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The Shadow Communication Model

Nunstedt Strömberg, Saga LU ; Eriksson, William LU and Senkler, Ole LU (2025) In LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series BUSN21 20252
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Title: The Shadow Communication Model

Seminar date: 2025-10-17

Course: Strategic Brand Management

Authors: William Eriksson, Saga Nunstedt Strömberg, Ole Senkler

Advisor: Mats Urde

Keywords: Shadow message / Noise / Shannon Weaver / Semiotics / The Shadow Communication Model

Research question: How do companies express shadow messaging in their advertisements, and in what ways does external noise impact the final perception?

Purpose: To investigate how companies use shadow-messaging in advertisements to communicate implicit values to the audience, with the help of semiotics and the Shadow Communication Model.

Methodology: A qualitative case study examining three companies and their communication through advertising.... (More)
Title: The Shadow Communication Model

Seminar date: 2025-10-17

Course: Strategic Brand Management

Authors: William Eriksson, Saga Nunstedt Strömberg, Ole Senkler

Advisor: Mats Urde

Keywords: Shadow message / Noise / Shannon Weaver / Semiotics / The Shadow Communication Model

Research question: How do companies express shadow messaging in their advertisements, and in what ways does external noise impact the final perception?

Purpose: To investigate how companies use shadow-messaging in advertisements to communicate implicit values to the audience, with the help of semiotics and the Shadow Communication Model.

Methodology: A qualitative case study examining three companies and their communication through advertising. Primary data has been collected in the form of one commercial per company. Using a self-developed model, the Shadow Communication Model, to investigate the shadow messaging of each commercial.

Theoretical perspective: Context (referential), Addresser (emotive), Addressee (conative), Contact (phatic), Message (poetic), and Code (metalingual). The study’s own developed model: the Shadow Communication Model.

Conclusions: From each advertisement, different semiotic functions are identified. In particular, the poetic and emotive functions are used to communicate shadow messages. From the Shadow Communication Model, it is apparent that noise impacts the recipient’s perception of the shadow message through three separate cognitive route. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nunstedt Strömberg, Saga LU ; Eriksson, William LU and Senkler, Ole LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN21 20252
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Shadow message, Noise, Shannon Weaver, Semiotics, The Shadow Communication Model
publication/series
LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series
language
English
id
9214447
date added to LUP
2025-11-14 12:44:12
date last changed
2025-11-14 12:44:12
@misc{9214447,
  abstract     = {{Title: The Shadow Communication Model

Seminar date: 2025-10-17

Course: Strategic Brand Management

Authors: William Eriksson, Saga Nunstedt Strömberg, Ole Senkler

Advisor: Mats Urde

Keywords: Shadow message / Noise / Shannon Weaver / Semiotics / The Shadow Communication Model

Research question: How do companies express shadow messaging in their advertisements, and in what ways does external noise impact the final perception?
 
Purpose: To investigate how companies use shadow-messaging in advertisements to communicate implicit values to the audience, with the help of semiotics and the Shadow Communication Model.

Methodology: A qualitative case study examining three companies and their communication through advertising. Primary data has been collected in the form of one commercial per company. Using a self-developed model, the Shadow Communication Model, to investigate the shadow messaging of each commercial.
 
Theoretical perspective: Context (referential), Addresser (emotive), Addressee (conative), Contact (phatic), Message (poetic), and Code (metalingual). The study’s own developed model: the Shadow Communication Model.

Conclusions: From each advertisement, different semiotic functions are identified. In particular, the poetic and emotive functions are used to communicate shadow messages. From the Shadow Communication Model, it is apparent that noise impacts the recipient’s perception of the shadow message through three separate cognitive route.}},
  author       = {{Nunstedt Strömberg, Saga and Eriksson, William and Senkler, Ole}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{LBMG Strategic Brand Management - Masters Paper Series}},
  title        = {{The Shadow Communication Model}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}