Myth and Photography in Advertising: A Semiotic Analysis

Abstract

For 18 years, Kohler's "As I See It" ad campaign has delivered romanticized and fantasized portraits of high-end kitchen and bath fixtures. Drawing from semiotic and psychoanalytic theories and critical frameworks, this article examines 4 advertisements created by surrealist photographer Hugh Kretschmer. The visuals embody symbols, metaphors, and mythic allusions as signs of a transformative relationship between female models and products, connoting referents of human commodification, self-alienation, sexual activity, and desire. The study calls for public relations stewardship to act as a gatekeeper for ambiguous or unintended visual messages in corporate advertising.