The Active Role of the Recipient in Decoding an Advertisement Respectively a Poster

From a structural point of view, an advertisement can be analysed on textual and visual level. The texts as well as the pictures as a sign have a denotative and connotative meaning. Furthermore, there are communication models like the Shannon–Weaver model and semiotic methods like Roland Barthes and John Fiske theories, which not only analyse the structure and the forwarded messages but also bring the role of the recipient to the fore, because an error in decoding would lead to failure in an intended reaction. In this paper, cultural parameters will be illustrated with the help of chosen German and Turkish advertisements.