Conclusion

The Conclusion draws together the main findings of the study. Britain in 1997 was a far more emotional and expressive society. This is highlighted by two events: the public response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the success of New Labour in the general election. The extent to which persuasion industries were responsible for bringing these changes about is discussed. There is a discussion of some areas for further study: the subsequent impact of the World Wide Web and social media platforms; persuasion aimed at children/juvenile consumption, and the development of single British brand throughout the period—for example, Virgin.

Symbols of Self-Expression

This chapter looks in detail at the widespread adoption of corporate branding strategies. A natural consequence of the rise of marketing as the key strategic function was that the discipline itself—rather than sales or product development—began to drive commercial strategies. As competition increased in markets where there was little difference between products, new product launches ran a high risk of failure. In these circumstances the extension of existing brands proved to be successful. This process linked business strategy more closely than ever with marketing strategy and provided the persuasion industries with a new opportunity, allowing them to take on elements of management consultancy and become involved in product development. An example of this holistic approach to corporate branding over the long term is provided by the repositioning of the soft drink Lucozade (1985) and the relauch of Walkers Crisps (1994).

‘For Men Who Should Know Better’

Between 1969 and 1997 there was an ongoing re-evaluation of male consumer behaviour, which manifested itself through an emergent men’s lifestyle magazine sector, but also an expansion of established media—that is, newspapers, television, and radio. New applications of persuasion also came to the fore as public relations and branding began to play a salient role in the marketing mix. The result of these changes was a concerted increase in the quality and quantity of brand communication aimed at men. This chapter examines the changes in attitude within the persuasion industry towards male consumers and young men in particular and the emergence in the UK of a mass-market men’s magazine sector between 1986 and 1997. It also explores the relationship between titles such as LM, Q, Loaded, and FHM and the public relations industry.

Rational Appeal

Chapter 2 begins with a detailed examination of extant historiography relating to the persuasion industries. Full consideration is given to the various academic approaches regarding the study of persuasion and their theoretical frameworks. It begins by looking at how the persuasion industries define and present themselves and at the first attempts to developmodels of persuasion during the post-war period, which were based upon the notion of the rational consumer. As a consequence of the increasingly consumer-oriented nature of society, the persuasion industries expanded rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, becoming increasingly more specialized and fragmented in the process.

White Heat

Chapter 1 looks at consumption, consumerism, and the emergence of the consumer society in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. It draws out the main academic debates concerning consumption and its evolving role in society and explores changes in work, leisure, gender roles, family life, and living standards in the UK in the twentieth century. There follows an examination of the impact of the New Right and its ideology in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s and also the renaissance in popular culture from the 1970s, which not only helped to drive the expansion of the mass media but was also fueled by it. It concludes with an analysis of arguments presented by critics of affluence from the post-war period to the early twenty-first century. There is particular emphasis on the role of persuasion within market economies.

Introduction

The Introduction defines the purpose and parameters of this research. In the late twentieth century brand communication was often multifaceted—incorporating public relations, corporate branding, sponsorship, and other forms of marketing as well as advertising—and delivered through many different channels. Its impact on society was profound, leading to the emergence of what scholars have described as ‘promotional culture’. Fully to comprehend the role played by the persuasion industries in Britain during this period, historians must look beyond its impacts and seek to gain an understanding of how its core disciplines evolved and operated. A summary of the key developments in the evolution of brand communication is presented, followed by an outline of the extant historiography and a rationale for the period under study (1969–1997). Finally, the source materials are discussed along with the author’s relevant experience.

Hearts and Minds

As persuasion became more pervasive, it also changed in nature. A new emotional model of brand communication emerged, which provided brands with the means to develop deeper, wider-reaching relationships with their consumers. A narrative, storytelling approach to persuasion also proved to be effective. These new strategies were to prove hugely successful. They were ultimately responsible for creating a new kind of corporate entity, one that was built from the inside out rather than from the top down, and global rather than national in both aspect and ambition: the modern corporate brand. The growth of the persuasion industries was also reliant on external factors. The economic and political climate of the times enshrined the same values, aims, and objectives as the persuasion industries themselves—namely, globalization, aspiration, commerce, private wealth creation, property ownership, economic growth, and, not least, the rapid expansion of media channels.

Planning for Success

From the 1970s, consumers were becoming increasingly desensitized to the established tactics and tropes of the hard sell. The need for continued, effective audience engagement led to the emergence of a new methodology—born out of the growing body of sector-related academic research, based on emotional rather than rational appeals with much greater emphasis on the creative content—that allowed the persuasion industry to respond to this challenge. This chapter looks at the key methodological developments in the persuasion industries and their impact, namely the so-called creative revolution in advertising, the conception and adoption of account planning and market positioning, and the emergence of brand marketing. There is also an analysis of the mass media and their role in the delivery of persuasion. Developments and challenges affecting the UK’s burgeoning public relations sector are discussed.

Lifestyle Choices

This chapter examines the expansion of public relations during the 1980s and its elevation within the hierarchy of brand communication during the 1990s. This was a critical time during which the persuasion industries came to the forefront. The brands that enjoyed pre-eminence at the close of the twentieth century were those that could use all forms of brand communication to create one effective and coherent global package. To that end, public relations was to prove one of the most effective vehicles for telling a brand story. This combination of new delivery methods, more compelling output, and extended reach made it possible for the first time to run campaigns targeting new and discrete audiences. Most notable in this regard was a significant increase in activity targeting males and particularly young men aged 16–30. Conversely, as a result of the same media fragmentation, reaching the kind of mass audiences previously achievable became much more difficult.