Semiotic Analysis of "Sheba" advertisement on page 86 of the Mail On Sunday's "You" magazine, dated 21.9.03.

This full page advertisement is for Sheba, a brand of cat food. It features a photographic image of a young woman reclining on carpeted section of floor, observing a cat eating what is assumed to be the advertised brand from a white dish. The page is vertically divided into three areas, the central one, occupying roughly 60% of the page contains the main image of the woman and the cat and is predominantly brown in colour. The remaining two 20% sections are rendered in a greenish hue, separated from the main section by two vertical white lines. The anchor text situated at the bottom centre of the page reads "Sheba. In a World of Its Own" and the company logo, with more text describing a new recipe is situated in the top left corner of the page.

The first striking element of this advertisement is the visual representation of luxury, as opposed to austerity and utility. This is the first of a number of oppositions which underpin the reading of this advertisement. First of all the carpet, as opposed to the bare wood floor depicted in the right and left sections, signifies a sense of comfort, as the young woman reclines on the floor, her facial expression and pose is one of calmness and stillness. The brown and gold hue of the central section signifies two things; firstly a sense of autumn, which is also signified by the trees outside the window, and secondly a sense of warmth which again contributes to the luxuriousness of the image. The use of colours associated with warmth and autumn could be seen as a cleverly economic use of colour to signify the warmth of the interior as opposed to what is signified as an autumnal exterior which is, by nature of the implied season, cold. An opposition of temperatures is also alluded to by the green colouring of the side sections, green in this case working with the austerity signified by the wooden floor and bare walls to convey a sense of coldness.

The relationship between humans and their pets is being idealized here in the form of the woman and the cat, this relationship is seen as a symbiotic one, as the cat depends on the woman for food, she depends on the cat for an inner warmth and well-being signified by the "world of [Shebas] own" of the central section. The representation of the cat in this image is that of a therapeutic tool, the upper left corner text connotes a high quality restaurant with the ingredients presented in such a way as to resemble a menu, with a reference to the season suggesting a fashionableness to this particular recipe. All of this embellishment is for the benefit of the human consumer, the Sheba brand is identified as a higher class competitor to others such as Kit-E-Kat and Felix. Such is the reward for the potential consumer of this cat food, not only does the cat become, through the healthiness such a meal provides, as signified by the cats thick, shiny coat, a a symbol of well-being for it's owner to enjoy by proxy (as the woman's contented gaze is directed at the cat to the exclusion of all else), Sheba also rewards the consumer with an increase or a confirmation of social standing.

The situation of this advertisement in the magazine, just after the food section and in the middle of a short story about a waitress, seems to suggest a female audience, predominantly white middle class, young to middle aged, politically conservative, semi professional or professional, the ideal target to this advertisement would be interested in reading (books), society life and all its accompanying issues such as fashion and good food. The ideal consumer for the product would be similar to the above description but would also view her pet as a companion or extension of herself, the closeness of this relationship could infer that she is single or lives alone.

(Image is a screengrab from the television advert "In a World of Its Own" viewable at Tragopan Pheasantry)