Semiotic analysis of GSM operator ads in Turkey

It cannot be denied that, throughout the history of mankind, one of the most fundamental requirements is communication. With the opportunities offered by developing technologies, communication tools and their place in our lives are growing. Today, the GSM sector is one of the most widely used communication tools. The phenomenon of competition, which has become more frequent due to the impact of the consumer society, is reflected in the GSM world. Consequently, it is seen frequently that the operators take advantage of advertisements to publicize their products and services and the fact that leading advertisers of the advertising industry in Turkey are GSM operators supports this idea. Within the scope of this thesis, advertising strategies of GSM operators providing services in our country have been examined and their ads have been interpreted semiotically. In addition, a survey was conducted to learn the opinions of end users about ads and to comprehend the effect of ads on their operator preferences. The findings of this study were used to guide and deepen the research. As a result of researches and studies, it is observed that the operators carry out advertising strategies which are tailored for the target audience and dominated by competition. Some advertising campaigns use similar methods, while others differ. In some advertisements, operators come to the forefront with their own activities, while in others, they prefer to reach the end user through what the competing operator does not or cannot do. Keywords: Communication, GSM Operators, Semiotics, Advertisement