Introduction to advertising: blog tasks

Answer the following questions on your blog:

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

The Marmite Gene Project advert uses narrative by using Levi-Strauss' binary opposition through the slogan 'You love it or you hate it' to create a cultural context for Marmite.

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

Slogan "love it or hate it" is one of the most well known thins about Mermite. 

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

"All publicity works on anxiety." Advertising spreads the belief that we can purchase our way to better lives and

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 who they will become it the buy the product. 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?

Their 2007 campaign featured the 1970's cartoon character Paddington Bear. 

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

High culture can be defined as a subculture that's shared by the upper class of the society, while popular culture can be defined as a subculture that's shared by the mass of the society.

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

Enlightened-Postmodern audiences arguably understand that they are being manipulated by marketing. 

Superior-Postmodern consumers are aware that they're being exploited, but are prepared to play the game if it brings them a sense of superiority and social cache.

Knowing insider-They understand the conventions that are being deployed.

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

It plays with hyper reality. Hyper reality is seen as a condition in which reality and fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.The #Marmiteneglect campaign is rooted in the ‘reality’ that jars of Marmite often remain unused in the backs of cupboards.