COnnotative and Dennotative meanings

Connotative and denotative meanings coexist frequently in advertising. It is important

we analyze advertisements on both of these levels to obtain the full intention of them. This is

the case with Truth’s advertising campaign. Analyzed denotatively, this advertisement appears

to be an extremely inefficient anti-smoking campaign, which relies on the use of deception, both

in its false “facts” and in its name: Truth. The advertisement itself involves too surreal

information to believe it is truthful. However, connotatively, the advertisement serves a very

different, and more effective purpose: as a message pertaining to the mass population’s inabilities

to critically analyze such seemingly pointless advertisements and see the messages that lie within

them.


On the surface, Truth’s advertisement appears to be an anti-smoking campaign. It claims

to have gotten its hands on an “actu...