- Title
- A semiological analysis of ideological mythology in Braun’s post-war German product advertising
- Creator
- Owen, Ian Wyn
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Braun is one of the world’s most respected and successful consumer product manufacturers. Its design philosophy – developed through its engagement with the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm (Ulm School of Design) and renowned industrial designer Dieter Rams – has been linked to the foundations of Modernism, Functionalism and the gute form (good design) movement. As such, many scholars have endeavoured to define Braun’s fundamental essence in terms of its design process, or its aesthetic outcomes. Braun’s design ethos has also been repeatedly linked to social, cultural and economic impacts. In particular, Braun is often credited as being responsible for the revival of German financial and cultural prosperity in the aftermath of the Second World War. Yet, despite such claims, there are many facets of Braun’s alleged role in shaping West German consumer culture that remain overlooked. In particular, the role of Braun’s product advertising has only rarely been noted in the past, and yet it was central to its communication strategies and is possibly the most direct example of its engagement with the cultural and aesthetic values in society. This dissertation seeks to address this gap in our knowledge through an analysis of the way Braun used its print marketing materials (as an expression of its design ethos) to reinforce the dominant political agenda of West Germany in the post-war era. In order to develop new knowledge about Braun’s advertising campaigns and its political or ideological agendas, this dissertation adopts a methodological frame from semiology. The method draws on both Ferdinand de Saussure’s dyadic semiological model and philosopher Roland Barthes’ theories and approaches in Mythologies to identify the overt messages, the subtle communications and the hidden cultural myths in Braun’s advertising. Using archival material, this dissertation examines three advertisements from 1954, 1958 and 1962, along with their contexts. In each case, the study identifies the three layers of meaning – denotative, connotative, myth – promulgated by Braun’s advertising campaigns. Through this process, this dissertation examines three research questions, which can collectively be used to illuminate Braun’s role in post-war West German society. The first research question asks how the denotative (verbal and non-verbal) content of Braun’s print advertising changed between 1954 and 1962. Through the analysis of three case studies, the dissertation finds that the overt or literal messages in Braun’s advertising shifted from a steadfast internal relationship prioritisation of technological empiricism and engineering expertise to one that emphasised the product’s relationship with an evolving and affluent West German consumer. The second research question asks how the connotative content of Braun’s print advertising changed between 1954 and 1962. The dissertation finds that the secondary or implied messages appear to transition along the spectrum of tangibility, moving from an emphasis on the physical unit toward a pronounced appreciation of consumer goods as an expression of a cultural position. The final research question asks if the ‘myths’ presented in Braun’s print advertising change between 1954 and 1962. The myths are the hidden, ideologically-charged or motivated messages in the advertisements. The dissertation finds that, taken together, the myths can be rendered into a narrative that charts the ebb and flow of the two key priorities: the ideological commitment to form, design and a nationalistic idealism; and the corporate imperative to remain a profitable company. The evolving myths, and the implications this progression has for Braun’s relationship to the dominant socio-political discourse in West Germany, is the key finding of this dissertation. By answering these three questions, the dissertation develops the first indicators that Braun’s advertising sought to directly support the creation of a consumer culture, or culture of consumption, in accordance with the larger political imperatives at the time. Braun ceased to be a purely cultural force seeking to promote its approach to design. Instead - leaning on existing cultural codes and socially-endorsed norms - Braun offered a new interpretation of its products, the design process and the unavoidable entry of West Germany into the arena of social and political consumerism. This finding develops new knowledge about the actual connection between Braun and West German consumer culture as well as, more generally, between, design, consumption and ideology.
- Subject
- Braun; postwar; good design; West Germany; semiology; mythology; consumerism; consumption; products design; ideology; advertising
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1410915
- Identifier
- uon:36253
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Ian Wyn Owen
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 454 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |