (3) based
on myth elements, five myths in Bukalapak advertisement are: (a) selfie stick and selfie which
showed modern culture, (b) high heels shoes that can boost women’s appearance, (c) the use
of pomade among men, (d) branded women bags which become a phenomenon for women
who wear it, and (e) a pestle and mortar which are Indonesian traditional kitchen tools.