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, and the second during the four-year presidency of Donald Trump. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the role of advertising in mediating, constructing, and preserving Israeli national identity, specifically focusing on the influence of changing U.S.-Israel relations during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. It examines how the American myth is utilized, abandoned, or readopted in Israeli advertising to align with the country's national narrative and political climate.
- The relationship between advertising narratives and national identity construction.
- The impact of Americanization on Israeli societal and cultural values.
- The paradigm shift in US-Israel diplomatic relations and its reflection in media discourse.
- The use of semiotic elements (flag, language, territory, cultural heroes) in Israeli commercial advertising.
- The transition from "the Green Myth" during the Obama era to a resurging "American Myth" during the Trump presidency.
Excerpt from the Book
The National Sphere
In analyzing the national sphere of the sample of Israeli advertisements chosen during each of Obama and Trump's presidencies, the attention is drawn to the three symbols of the flag, language, and territory. (Eli & First, 2013)
The American myth, according to a Avraham & First's research, in which they examined the Americanization of Israeli society through the medium of advertising by examining printed ads in Israeli newspapers that appeared in the 1990s, they found that American symbols and the American narrative "dominated Israeli advertising" in that decade and American symbols were featured even in ads of products that were made in Israel or other countries, in order to create an association between the product and the characteristics and commonly held views about America in Israeli society, such as views of "America's technological superiority, power, and reputation for quality," as well as portrayals of "America as a consumer's paradise." (Avraham & First, 2007)
The flag: This study found that during Obama's presidency (2009-2011), American flags that were frequently featured in Israeli advertising from the 1990s until the early 2000s (Avraham & First, 2013), almost disappeared from Israeli advertising, a finding which reconfirms that of Avraham & First (2013) that the American Myth was abandoned in favor of a new narrative: "the green Myth." The Israeli flag was not completely invisible in advertising but appeared considerably less than the American flag and it generally happened during "times of crisis and wars, or around Independence Day." (Avraham & First, 2009)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research objective of examining how Israeli advertising constructs national identity through the lens of the American myth during different U.S. presidencies.
2. Nationalism and National Identity: Discusses the theoretical foundations of national identity, globalization, and how mass media contributes to the formation of symbolic realities.
3. Trump & Obama: the change in the paradigm of U.S.-Israel Relations: Analyzes the political shift between the Obama and Trump administrations and how this influenced the adoption of American motifs in Israeli advertising.
4. Works Cited: Provides the academic references used throughout the study.
5. Appendix: Lists the specific YouTube links to the advertisements analyzed in the study.
6. Codebook: Details the methodology and variables used for the semiotic analysis of the advertisements.
Keywords
National Identity, Americanization, Israeli Advertising, U.S.-Israel Relations, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Semiotics, National Narrative, Globalization, Mass Media, Cultural Symbols, American Myth, Consumer Culture, Political Discourse, Social Construction Theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this study?
The study examines how Israeli advertising reflects and constructs national identity by utilizing or abandoning the American myth, specifically in relation to shifting U.S.-Israel political dynamics between 2009 and 2021.
What are the central thematic fields?
The core themes include nationalism, the influence of Americanization on local cultures, the role of media in shaping societal discourse, and the semiotic analysis of advertising as a tool for national narrative preservation.
What is the primary research objective?
The goal is to determine if and how the invocation of American imagery in Israeli ads changed during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and what these changes signify regarding Israeli national identity.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research employs a qualitative semiotic analysis of 30 selected YouTube advertisements, utilizing the "Narrative Spheres of Performed National Identity" framework developed by Avraham and First.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It provides a comprehensive analysis divided into four spheres—national, geographical, economic, and cultural—to evaluate how signs like the American flag, the English language, and American celebrities are manipulated in advertising.
Which keywords characterize this research?
Key terms include Americanization, Israeli national identity, U.S.-Israel relations, media narrative, and semiotic advertising analysis.
How did Israeli advertising change during the Obama presidency?
The study found a significant decrease in the usage of American symbols and imagery, with a shift toward "the Green Myth" and more localized Israeli narratives, reflecting political friction.
What characterizes the shift observed during the Trump presidency?
During the Trump administration, there was a noticeable resurgence of American themes, colors, and the English language in Israeli advertisements, indicating a strengthening of the perceived American-Israeli bond.
How does this study treat the concept of national identity?
Following Stuart Hall, the work treats national identity not as a fixed state, but as a fluid process of "identification" that constantly adjusts to political and social circumstances.
Why are YouTube advertisements used as the primary data source?
YouTube is utilized as a contemporary, ubiquitous medium that effectively reflects modern media consumption and provides a broad, accessible collection of recent commercial content for semiotic analysis.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2021, National identity and Americanization in Israeli advertising. Obama to Trump, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1152539
