A pandemia na publicidade: uma análise semiótica e psicanalítica da publicidade brasileira durante a COVID-19

Abstract

The study aims to establish an analytical connection regarding Peirce’s Semiotics and Lacan’s Psychoanalysis for the verbal and non-verbal discourses used in some of the main advertising broadcasted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Nine ads were used as study’s objects, from three different companies of diverse industries and distributed in three acts – or moments – of the pandemic within the country: The first hit, between March and April; The routine, from July to August; and The End (of 2020), between November and December. In order to do that, the psychoanalytic analysis was built, mainly, by taking into consideration the exposition of the Lacanian triad Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary traceable among the campaigns. The semiotics analysis, however, was grounded, above all, on Peirce’s concepts of Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness present in the advertisements. Highlighting, first, the psychoanalytical conclusions, although advertising is, fundamentally, a Symbolic manifestation, once it is a discourse, it was possible to see also the Imaginary’s presence, especially when exploring the pandemic’s “bright side” and/or generating alienation through the products and services offered as a solution to it, and attempts of displaying the Real, always by association with death and anguish. Regarding the semiotics analysis, aspects of Firstness were elaborated through the ads’ qualitative descriptions concerning their colors, sounds and implied scents; Secondness via COVID-19’s context; and finally, Thirdness by interpretating the connection between both Firstness and Secondness