The Meaning of Sadness and Family Warmth in Telkomsel’s Ramadan Advertisement: A Charles Sanders Peirce Semiotic Analysis MAKNA KESEDIHAN DAN KEHANGATAN KELUARGA DALAM IKLAN RAMADAN TELKOMSEL: ANALISIS SEMIOTIKA CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE

Abstract

Ramadan advertising no longer functions merely as a promotional medium, but also as a site of meaning production that connects audiences’ emotional experiences with brand imagery through family-centered everyday narratives. This article examines the meaning of sadness and family warmth in Telkomsel’s Ramadan advertisement by explaining how visual and narrative signs construct a dialectic between physical separation, longing, and emotional closeness mediated by digital connection. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach using Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic analysis. The data consisted of key scenes in the advertisement, which were analyzed through the triadic relation of representamen, object, and interpretant, and further elaborated through the typology of signs, namely icon, index, and symbol. The findings show that sadness is represented through facial expressions, pauses, silent spaces, interpersonal distance, and visual atmospheres that signify loss or separation, while family warmth is constructed through the symbolism of home, interactions among family members, intimate tones of communication, and the presence of communication technology as a medium of affective connection. In Telkomsel’s advertisement, digital connectivity is not interpreted merely as a technical feature of the network, but as an emotional signifier that enables family members to remain close despite spatial limitations during Ramadan. Therefore, the advertisement produces the meaning that digital connection can sustain intimacy, reduce the sense of loss, and preserve family warmth within the emotional landscape of Ramadan