Semiotics Star Ginny Valentine Dies

In the UK, semiotics expert Ginny Valentine died yesterday, following a lengthy illness.

A pioneer in the use of semiotics in market research, Valentine founded Semiotic Solutions in 1988 with the aim of bringing semiotic and cultural analysis to bear in uncovering the meanings consumers attribute to products, brands and communications. The firm, online at www.semioticsolutions.com , now focuses on training, and the further development of semiotic techniques.

In addition to running her own business, she was a fellow of the MRS (Market Research Society), a lecturer, broadcaster and regular speaker on the international conference platform.

During her career, Valentine was nominated for and won numerous MRS awards including the Best Paper in 1995, Best New Thinking paper in 2000, and Best Methodology/Technical paper in 2001.

In 2000, she co-authored a work entitled 'The 21st Century Consumer', and her paper 'Repositioning Research' was a double winner at the 2002 MRS conference.

In 2007, she became the Creative Partner at insight consultancy Truth, with a remit to develop the firm's commercial semiotic capacity and create a 'cultural measurement tool' using semiotics.

Later that year, she presented her paper 'Semiotics, What Now, My Love' at the Golden Jubilee MRS Conference in Brighton, where she was also appropriately voted No. 1 Revolutionary Researcher at the Research Liberation Front's inaugural event.