Abstract:
The purposes of this research are to study selective perception and semiotic interpretation through TV commercial in order to establish new brand image of Close-Up Toothpaste and to investigate consuming behavior of audiences from different social structures after exposure to this semiology. The survey was conducted by collecting 432 questionnaires and analyzed by using ANOVA and CHI-SQUARE. Unstructured one-on-one interview were conducted with two sender from J. Water Thomson (Thailand). Three focus groups of 21 viewers from varied social structures were organized. The qualitative and quantitative sample were viewers of Close-Up TV Commercials, stratified in three groups: lower, middle, and upper class. Research findings are as follows: 1. The audiences social structure partly contributed to their understanding on semiology in the Close-Up TV commercials; namely, comprehension on the personality of Close-Up users, that is, flamboyant, self-confident, getting attention by teasing around; that the commercial armed to communicate anti-bacterial benefit, and that the actors character was flamboyant. 2. Audiences from different social structure were most likely to have the same perceptual selection and semiotic interpretation of Close-Up commercials, that is, considering from its plot and actors appearance, characteristics, and behaviors. However, among lower-class audiences, their interpretation does not lead to awareness of semiology that the sender intended to convey. Among middle-class audiences, frequency of exposure contributed to awareness. High-class audiences selectively perceived the benefits of Close-Up toothpaste. 3. Among audiences from varied social structures, the researcher find partly relationship between semiology comprehension and the meanings that the sender intended to communicate; namely, semiotic comprehension in the personality of Close-Up potential users and the actors in Close-Up TVC. 4. Among audiences from varied social structures, the researcher find partly relationship between semiology comprehension after TVC exposure and their varied consuming behavior; namely, current brand used, toothpaste purchase for their own use, having others buy toothpaste for them, frequency of purchase, current brand awareness, influence of TVC on their purchase decision.