Ganito Kami sa Makati: A Narrative and Semiotic Analysis of the Television Advertisements used by Jejomar Binay in 2010 Vice-Presidential Elections

Ganito Kami sa Makati: A Narrative and Semiotic Analysis of the Television Advertisements used by Jejomar Binay in 2010 Vice-Presidential Elections

Balasta, A.S. & Renes, C.A. (2011). Ganito Kami sa Makati: A Narrative and Semiotic Analysis of the Television Advertisements used by Jejomar Binay in 2010 Vice-Presidential Elections, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

Local politicians, given the resources and machinery, can control their message and image by talking persuasively to voters and appealing to them through advertisements. With the amount of competing information made available to voters during election, the need to be critical is more important than ever. This study explores the images presented by Jejomar Binay in his 2010 Vice-Presidential advertisements by integrating three communication theories: Nowak and Warneryd's Communication Campaign Model integrated into Ferdinand de Saussure's Semiotic Tradition and Walter Fisher's Narrative Theory.

Textual analysis of the semiotic and narrative codes was conducted to identify the images, themes and forms of advertising employed by Binay. Focus interviews were conducted to assess the viewers’ interpretation of Binay’s ads and its effect on their voting preferences. The study establishes that there are there basic strategies governing Binay’s advertisements: what he has done, who he is and what he will do. The focus interviews prove that advertisements can either convince or dissuade the voters from voting one candidate or they may not affect the voters’ preference at all.

Key Words: Political Advertising, 2010 National Elections, Semiotic Analysis, Narrative Analysis

View ThesisDepartment of Journalism Thesis