Advertising in São Paulo before the “Clean City” law and in Berlin: a comparative analysis of the intricacies of cultural markers

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a comparative research about street advertising undertaken in São Paulo, Brazil before the “Clean City” law passed, and in Berlin, Germany. We begin by attempting to understand the nature of the signs in the billboards in the Brazilian city, their modes of intersemiosis and their predominating topics, after which we examine the nature of the signs in the billboards in the German city. Having defined these parameters, the billboards comparative analysis is made for selected pieces in Berlin, examining how the word/image plot is established there. Lastly, we ascertain whether or not there is a thematic convergence of the billboards in Berlin and in São Paulo that could outline their cultural specificities.