Advertising: Introduction to advertising

 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.

 1) How does the Marmite Gene Project advert use narrative? Apply some narrative theories here.

• Todorov-- equilibrium: everyone doing their own thing, dis equilibrium: getting the results, new equilibrium: 
• Propp-- hero/false hero: marmite. 
• Levi Strauss-- good vs evil, hate vs love

2) What persuasive techniques are used by the Marmite advert?

• Slogan of "love it or hate it"
• Emotional appeal by tying Marmite back to the consumers' identity.

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. 

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. We create a vision of ourselves living this idealised lifestyle, and then behave in ways that help us to realise this vision.

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

 In 2007 an 18-month, £3 million campaign featured the 1970s cartoon character Paddington Bear. These adverts continued the ‘love it or hate it’ theme, but also incorporated nostalgic elements that appeal to the family member with responsibility for getting the grocery shopping done.

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

Popular culture is everything to do with regular society and how the average person consumes while high culture is to do with the much more high brow aristocratic feelings and mannerisms and marmite plays on this by Ma’amite series of advertisements, typifying the irreverent nature of their product – breadsticks form a crown and the Queen’s corgi dogs replace the lion and unicorn. The motto ‘One either loves it or hates it’ 

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 advertising, like the postmodern humour of programmes like Life Is Short, may transgress boundaries of taste in order to make audiences question notions of what is real and of value in society.