Introduction to advertising: blog tasks
Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Introduction to advertising blog tasks'. Read ‘Marketing Marmite in the Postmodern age’ in MM54 (p62). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. You may also want to re-watch the Marmite Gene Project advert above.
Answer the following questions on your blog:
1) How does the Marmite Gene Project advert use narrative? Apply some narrative theories here.
According to John Berger, advertising provides us with a better version of ourselves. He claims that advertising seeks to dissatisfy us with our current selves and promotes the notion that we can buy our way to a better life.
2) What persuasive techniques are used by the Marmite advert?
The Marmite advert uses expert opinions like marmite, is rich source of the vitamin B
when their was deficiency during World War.
It also has a catchy slogan like 'Marmite makes every Meal a Feast!' and ‘The growing up spread you never grow out of’.
3) Focusing specifically on the Media Magazine article, what does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?
Advertising seeks to make us dissatisfied with our present selves and promotes the idea
that we can buy our way to a better life. ‘All publicity works on anxiety’ suggested John Berger
in his seminal book Ways of Seeing (1972).
Publicity is always about the future buyer. It offers him an image of himself
made glamorous by the product or opportunity it is trying to sell. The image then makes him envious of himself as he might be.
4) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?
Psychologists in the field call this referencing. We refer, either knowingly or subconsciously, to
lifestyles represented to us (through the media or in real life) that we find attractive. This idea can link o the persuasive technique of believe something.
5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?
The company has used the slogan "Love it or hate it" in all of its major advertising campaigns, which indicates that they are aware of the split opinion on the product among lovers and opposers and that they are using it to capitalise on the dislike and market their goods. The repetition used by marketers to convince audiences to purchase their goods is referred to as this technique.
6) What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? How does Marmite play on this?
High Culture: High culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by the upper class of the society. Popular Culture: Popular Culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by everyone or the mass of the society. Marmite used their product slogan ‘One either loves it or hates it’, to create a comedic tone by combining it with the Queen’s idiosyncratic speech.
7) Why does Marmite position the audience as ‘enlightened, superior, knowing insiders’?
Postmodern audiences arguably understand that they are being manipulated by marketing. They understand the conventions that are being deployed and satirised. Postmodern consumers are simultaneously aware that they are being exploited, yet also prepared to play the game – if it brings them a sense of superiority and social cache. Postmodern consumers get the joke and, in doing so, they themselves may become promotional agents of the product through word-of mouth.
8) What examples does the writer provide of why Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism?
Postmodern audiences arguably understand that they are being manipulated by marketing. They understand the conventions that are being deployed and satirised. Postmodern consumers are simultaneously aware that they are being exploited, yet also prepared to play
the game – if it brings them a sense of superiority and social cache. Postmodern consumers get the joke and, in doing so, they themselves may become promotional agents of the product through word-of mouth.
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