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.

By stating a disequilibrium in their advert and then showing that Marmite solves that disequilibrium which then turns into the new equilibrium which follows Todorov's Equilibrium theory

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

Repetition, slogan and emotional appeal.

3) Focusing specifically on the Media Magazine article, what does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?

Publicity works on anxiety.

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

The spectator-buyer is meant to envy themselves and are meant to imagine themselves transformed by the product into an object of envy for others. This is an emotional appeal persuasive technique.

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

Intertextuality is when one media product references another media product. In 2003, Marmite features Zippy from the children's television programme Rainbow, and in 2007, they featured Paddington. This can be viewed as emotional appeal as they incorporate a sense of nostalgia to the audience.

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

High culture is a subculture that's shared by the upper class, while popular culture is a subculture that's shared by the mass. Marmite does this by juxta positioning popular culture with high culture by using the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, while replacing the crown with breadsticks which references high culture. On the other hand, Marmite uses popular culture by including their quote "One either loves it or hates it". The motto with the Queen's idiosyncratic speech shows how marmite used juxtaposition in their advert. 

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

Enlightened: Post-modern audiences believe that they understand that they are being manipulated

Knowing insiders: They understand the conventions being used

Superior: These postmodern consumers are simultaneously aware that they're being exploited, yes also prepared to allow it to happen as long as they feel superior. 

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

The Marmite Neglect is based on the fact that Marmite is often left unused in the back of the kitchen cupboard. This ‘real-life concern’ is then positioned within a narrative of social neglect.