Advertising Persuasive Techniques: Blog Tasks :)

Media Magazine 54 (p62)

1) What does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?

He suggested that 'All publicity works on anxiety' which means that advertising offers us an improved version of ourselves to promote a product because publicity is always about the future buyer. Advertising offers people an image of themselves that has been made glamorous by the product and then this image makes them envious of who they could be with the product and then they are made to imagine themselves transformed by the product and into an object of envy for others 

2) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?

Psychologists refer to referencing as when people knowingly or subconsciously reflecting lifestyles that are presented to us (could be through the media or in real life) that we find attractive. We are able to create a vision of ourselves living this idealised lifestyle and then we start to behave in ways that help us realise and achieve this vision

3) How was Marmite discovered?

Marmite was discovered in the late 19th century when German scientist Justus von Leibig discovered that brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten 

4) Who owns the Marmite brand now?

Owned by Unilever

5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?

Marmite marketing has used intertextuality since 2003- in 2007, a £3m campaign was launched that featured the 1970s cartoon character Paddington Bear. These adverts continued the ‘love it or hate it’ slogan, including the element of nostalgia that appeals to the family member that does the grocery shopping. Paddington Bear is shown enjoying the taste of Marmite, while others are repelled by it. ‘Paddington has eaten marmalade sandwiches for 50 years. If he can change his habit, so can anyone,’ said Cheryl Calverley (Marmite marketing manager). This links to the persuasive technique of testimonial/association is Paddington who is advertising marmite and he is also a well-known figure among British people which encourages people to buy it if they love it or try it if they haven't 

6) What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? How does Marmite play on this?

• Popular culture: Refers to a set of practices, beliefs, and objects that are dominant in society during a given period of time 
• High culture: Refers to a collection of ideologies, beliefs, thoughts, trends, practices and works that are intended for the elite 

Marmite has played with this by parodying the approach of the Royal Family approaching goods and services- in the advert, breadsticks have been used to form the Queen's crown and the lion and unicorn are replaces by the Queen's corgis 

7) Why does Marmite position the audience as ‘enlightened, superior, knowing insiders’?

They do this through the awareness that postmodern audiences realise that they are being exploited by marketing and will play along as long as it brings them a sense of superiority and social cache. Postmodern consumers understand the joke and this allows them to become the promotional agents of the product by talking about it amongst their postmodern counterparts 

8) What examples does the writer provide of why Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism?

The writer thinks that Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism because of the use of hyperreality (which blurs the lines between reality and fiction). The #Marmiteneglect campaign is rooted in the 'reality' that Marmite is often neglected in the back of the cupboard because they haven't been used. This 'real-life' concern has been used within a narrative of social neglect - postmodern advertising may transgress boundaries in order to make audiences question the realities in society