Abstract

This article employs semiotic analysis as well as marketing theory for examining Japanese advertising. Much advertising, in both Japan and the West, exploits “resonance”—a pairing of image with text in the service of word play. But little has been done to explain how Japanese advertising compares to its Western (primarily American) counterpart. Semiotic analysis of resonance entails interpreting the narrative scripts and frames that are brought into play for the Japanese consumer. These narratives offer a unique window onto Japanese marketing strategies and by extension onto Japanese aesthetics and culture.