Bovril Advert Representation - Report Example

Bovril Advert Representation The image is a clear depiction of racial discrimination and use of power which English nation is famous for. There are people of different ethnicities and are walking behind the English fkag. The people have different backgrounds but they all are in a queue and following the British flag. The image can also be taken from the perspective of the brand Bovril. The brand is representing that it is a superior brand and it dominates all other brands. Just like the English nation, which has more power and other nations are dependent on them for their resources. The English nation does not give due respect to different ethnicities and different cultures. The image is representing their discriminating attitude towards other nations as well as dominance of the brand Bovril. This image is like a picture representation of the great work of Krishan Kumar in the book ‘The Making of English National Identity’. According to Krishan, English nation does not have a colloquial name and we give them different names during different situation. In other words, they are in a severe identity crisis. This diffusion of British and other identities in English is problematic for English (Kumar, 2003). The picture is showing that the British flag is leading all other nations it is superior to other nations. What the name ‘Bovril’ represents is the choice of superior people. This mentality is being presented in the advert. It can also be analyzed by the perspective of Peter Barry. He explains different literary theories of post modernism, post colonialism, Marxist theory and feminist theory. This kind of advert can be attributed to cultural materialism or new historisicm. Just because British nation was dominant in the past and was able to be superior to other nations, they assume they are superior even now. This advert is an evidence of such materialistic approach (Barry, 2009). In English society, there is no focus on reading quality books. The students consider literature as irrelevant to them and something which was the past way of doing things. They do not believe in the value which literature books provide. Similarly, they do not have respect for their teachers and teachers are considered old fashioned who are not aware of happenings of modern world. There is lack of effective literature books and motivation of students to read those books (Fodder, 1993). This materialism can be attributed as the reason of British nationals thinking of them as superior to other societies. The culture of respect is deteriorating which we can see in advert too that British people are not having respect for any other nation but they want all nations to be respectful to them. Gilroy demonstrates the politics of racial culture in England today in his book. He explains how English nation believes on race and discriminates other societies. These cultural assumptions of superiority are challenged by Gilroy and he explains that culture keeps on changing and arranging itself according to the context (Gilroy, 1991). Similarly, Companies of England also follow the same racial discrimination and believe their nation to be superior and better than others. Bovril, since it is a UK based brand, has racially discriminated other nations in its adverts showing that they are super powers and have the courage and abilities to lead others. The dominating attitude of the England nation is being depicted in the advert. There are researches done to remove the stereotype of English society as materialistic who believe in capitalism. John Seed and Janett Wolf focus on the involvement of bankers and industrialists in arts and exhibitions. They have artistic mindset who believes in promotion of cultural institutions. So this study focuses on relationship between art, commerce and society (Seed, 1990). This picture is also representing the same ideology of John Seed. People of different fields are united when it comes to artistic and cultural promotion. In the picture, people of different get ups are holding the British flag. It shows that bankers, industrialists, businessmen, army and other business men, all have interest in culture and arts. They all are united and participate in cultural activities. Bovril has used people from different identities to represent that its brand is common among people belonging to different backgrounds. If seen from the marketing perspective, every effort a company does brands the company. The pictures, brand name, information and representation which you give about your company, in other words all kinds of interaction a company does with the customer, it positions the brand (Bradley, 2011). So we can say that Bovril is using English culture in its brand representation and the message it gives is totally consistent with the mentality of English nation. The word ‘Bovril’ came from two Latin words. Bos means cow and vril which is taken from a novel where it used to represent lost race. So Bovril wants customers to assume the brand as a superior brand or the brand which has made British nation superior to other nations. The picture and brand representation of a company constitute the decision environment for customers. The decision environment helps shaping the people perception of quality and fit of the brand (Tom meyvis, 2011). This means that Bovril also wants to tell that the quality of its brand is superior to other brands just like the British culture. Bovril wants to give competitors a dominating and an aggressive brand which can mask other brands and control competitors Conclusion National identity and Power are obvious representations of the image. English nation has kind of confusing identity because of lack of good quality literature as well as materialism being followed in English society. The image depicts the superiority complex which English nation is victim of. Aggressive nature of England is also being represented in the image. The nation assumes it has more power as compared to other nations and it can control them. Only, English nation is capable of leading other nations and they expect respect from all the other nations. If seen from the marketing perspective, Bovril has used the metaphor of British nation as representative of power of the brand ‘Bovril’. It wants to tell that Bovril is powerful and more aggressive as compared to other brands. It has the capability to control competitors and competitors have to depend on Bovril for their profitability. Also, it represents a high standard of quality. But it is more inclined towards representation of English culture as a biased nation which discriminates on the basis of class and nation. One perspective can be that Bovril is representing unity of English nation. Since English nation has so many other nations in its territorial reach, Bovril is representing that all backgrounds and cultures of English nations are followers of British and are united. Bibliography Barry, P. (2009). Beginning Theory: . Manchester: Manchester University Press. Bradley, S. (2011, January 20). Why Your Brand Is Your Most Valuable Asset. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from vanseodesign.com: http://www.vanseodesign.com/branding/brand-asset/ Fodder, C. (1993). Canon Fodder. The English Journal , 56-59. Gilroy, P. (1991). There Aint No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation. University of Chicago Press. Kumar, K. (2003). The Making of English National Identity. Cambridge University. Seed, J. W. (1990). The Culture of Capital: Art, Power, and the Nineteenth-Century Middle Class. Manchester Univ Pr . Tom meyvis, K. G. (2011). The importance of the Context in Brand extension. Journal of Marketing Research . Read More