In the current competitive business environment, firms are forced to spend huge sums of money on promotional campaigns. According to Machin (2007), to attract new customers and retain the existing ones, companies have to remain conspicuous, relevant, and trendy in the market. Other than producing products that meet customers’ needs, they also have to maintain regular communication to influence the decision of customers in the market. In this semiotic analysis paper, I will analyze two ads promoting L’Oreal’s men and women moisturizer based on socio-cultural context. The primary question that should be answered in this analysis is whether the ads have the right appeal and the capacity to pass the intended message to customers in the targeted market. The analysis will be focused on ad description and contextualization, in-depth ad analysis, and a summary of the findings. Ads’ Description and Contextualization The first advertisement, shown in figure 1 below, promotes one of the firm’s products known as Sublime Glow. It is a body lotion meant for women. It is important to analyze the denotative meaning of the advert as presented by specific images and words used. Mateus (2016) defines denotation as “the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests” (p. 67). One does not need to interpret the information beyond what is presented in the image and words. Machin (2007) says, “A photograph of a family member or of a house simply denotes things by representing the person or place respectively” (p. 22). People tend to associate a brand with the image used. At the top of the print, an ad is the logo of the brand, which is also the name of the company. Then there is the promise of what the product offers, ‘365 days of glowing perfection. The promise is emphasized by the testimonial, a beautiful woman with glowing skin, apparently satisfied with the product. The context under which the testimonial is used emphasizes the target market for this product. It targets women. The ad then provides the name of the lotion, Sublime Glow, followed by the slogan, ‘daily moisturizer, and natural skin tone enhancer’. There are a headline and a body that outlines the benefits that the product has to offer. Then there is an image of the product itself. Denotatively, one can easily understand what the firm offers, and it would not be difficult to identify the product in the market. There is parallelism created between the benefits of the product and the testimonial used. The positive language and two-word sentences such as ‘Daily Moisturizer’ help to make the ad memorable. The signature statement provided in this advert is ‘The new body language’. The above images and language use are put together to create meaning, by emphasizing the benefits of the product. It promises its customers that the product is natural and does not have any side effects. The second advert, figure 2 below, promotes men’s skin moisturizer known as Hydra Energetic. At the top of the advert is the brand logo (name) just like the first advert. Then there is a smiling man who is the testimonial for the product. The testimonial is Mathew Fox, a popular actor. In the ad are the pro