Marketing semiotics looks at categories and brands as ‘meaning systems’ that have their own rules or codes.
Some of these codes are drawn from culture and some are specific to the brand or category. For example, established global brands such as Dove or Nike or Coca-Cola define their own rules / codes of design – be it in terms of colours, shapes, graphics, logo etc used in their packaging. Whereas other brands in a category follow the norms or rules acknowledged by all players and visible in their packaging design. A few brands aim to challenge these category codes.
When Semioticians decode categories and brands, they go beyond individual consumer motives; they analyse the shared meanings in the minds of consumers that actually motivates their behaviour.