The British attitude towards Germany seems to be ambiguous: there are still many World War II movies on television, there are serious newspaper articles and hostile tabloid cartoons, unfriendly governmental memos and – last but not least – advertising: The people dealing with this issue are of different political background. Therefore, they have contradictory intentions and express either friendly or hostile opinions: Nevertheless, certain stereotypes of Germans are recurrent, regardless of which attitude is represented.
The two following lists of German attributes have only recently been compiled: The first one is the result of the Chequers-Conference in March 1990, when Margaret Thatcher discussed the aspects of German reunification with some confidants: The Conference’s consensus on „eternal“ German characteristics was : “insensitivity to the feeling of others, [...] aggressiveness; assertiveness, bullying, egotism [...].” The memo was not designed to be published, therefore one can assume that the participants spoke frankly.
Several other „German“ features can be found in a poll in which students were asked about national characteristics: According to the majority, Germans are: "orderly, (disciplined, organises, efficient, obedient to rules, inflexible, punctual); hard-working, (laborious and ambitious); arrogant (particularly in intellectual matters); complex (difficult to understand, Angst-ridden)".
My paper will focus on the occurrence of several of these images in advertising, especially in four campaigns released between 1993 and 1997: Three of them deal with German products promoted for German consumers, one of them deals with a British product for the British market but refers to Anglo-German conflict in order to tell its story. We will see that especially the stereotypical German virtues (as mentioned above) are applied in order to emphasise the value of the goods. In contrast, one example shows how negative images are used to show British superiority.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. The Story of a Label
2. Examples of Anglo-German Advertising
2.1. Television Advertisement for British Beer: Carling Black Label Lager (1993)
2.2. Print Advertisement for Bavarian Beer: Löwenbräu (Autumn 1994)
2.3. Print Advertisement for German Gardening Tools: Gardena (Spring 1995)
2.4. Television and Print Commercial for a German Car: Volkswagen – The New Passat (Spring 1997)
3. Analysis
3.1. Carling Black Label Lager
3.2. Löwenbräu
3.3. Gardena
3.4. Volkswagen – The New Passat
3.5. General Remarks
4. The Tools of Advertising
5. National Identity and Self-Representation
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines how British advertising reflects the ambiguous relationship between Britain and Germany by analyzing the use of persistent national stereotypes. The primary research goal is to understand how these stereotypes function as marketing tools and whether modern, self-ironic advertising approaches signify a genuine shift in intercultural relations or merely represent a new way of exploiting traditional prejudices.
- Analysis of Anglo-German perceptions in British advertising campaigns (1993–1997).
- The impact of stereotypes (e.g., German "efficiency" vs. British "humor") on consumer trust.
- Application of marketing strategies like the "Unique Selling Proposition" (USP) in cross-cultural advertising.
- The role of self-irony and parody as modern techniques to engage consumers and mitigate negative prejudices.
- Theoretical exploration of national identity and the social construction of "national character."
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. Löwenbräu
Löwenbräu and Gardena have a similar marketing strategy. Both convey several clichés.
Britons have a good sense of humour (everybody knows the term “English humour“) whereas Germans have none at all. The person who is asked gives a very stiff answer that might be scientifically correct, but is of course wrong in the meaning of the joke. It is implied that the English audience can give the right answer and is much cleverer than “Helga“.
Nevertheless, those who lack this kind of cleverness have something good to offer: their popular drink. Unlike in the Carling-film, German (especially Bavarian beer) is praised. The advertisers apparently assume that everybody confirms the “fact“ that German beer is good. Additionally, it is unnecessary to discuss their lack of humour in more detail. The audience is supposed to share consensus on this.
The underlying message is another one: the fact that those who promote their products are self-critical/self-conscious and can laugh about themselves, arouses sympathy. This is the second level on which they appeal to British humour: being able to laugh about oneself is one of its characteristics. Here, surprisingly, Germans “admit“ that they have no humour and thus convey that they do have a sense of self-irony. One cliché has always said that they take everything too seriously, as it is also claimed in the Gardena- example.
To my mind this appears to be an extremely clever campaign because it has managed to refer to negative prejudices and turn them upside down so that both sides can laugh in the end. Even more, laughter attracts attention to the product, which is of course advertising’s main goal.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the ambiguous British attitude toward Germany and defines the scope of the study focusing on advertisements released between 1993 and 1997.
2. Examples of Anglo-German Advertising: The chapter presents four specific case studies of television and print campaigns that feature German products or refer to German identity within the British market.
3. Analysis: This section deconstructs the campaigns, identifying how specific stereotypes such as the lack of humor or technical perfection are utilized to influence consumer perception.
4. The Tools of Advertising: The chapter examines the professional marketing mechanisms, specifically the "Unique Selling Proposition" and the use of metaphors and cultural references in mass communication.
5. National Identity and Self-Representation: This part provides a theoretical framework on how national identity is socially constructed and why stereotypes are used as a means of reassurance and social cohesion.
6. Conclusion: The summary evaluates the findings, suggesting that while humorous and self-ironic advertising strategies are becoming more prevalent, they still rely on deeply rooted stereotypes.
Keywords
Anglo-German Relations, Stereotypes, Advertising, National Identity, Made in Germany, Cross-cultural Marketing, Unique Selling Proposition, Self-irony, Cultural Clichés, Consumer Trust, Media Studies, Intercultural Communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the representation of German national identity in British advertising and examines how advertisers leverage cultural stereotypes to promote products.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The themes include the history of the "Made in Germany" label, the use of stereotypes in modern marketing, the concept of national character, and the evolution of Anglo-German perceptions.
What is the main objective of the work?
The goal is to determine how British attitudes toward Germany are manifested in contemporary advertising discourse and whether new, humorous trends indicate a shift in social relations.
Which scientific methods were applied?
The author uses qualitative analysis of four specific advertising campaigns and contextualizes them within theories of national identity and marketing communication.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section analyzes specific advertisements for Carling Black Label, Löwenbräu, Gardena, and Volkswagen, followed by an evaluation of marketing tools like the Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Anglo-German relations, national stereotypes, advertising semiotics, and intercultural discourse.
How does the author evaluate the "Löwenbräu" campaign?
The author views the campaign as highly clever because it turns negative stereotypes about Germans' lack of humor into a self-ironic message that increases the product's appeal to British consumers.
What does the paper conclude about the use of stereotypes?
The paper concludes that while it is nearly impossible to avoid stereotypes, the focus should be on ensuring that these tropes do not evolve into expressions of discrimination, offense, or violence.
- Quote paper
- Cornelia Neumann (Author), 1998, Made in Germany - A proof of technical perfection. Stereotypes of Germans in British advertising, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/8987
