National identity and Americanization in Israeli advertising. Obama to Trump

Table of contents

1. Introduction
Theoretical Background

2. Nationalism and National Identity
National Identity in the Era of globalization/Americanization.
National Identity, Mass Media and Advertising

3. Trump & Obama: the change in the paradigm of U.S.-Israel Relations
Methodology and research methods
The codebook
The national sphere
The geographical sphere
The economic sphere
The cultural sphere
Findings: The Resurrection of the American Myth in Israeli Advertising
The National Sphere
The Geographical Sphere
The Economic Sphere
The Cultural Sphere
Conclusion and Discussion

4. Works Cited

5. Appendix

6. Codebook

1. Introduction

A previous body of research has been dedicated to the examination of the Americanization of Israeli society, surprisingly, only few have focused on the prism of advertising. (Avraham & First, 2007; 2013) The presence and invocation of the American image in Israeli advertisements by associating American values, lifestyles, and symbols with different consumer products (even ones that have no connection to The United States in any way), has been apparent for many years. (Avraham & First, 2007: 54) As previous research has shown by emphasizing the relationship between advertising and social and cultural values and norms, the invocation of the American image in Israeli advertisements reflects the Americanization of Israeli society. This research's objective is to further examine possible political and national dimensions, and the way national identity is mediated, constructed and preserved by advertising. Moreover, this study aims to achieve that objective by focusing on Israel as a case study and examining the national narrative that is mediate through the narrative of Israeli advertising, and what part the American myth plays in it. The study aims to examine how the narrative of Americanization is abandoned and then readopted as changes occur in USA-Israeli relations, in hopes to shed more light on the subjects of the role of advertising in constructing and preserving national identity, the negotiation of national identity through the prism of advertising, and the Americanization of Israeli society.

The previous objective will be achieved by examining the different ways in which the American motif has been adopted in Israeli advertising during two different periods of American presidencies: the first period examined will be during the eight-year presidency of Barack Obama (Jan 21, 2009- Jan 21, 2017), and the second during the four-year presidency of Donald Trump (Jan 21, 2017-Jan 21, 2021). This study focuses on the American image as reflected in Israeli advertisements on the online video streaming website "YouTube," in hope to answer the question in what ways is the American image adopted differently in Israeli advertisements in each of the two periods of American presidencies previously mentioned, and what those differences (if existing) can further inform us about the Americanization of Israeli advertising and thereby of Israeli society, as well as the negotiation of Israeli national identity through the prism of advertising.

Theoretical Background

The Social Construction Theory in media and communication studies argues that there are two kinds of realities – the objective reality, and the symbolic reality which, put simplistically, is a specific framework consistent of ways of interpretation of, viewing and interacting with the objective reality. The Social Construction Theory rests on the hypothesis that there is an interactive relationship between the symbolic reality in general, and the reality of the media specifically, and it rests heavily on the findings in the field of semiotics by Ferdinand De Saussure (1857-1913) regarding language. According to De Saussure, any process of meaning-making and interpretation is dependent on language. Linguistic signs, sounds, visual elements and representations, paintings, written words photographs and others, all function as signs within the linguistic system, and are the tools by which the process of the construction of the social reality happens. (Kama & First, 2015: 62-65) The main idea suggested by the Social Construction Theory, and which is of important to this specific study, is in relation to the media's role in mediating this constructed symbolic and social reality. The media according to First & Kama, is the main stage on which the symbolic reality is played out and mediated to all the members of a social group or community. Kama and First argue that on this stage (the media) the continuant political and social power struggle between different groups in society regarding what definitions of the objective reality, of society and the nation should be prevalent is visible. (Kama & First, 2015: 65) According to the Social Construction Theory, the ways in which the media discourse is shaped both reflects the dominant cultural values and ideological views, and also plays a role in shaping the objective reality in return, and thus the media serves as a powerful mechanism for maintaining and preserving the political and social status quo. (Kama & First, 2015: 17-18)

The Social Construction theory is important to this study because it constitutes the base for the analysis of the relationship between National identity and the political landscape on the one hand (specifically how the change in the political landscape such as in foreign affairs with other countries, specifically in this study the US-Israel relations, can affect the national narrative), and that between the national narrative and advertising on the other. The national narrative, seen from the analytical lens of the Social Construction Theory, is a symbolic narrative presenting a constructed 'reality' which is projected through Israeli media to preserve the core values and political agenda of the country. The national narrative might alternate and make use of different symbols and myths (Avraham & First, 2013: 67) based on what suits the country's purposes best and based on any changes in the political, social and national landscape.

Avraham and First (2013) have previously examined the change in the Israeli narrative in advertising from the American narrative which dominated Israeli ads during the 1990s and the early 2000s, to what they termed as "the Green Myth" during the mid-2000s. (Eli & First, 2013: 67) However, this study aims to show how during Trump's presidency, we see the return of the invocation of the American image in Israeli advertisements.

This research aims to shed light on the broader subject of mass media and the role it plays in the formation and preservation of national identity in the age of globalization. Mass media, with the focus on the medium of advertising in this study, plays a role in maintaining and forming the national identity in the age of globalization by adopting narratives that suit that identity, and those narratives might shift as new ones emerge with each generation or depending on social and political circumstances.

Due to the media's powerful and central ideological and cultural role in society (Miller, 2002), further investigation into the role of mass media in constructing and preserving the national identity, especially in the age of globalization is needed. Very few academics have focused on the prism of advertising (Avraham & First, 2007 & 2013) despite this medium's ubiquity and dominance in our everyday lives – we are constantly exposed to advertising content each and every day in almost every place we go to. The overexposure to advertising is a product of Capitalization and globalization.

The visual representation in advertising makes use of signs and myths that must be collectively agreed upon by a culture or a society and can be deciphered by a shared cipher or code among the members of a specific group or culture in a given place and time. Moreover, media narratives reflect the dominant ideologies and views of a given culture. (Goldman & Papson, 1996) According to Hall, the identity of the nation-state is not lost in the age of globalization, rather, the narrative of national identity is negotiated between the two scales: the local and the global. (Hall, 1991) Moreover, as a reaction to the process of globalization there can be seen a return to the local which constitutes an unchanging and secure base or anchor in a world which is becoming increasingly homogenized and filled with uncertainty. (Hall, 1991)

2. Nationalism and National Identity

National Identity in the Era of globalization/Americanization.

Some researchers in nationalism emphasize the importance and centrality of primordial elements such as ethnic origins, shared myths and symbols, historical memories and roots in the process of modern nation-formation. (Hutchinson, 2000; Smith, 1991) Smith has emphasized the important and integral part that imagery and evocation play in politics, and especially in nationalism. Images of national heroes, landscapes, territories and symbols such as flags, myths, historical documents, monuments narratives and songs play a major role in the process of creating "the nationalist consciousness and constructing the modern nation." (Smith, 1991) These symbols represent the nations' history and past and are ingrained in the minds of its members. Other than the symbols mentioned, historical events or disasters are also included into the creation of the collective national consciousness and are included in the national narrative of a nation. However, the modern times are characterized by an ongoing rapid innovation, and in the face of rapid change, there is a paramount need to preserve and create order and cohesion, and the national narrative or consciousness is one way to do it by creating the sense and illusion of "social cohesion of the members of stable social groups." Creating a sense of a stable "community", especially in the age of globalization and the increasing blurring between the 'global' and the 'local'. (Smith, 1991)

National identity is not static and fixed, it's dynamic and constantly changing, reinventing, and adjusting itself to the current needs of the time and place. Stuart Hall discusses this element of dynamicity by arguing that when talking about the concept of identity, the term 'identification' is more suitable and descriptive of the process than the term 'identity', for the former suggests fluidity while the later suggests fixity. Hall explains that identification is based and created on the "recognition of some common origin or shared characteristics with another person or group, or with an idea, and with the natural closure of solidarity and allegiance established on this foundation." (Hall, 1996:2-3) The process of globalization that accelerated since the eighteenth century as a result of developments in communication and transportation, as well as with the technological advances in the nineteenth century has altered and effected the perception of geographical borders and boundaries, and the concepts of space and time. Yang describes globalization as being "fundamentally an economic process of integration that transcends national borders and ultimately affects the flow of knowledge, people, values and ideas." (Yang, 2000: 320) Nations and nationalism emerged as a result of and were made possible by the creation of "global politics in the last two hundred years," and the process of national identity formation and promotion requires "a degree of popular receptivity" which normally "depends on a certain level of economic and technological development, which breaks down social and regional particularism and draws the popular masses into the process." (Jenkins, 1992: 102)

Moreover, national identity, argues Psarrou, is an identity that is based on a distinction between the national group one identifies himself\herself with, and all the rest. The national identity, therefore, is "an identity of [cultural, religious, or civic] sameness and difference". This distinction between "us" and "them", the way Psarrou articulates it, is imaginary, and serves to create an "imaginary sameness" by "[deleting] existing differences within [a] nation," and is symbolic of the distinctiveness of one nation compared to the others. However, this distinction, and all the myths, symbols, principles and values that form the symbolic national identity, are not fixed, and can change due to political or other contingent events. (Psarrou, 2014: 116) Due to this distinction (the way national identity is relational to the concept of 'the other' and is formed by a comparison between 'us' and 'them'), national identity usually includes another nationality or ethnicity whom it compares itself to – it highlights similarities with some nations or national narratives and differences with others. (Psarrou, 2014: 117) Moreover, With the blurring of the notion of barriers and geographical borders, and the creation of an international and global community in the era of globalization, the concept of nationalism has become less linked to geographical space, and instead, characterized as a type of "spatially based" identity and ideology. (Smith, 1993: 110)

National Identity, Mass Media and Advertising

The role of mass media in the historical rise of national identity has been emphasized by many academics, especially the role played by the print media as the powerful tool which was central to the rise of national identity by circulating and standardizing vernaculars and national culture across long distances. (e.g., McLuhan, 1987; Anderson, 1991) Other academics have focused mainly on the role of television in the process of national identity formation (e.g., Lou, 2001; Calhoun, 1991) Very few, however, have focused on the relations between advertising and the construction of national identity. (Avraham & First, 2013)

The country of origin where the product is made plays a role in the consumer's decision-making regarding whether to buy the product or not, due to a symbolic connection between the product and where it is made, and the association of the quality of the product in relation to attributes or characteristics of the country in which it was made. (Papadopoulos, 1993) Ads invoke, through visual as well as linguistic and audio signifiers, an association between their product and a certain country to associate their product with the qualities or characteristics of that country. Those qualities range from cultural, social, geographical, ideological as well as political characteristics.

Marketing, specifically through advertising, has become a vital tool for companies in the post-modern capitalist global world, especially due to the increase in competition between the infinite number of brands and products available. Advertising allows the companies to make their products known to consumers and promote it by distributing their message via different platforms (television, newspapers, social media networks, radio, internet, etc.) and their representation of their product in order to make it stand out in the eyes of the target audience and thus generate more sales and revenue. (Abokhoza, 2019: 115) Moreover, the success of an advertising campaign for a specific product is very much tied to how the product is perceived by the target audience. This has led companies which are attempting to expand their sales to markets in different countries and societies or established international companies and corporations to take into consideration the social, political and cultural context of the country, and adjust their message in the advertisement to match it. (Abokhoza, 2019: 16-17) Moreover, in order for companies to deal with the competitive market, they aim to strengthen and create a "positive image of their product or service". (Lubecka, 2013: 8-9) They achieve that objective, as Lubecka argues, by attaching "non-market" values to their product, and "especially components of national identity" as "a strategic choice to enhance [the positive image of the product or service] provider as being socially responsible and a public diplomat." (Lubecka, 2013: 9) In this manner, advertising both reflects the components of national identity and the national narrative as well as contributes to the public discourse around it.

3. Trump & Obama: the change in the paradigm of U.S.-Israel Relations

The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is well known for its closeness and strength and as a relationship that surpasses the mere alliance built on mutual national interests. It has been describes as a 'special relationship' built on a deeper bond between the two countries which has formed one of the "most enduring and intimate bilateral partnerships in international affairs." (Saltzman, 2017:50) A 'special relationship' between two countries is one that surpasses and transcends power relations, national interests, or a close relationship between the personalities occupying key political positions at a given time. A 'special relationship' between countries, such as that between the United States and Israel, other than requiring military cooperation (which is vital), also requires "extensive and intensive interaction on various social, cultural and political levels. Most scholars have considered the reasons for this special relationship between Israel and the US from the point of view of the US since it is far more obvious why Israel, a small country surrounded by enemies, would want to secure the military and international and political support of a powerful ally like the America.

American-Israeli relations were formed during the Truman administration and have developed since then into this 'special relationship' between the two countries, that emerged due to factors such as "strategic interests, the pro-Israel lobby," and most importantly, "common values and ethos that builds on a shared historical narrative and the Judeo-Christian tradition." (Saltzman, 2017:51) Ben-Zvi explains that the reason for the 'special' alliance and partnership between Israel and the US differs from most bilateral international alliances in that it does not solely rely on national interest and strategic motives, and it is further "anchored in a broad picture of links, beliefs, and attitudes toward Israel, originating in the various layers of US society," and on "the prevalent belief" in a "fundamental and profound similarity between the two nations in terms of their history and their formative ethos, ideology and value system, their social structure and national style." (Ben-Zvi, 2011) The similarity, according to Ben-Zvi stems from the similarity between Israel's "conquer the wilderness ethos" by pursuing technological advancement and progress, and the American frontier thesis.

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