Dr Rachel Lawes is recognized as one of the original founders of British commercial semiotics. Based in London, UK, she has convened the Market Research Society Advanced Qualitative Methods Masterclass for 15 years. Academic posts include Principal Lecturer in Marketing at Regent's University London. She supplies brand strategy and consumer insight to brands and ad agencies globally. Clients include Unilever, P&G, Diageo and Grey London. Rachel is a Fellow of the Market Research Society in the UK. She is the author of Using Semiotics in Marketing and Using Semiotics in Retail, both published by Kogan Page.
"In an age where influencer marketing, personalization and building
positive social impact are the new mantras of marketing, Lawes'
book is a priceless guide for marketers to make sense of the world
that their consumers live in. Brilliant, incisive and a
comprehensive look at using the principles of semiotics in
marketing, this book is testimony to Lawes' mastery of the subject
and her immense contribution to the world of semiotics."
*Shelley Sengupta, GM and Head of Insights, Pernod Ricard
India*
"This book confirms why Lawes is one of the foremost industrial
semioticians. It is a masterclass on the role of culture in
consumer behaviour. If you are a researcher, this book is an
essential part of your library. The second edition of Using
Semiotics in Marketing adds three new chapters that link recent
changes in the global socio-political context and the emergence of
metamodernism. Lawes provides an insightful, actionable and
entertaining comparison between generations with regards to how
they process functional and emotional information, and translates
this into how brands should think about designing product
experiences and communications to be authentic and sincere."
*Dr Nick Harrington, Senior Director, Procter & Gamble*
"Dr Lawes' book goes much further than academic or professional
standards. Her writing is emotional, touching, profound and
delicate at the same time. And that reflects that semiotics is
about culture before becoming a matter of marketing. Nevertheless,
it is vital for consumer trends understanding and brand planning.
Using Semiotics in Marketing is full of meaning. It is brilliant
and compelling, both professionally and personally."
*André D’Abreu Pazin, Director of Customer Intelligence, Research
and Strategy, LATAM Airlines*
"Business leaders talk about using semiotics in research, but do
they actually know what it means? In this book all is revealed, and
in a simple, practical and applicable way to boot. Using Semiotics
in Marketing ultimately proves that semiotics meets the stature of
its buzzworthyness and that leaders can gain differentiated
insights by leveraging it, top down, bottom up and layered with
other methods that help us investigate deeper into consumers and
cultures."
*Joanna Lepore, Global Foresight Director, McDonald’s*
"Rachel Lawes writes with insightful brevity, but what makes this
book shine is the incredibly useful techniques she offers for
'culture first' thinking. The 'Tree' technique in Chapter 6 has
particularly inspired me in how to guide strategists to structure
upstream thinking rooted in truisms. A gem of a book to reignite
your approach to creative development."
*Lucy Crotty, Cultural Strategy and Insight Lead, ITV*
"This is a book that demands to be read (again and again),
comfortably sat back with a note-taking device nearby, as we are
invited to jot down our own reflections and ideas that will
inevitably come. This second edition brings future applicability to
all the learnings from the previous chapters, with a focus on key
changes in consumer culture brought about by metamodernism. Rachel
Lawes makes light work of explaining the values, needs and
behaviour shifts that will define the future through the
metamodernist lens. The insights are so compelling that you'd be
forgiven for concluding that this shift is not just key for
marketing into the future, but for adding value and meaning to all
kinds of professional and personal relationships. If Rachel's book
doesn't stir something inside you, you haven't read it right."
*Trish Rajo-Brea, Insights Professional and Capabilities Lead,
Unilever*
"A fascinating and insightful read on an area of research which can
often be underrepresented. Lawes makes a compelling case for the
use of semiotics and the commercial impact it delivers. If you ever
need to convince someone of the power of semiotics, make sure you
give them a copy of this book. A must-read for marketers and
insight professionals."
*Andrew Tenzer, Independent Insight and Brand Strategy Consultant,
Reach plc*
"This highly awaited second edition of Using Semiotics in Marketing
is written by a semiotics veteran. Dr Rachel Lawes knows the
industry well! If you're a marketer, you need to read this book. If
you're studying marketing, branding, retail UX and/or consumer
behaviour, you need to read this book. With three new chapters on
Generation Z, social change in the 'West' and the rise of emotions,
the book is bang up to date. So, if you're in any way, shape, form
or part of the 'digital ecosystem' (and I'd be surprised if you're
not!) you must read this book. Like, now! What are you waiting
for?"
*Professor (Dr) Zubin Sethna, Professor of Entrepreneurial
Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Regent’s University London*
"The publication of this second edition has given me the perfect
excuse to revisit this seminal text on best practice in semiotics -
written by one of the discipline's best practitioners. This is a
book that should sit within arm's reach of everyone working in
marketing, research and communication; in fact, anyone who needs to
understand how people tick as part of their job. Filled with
practical advice and fascinating examples, it is that unusual breed
of textbook that you will fly through. This new edition applies the
lens of the seismic cultural shifts caused by the pandemic and
maturing of Generation Z. It is now even more imperative that you
absorb its wisdom and insight. Meanwhile, we all need to hold our
breaths for what will be the inspiration for a third edition!"
*Fiona Keyte, Planning Partner, Grey London*
"Using Semiotics in Marketing is a must-read for anyone committed
to putting people at the centre of marketing. Dr Lawes manages to
make a complex and nuanced practice approachable, and does so in a
way that illuminates, rather than dulls, the pixie dust of
semiotics. This effortless balance of the practical and the magical
solidified my belief that Dr Lawes is an underutilized resource in
our industry."
*Kim Einan, Chief Strategy Officer, Starcom*
"How many times in our lives have we looked at objects or ideas or
brands for what they are rather than what they signify? A coffee,
for example, as a brewed beverage, evokes comfort, creativity and
alertness; a sofa, as a furniture item, evokes symmetry, relaxation
and family time. In this compelling book about images, icons,
language, culture, people and meaning, the often-mystifying world
of semiotics comes alive. Lawes, in her commercially relevant and
practical account, masterfully brings forth the future of
researching customer engagement by describing how researchers,
strategists and marketers can decode signs so they can see
connections and meanings that others cannot. It beautifully and
aptly explains the fascinating world of semiotics with clarity and
accessible language for all, novices or experts. A must-read!"
*Dr Panagiotis Kokkalis, Chair of Business and Management and
Associate Professor of Strategy, Rochester Institute of Technology,
Dubai*
"Seeing things other brands, marketers or even the person sitting
next to you don't is vital to success. In Using Semiotics in
Marketing Dr Lawes gives you the keys to unlock the unseen that's
all around us. With sharper vision we become sharper marketers. Dr
Lawes' book helps you keep your 'eyes on that very special
prize'."
*George Tannenbaum, Founder, GeorgeCo, LLC, Adaged Blog*
"Are great semioticians born or created? Mindful, perhaps, of my
own limitations in this field, I had always leaned toward the
former, lamenting my lack of relevant genetic curlicues. The first
edition of this book changed all of that, making the mysterious
hinterland of semiotics accessible, sending up a flare to
illuminate this terrain and roll back the shadows cast by past
intellectuals - yes, I'm looking at you, Barthes. This new
version, enriched with recent social history and dripping with new
cultural codes, is clear, concise and comprehensible, touching the
universal elements of the everyday while spotlighting the 'how to'
of creative analysis - increasingly necessary to business
innovation and delivering competitive advantage."
*Leslie X Hallam, Course Director, Psychology of Advertising MSc,
University of Lancaster and Qualitative Consultant, Tangent
Partnership*
"The field of semiotics is littered with books that are either
unreadable, unusable or far too pleased with themselves. Lawes' is
different. As well as being hugely practical and commercially
relevant, this gem of a textbook is packed full of juicy cultural
analysis. Lawes manages to make page-turners out of discussions on
baked beans and toilet tissue. Her depiction of British tea-time
rituals is up there with Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down. It could
only have been written by someone who cares as much about Instagram
as she does about Ideograms. Essential reading."
*Dr Nick Coates, Global Creative Consulting Director, C Space*
"Do you wish you knew more about semiotics, how it is used in
market research, and how it links to other techniques? Learn how
ideas get into people's heads, the role of culture and the method
of outside-in thinking. A must-read for any marketer or market
researcher."
*Ray Poynter, Founder and Chair, NewMR and Member of ESOMAR
Council*
"I like to think I know a bit about semiotics, but Lawes is the
real deal, the Full Monty, the Queen of Codes. Her insightful work
is an important rejoinder and reminder to all those in the brand
and comms world of the need to focus on culture and meaning,
linguistics and anthropology, icons and images - not just the
reductionist world of messages, propositions and benefits."
*Anthony Tasgal, Strategist and Owner, POV Marketing and
Research*
"A great read for anyone in the research game! Whether new to the
field or long in the tooth, this is certainly a book to get stuck
in to."
*Viv Farr, Managing Director, Narrative Health*
"From the moment I started reading about the culture of weddings, I
was gripped. This was going to be a good read! But more than that,
Using Semiotics in Marketing gives you the step-by-step, practical
tools to learn and use the discipline yourself - written in a
highly engaging manner. Lawes masterfully combines the practicality
of a training manual with a 'can't put down' read. If you are
intrigued by semiotics, if you wish you knew how to be a
semiologist, Lawes gives you the tools to get stuck in. This second
edition really opened my eyes to the importance of Generation Z and
provides heaps of practical strategies for brands and marcoms as
new generations of consumers evolve."
*Fiona Blades, President and Chief Experience Officer, MESH
Experience*
"I have concluded that all Quant researchers become Qual converts
in the end - and I am no exception. I've spent the last 10 years
promoting qual research, and it seems to me that semiotics is a
qual 'superpower'. I loved the clarity of this book and the clever
synthesis of so much academic research that I wouldn't have had the
time to read for myself, but most of all I appreciated gaining an
insight into current trends that I have been observing without
fully understanding. If you are a 'boomer' (like me), some of the
ideas of metamodernism are bewildering and very hard to assimilate
- but the effort is very definitely worthwhile for the light it
shines on the modern world."
*Phyllis McFarlane, Market Research Society Gold Medallist*
"Lawes excels at writing in a way that demystifies semiotics and
makes it clearly actionable in an engaging way, exploring the
cultural changes happening in society that only semiotics can truly
identify. The new chapters include identifying the consumer needs
of the 2020s and provide several different lenses that businesses
can instantly learn from. A shout out here goes to the way that the
case studies and activities dovetail seamlessly together, to
provide the tools for marketeers to apply immediately."
*Alan Hathaway, MD, Discovery Research Ltd and Judge, MRS Awards
2022*
"An invaluable tool for any researcher looking to go beyond the
traditional methodologies to successfully level up and
differentiate their analysis and storytelling. Lawes has made
semiotics accessible to those of us who aren't expertly trained as
semioticians but still understand the value of decoding the
cultural symbols and language all around us. Lawes' Using Semiotics
in Marketing gets us results for our clients every time with its
inspiring advice for market researchers. It's full of amazing
revelations and stories you won't read anywhere else. This expanded
second edition has even more fascinating insights concerning social
change in the United States."
*Stephanie David, Vice President Research and Design, Vital
Findings*
"In writing Using Semiotics in Marketing, Rachel Lawes has
succeeded in both simplifying and making a complex subject
accessible. This book is a great practical guide to semiotics
written in an engaging style. I would highly recommend it to all
insight professionals who want to further their understanding of
the subject."
*Julie Irwin, Co-Founder and Board Director, Citrine Market
Research and Judge, MRS Awards 2022*
"If you're looking for a well-written, easy-to-understand and
informative book on the use of semiotics in marketing then look no
further. Dr Lawes has taken years of experience and succinctly
summarized it into a practical and interesting book. The second
edition builds on the first by bringing an explanation of semiotics
in relation to recent yet rapid changes to western-influenced
culture. Dr Lawes continues to deliver further knowledge to the
reader and practical responses that brands can make to meet the
changing expectations of their market and consumers."
*Steven Darby, Director, AURA*
"If you read just one book about the shifting consumer culture and
what it means for brands, make it this one! Dr Lawes sets out the
criticality of semiotics in this powerful, practical and immensely
insightful second edition. It brilliantly elevates semiotics from a
'nice to have' to a 'must have' for all insight and marketing
practitioners. It bravely challenges old ways of thinking and
catapults us into a state of readiness for the future. It's an
essential, enlightening and hugely enjoyable read."
*Sandra Grandsoult, Co-Founder and Equity Architect, Equitas
Insight*
"This is a weighty tome of information and thought-provoking
content. What is most relevant and fruitful for me is the way
Rachel Lawes helps marketers (in the broadest sense) understand
that semiotics can make tangible what their customers are thinking
and feeling in ways that are much more insightful than the kind of
answers we tend to get in Q&A market research."
*Hilary Woods, Strategic Partner, Crater Lake & Co and Agency for
the Third Age*
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