Page 42 - SMA-third-quarter

NATIONALISM IN MARKETING Beer brands Above and below: Nigeria’s Hero Beer plays on strong that tap into PHOTOS: SUPPLIED regional associations nationalism Beer brands, including African variants, illustrate the power of successfully – and positively – tapping into nationalistic fervour. N A 2010 ACADEMIC PAPER, PIP branded, mass-produced goods and Reeve, a student at Oxford University services and the orientation of social I in England, turned the spotlight life around them. That is, consumerism on consumer nationalism in marketing involves the creation or reproduction of and observed: “In a world experiencing social identity through the consumption increasing globalisation, concepts to of mass-produced, branded and do with national identity are becoming advertised things.” increasingly more important to marketers.” Consumer nationalism, therefore, Oxford professor Karl Gerth, writing in refers to efforts to define buying and the Encyclopaedia of Consumer Culture, using as a political statement. This can described consumer nationalism as a be either through the non-consumption concept that “combines two of the most of products from an offending country, important forces in modern history: the or the consumption of one’s own advent of consumerism and nationalism. nationally produced goods and services, Consumerism refers to consumption of noted Gerth. 40 strategicmarketingafrica Third quarter 2014 40-41 Nationalism in Marketing v2.indd 38 2014/06/26 3:44 PM