Episode 39: Semiotics
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Looking Outside is for curious people looking for a fresh take on familiar topics, in business and beyond.
In this special LIVE episode of Looking Outside, recorded at the Insights and Innovation Exchange event in Texas, we look more closely at the symbols and signs that surround us, the study of Semiotics, with semiotician, author and marketer, Dr Rachel Lawes.
Rachel blends her 20 years in Market Research and her academic training as a Social Psychologist, with a focus on how people communicate through the study of semiotics. Rachel describes this as looking more deeply and critically at what is at face-value, and how that can help us make more deliberate decisions.
Stressing this point, Rachel says that semioticians can very easily become theoretical or academic; in essence become enamored with the art of hypothesizing what things mean, and often forget that that all this theory needs to be actionable to inform business strategy.
Having authored two books on the topic that explore semiotics in the marketing and retail landscapes, Rachel speaks to how semiotics can help give brands a competitive advantage by paying attention to what is often missed. Rachel describes this as the unique tipping point from natural observation, which everyone does in noticing what is obvious, to looking at what’s not said and seen and what that tells us.
Jo and Rachel also discuss the importance, for those of us in the job of observation, to catch when we’re over-analyzing things, because over-studying something can be dangerous, and what's critical is to remind ourselves about what is truly represented and representative of human culture.
To look outside, Rachel travels. This allows her to get a little uncomfortable and gain exposure to new experiences and people she wouldn’t otherwise have had.
Dr Rachel Lawes is a semiotician and marketer, and one of the original founders of British commercial semiotics. Through Lawes Consulting Ltd, established in 2002, she supplies semiotics to brand owners, ad agencies and marketers around the world. Her specialties include pharmaceuticals, banking and aviation, as well as everyday consumer goods.
Rachel is author of two ground-breaking books on the business applications of semiotics. ‘Using Semiotics in Marketing’ (2nd edition published in 2023) is the first book to set out a step-by-step course in semiotics for marketers and market researchers. Her other book, ‘Using Semiotics in Retail’, is the winner of the Sales & Marketing category of the Business Book Awards 2023.
Rachel’s PhD is in social psychology. She is a Fellow of the Market Research Society.
Learn more about the work Rachel does through Lawes Consulting: lawes-consulting.co.uk
Buy a copy of Rachel's books from koganpage.com with a special Looking Outside 20% discount, using the discount code "SEMIOTICS".
Rachel's books, Using Semiotics in Marketing and Using Semiotics in Retail, are also available on Amazon.
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All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2023.
OBOY and Daniele Musto music features in Episode 39.
