Introduction to advertising: blog tasks

Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Introduction to advertising blog tasks'. Read ‘Marketing Marmite in the Postmodern age’ in MM54  (p62). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. You may also want to re-watch the Marmite Gene Project advert above.

Answer the following questions on your blog:

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

They use Uses and Gratifications in their narrative as the Marmite Gene Project focuses on entertaining audiences which makes them interested about how the product is really like.

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

During the 1970s it was marketed as a family product which suggests that everyone is using the product in their daily life.

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

That advertising seeks to make us unhappy with our current self and promotes their product by suggesting that the product can help them.

4) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?

We refer to lifestyles that we find attractive, subconsciously or consciously, which links to the persuasive technique of emotional appeal. 

5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?

Marmite has referred to Zippy, a character from the TV programme Rainbow. This links to the persuasion technique of association.

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

Popular culture focuses on if everyone likes it whereas high culture focuses on how those higher class than us have different tastes Marmite plays on high culture as they use the British royal families approval when marketing.

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

So audiences understand the jokes made by Marmite and spread the brand by word of mouth.

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

It plays with hyperreality, for example, the hashtag Marmiteneglect does have aspects of reality that Marmite is often untouched buy creates a joke out of it.