What makes a semiotician tick? SEMIOVOX’s Josh Glenn has invited his fellow practitioners in the field of commercial semiotics, from around the world, to answer a few revealing questions.

London…

SEMIOVOX

When you were a child/teen, how did your future fascination with symbols, cultural patterns, interpreting “texts,” and getting beneath the surface of daily life manifest itself?

JENNIFER SIMON

I was a Third Culture Kid, growing up in the US, UK, and the Caribbean, so I was both a cultural insider and outsider in these places. This perspective made me deeply curious about the “taken for granted” aspects of culture — such as the unspoken codes of respect in the Caribbean, i.e., not acknowledging someone when entering a room can be considered rude; and the culture of positivity in the US — it’s these attributes that shape how people interact and understand the world. I became fascinated by how these invisible rules of the game could hold such power to influence our behaviors and daily lives often without anyone consciously acknowledging them.

Also, being an only child, I buried myself in books & magazines. I used to read my parent’s Ebony magazines from cover to cover and even studied Sears and Argos catalogs. I was captivated by how advertising could be so engaging and enthralling, and even at a young age I realized there is something going on here — although I didn’t have the language to articulate the patterns and codes I was seeing.

SEMIOVOX

Describe your first encounter(s) with the theory and practice of semiotics.

JENNIFER SIMON

While doing my PhD in Sociology in the US, my brilliant colleague Moon Charania, who currently teaches at the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University, introduced me to semiotics. She was writing her dissertation on the Western visual construction of Pakistani women in the media. I was fascinated with how she was using semiotics to systematically decode the meanings behind these images, in a way that talking to people alone couldn’t achieve. 

From there, I did a directed reading course on semiotics and discourse analysis exploring works by the likes of Stuart Hall, Barthes, Saussure, Baudrillard, and Anne McClintock. These theorists gave me the visual frameworks and language to use in my dissertation research; and semiotics became a tool I could apply to understand human communication with depth and nuance. But I didn’t know that you could use this tool outside academia!

SEMIOVOX

How did you find your own way to doing semiotics?

JENNIFER SIMON

Even during my PhD, I was passionate about applying what I had learned to real-world contexts and connecting with audiences beyond academia. However, though I was deeply engaged with semiotics and eager to pursue it further, I wasn’t sure how to make that happen.

The breakthrough came from my father, who read my dissertation and said to me, “I can see where your work could have such a powerful impact in the world of marketing.” I really hadn’t considered a career in marketing, but I researched it and discovered the field of cultural insight and commercial semiotics. I couldn’t believe that one might actually do this for a living!

After completing my PhD, I moved to London. In my first job here, I started with traditional qualitative research. However, I was fortunate to have an amazing manager who supported my ambitions. She offered me the opportunity to contribute to redesigning the business website and marketing materials using semiotics. She also encouraged and supported me in enrolling in a commercial semiotics course.

Later, I joined Sign Salad — where I worked on a vast range of projects and categories. I’m now at Crowd DNA, a cultural insights and strategy consultancy, where I head up the semiotics offer.

SEMIOVOX

What are the most important attributes of a good semiotician?

JENNIFER SIMON

• Curiosity. Constantly ask questions about what you observe, and interrogate what you see… and why you see things the way you do.
• Open-mindedness. Be open to linking possible connections across disparate categories — signs and symbols tend to recur, in new ways, across different categories.
• Contextual research. History provides the foundation for decoding how symbols and narratives evolve over time… so taking the time to understand the historical context within which today’s meanings were shaped is crucial.
• Focus. We are being paid to solve a client challenge, so rather than focusing on what we think the client wants (or what we want), we need to focus on what the client ask is.

SEMIOVOX

What three books about semiotics have you found the most useful and enlightening in your own work?

JENNIFER SIMON

• Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Stuart Hall , ed.). – This text was instrumental for me in graduate school. Written in clear, accessible language, it provides an excellent foundation for understanding the core principles of cultural meaning-making.
• Using Semiotics in Marketing by [the UK commercial semiotician] Rachel Lawes. A great, practical guide to commercial semiotics.
• Chris Ware’s graphic novels. Ware dissects and captures the mundane and minutiae of everyday life with incredible depth and visual intricacy. Each of his books demands time and attention — you need to sit with it, or you’ll miss the subtle details and layered meanings woven into each panel. His work reminds me that, whether in semiotics or storytelling, the most profound insights can often emerge from the smallest details.

SEMIOVOX

When someone asks you to describe what you do, what is your “elevator pitch”? How do you persuade a skeptical client to take a chance on using this tool?

JENNIFER SIMON

• “I decode and predict culture and consumer behavior to help brands be culturally relevant and get ahead of cultural change.”

• The longer version: “Semiotics helps us uncover the often hidden, but shared cultural meanings and narratives that consumers absorb every day. Consumers can’t be expected to know how and why these changes are impacting their choices or feelings — because they aren’t cultural analysts. This is where traditional research methods fall short. And here is where semiotics provides a crucial advantage – helping to bridge the gap between what consumers say and the cultural forces behind their feelings, thoughts, and actions.”

SEMIOVOX

What specific sorts of semiotics-driven projects do you find to be the most enjoyable and rewarding?

JENNIFER SIMON

I particularly enjoy projects that delve into categories I know nothing about; and those that explore stereotypically banal objects (e.g., toothpaste packaging). Commercial semiotics reveals the depth, complexity, and cultural significance hidden within phenomena that can seem obvious or taken-for-granted. By presenting this significance in a rich, clear narrative, we inspire our clients’ strategic and creative decisions. The everyday becomes truly extraordinary.

I also enjoy projects that involve fieldwork, since these tap into the multi-sensory aspect of semiotics. Being “on the ground” allows me to discover emergent signals and signs in their full context — experiencing their manifestations through sight, smell, sound, and even touch. This immersive approach goes beyond what desk research can uncover, providing a richer, more nuanced understanding of cultural codes, and often sparking unexpected ideas and linkages.

SEMIOVOX

What frustrates you about how semiotics is practiced and/or perceived, right now?

JENNIFER SIMON

Two client-side frustrations, and two frustrations with my fellow commercial semioticians:

• Semiotic analysis is too often perceived as an exotic add-on to Qual or Quant projects (often, to help win the project), rather than a stand-alone method in its own right — one that offers an integrated approach with inherent strategic value.
• Semiotic analysis is too often perceived as a “quick fix,” when in fact robust, actionable insights require time and investment enough for methodical, careful analysis.
• Semioticians can sometimes be overly intellectual. We need to stay closely engaged with mass/popular culture.
• Semioticians can be over-reliant on desk research, which limits the depth and authenticity of our insights. Culture isn’t lived on the computer, but in the streets, grocery stores, etc.

SEMIOVOX

Peirce or Saussure?

JENNIFER SIMON

Saussure’s theory of binary oppositions in communication has deeply influenced how I approach semiotics, particularly when shaping strategic outputs. However, when delivering recommendations to clients, I simplify this concept into more accessible, client-friendly language. Instead of focusing on the theoretical framework, I highlight the practical implications — such as identifying the key tensions that a brand can leverage.

SEMIOVOX

What advice would you give to a young person interested in this sort of work?

JENNIFER SIMON

Immerse yourself in diverse content: Read books, watch shows, follow social media accounts, and explore everything from kids’ TV programs to underground music scenes and financial podcasts — even in areas you might not naturally gravitate toward. Cultural products are interconnected, and the broader your exposure, the better your ability to identify patterns and decode meaning.

Decenter yourself: Your work isn’t about expressing your perspective; it’s about addressing the client’s problem or challenge. Stay focused on the audience, the cultural codes at play, and how your insights can be applied to achieve your client’s goals.

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