Assimilating into a national culture can be a powerful marketing effectiveness lever – helping brands create meaningful connections, sales, and growth, according to recently published Effie UK & Ipsos report, Banter Like A Brit.
Brands benefit from a +43% boost in Brand Closeness – a cornerstone of long-term brand health in Ipsos brand tracking – from going native without losing their identity, the report reveals.
Any brand can benefit – global or local, big or small – but only so long as assimilation is done well, which means finding the intersection between your brand’s guiding principles and those of the relevant nation.
Aldi temporarily re-branding ‘Aldeh’ in Greater Manchester in a nod to the Oasis reunion tour; Lidl’s Brit Pop-inspired jacket for the same reason; and Aldi’s tongue-in-cheek carrot-themed pastiche of M&S’s strawberry and cream sandwich, which itself was inspired by a Great British dessert favourite, are three latest examples of brands doing just this.
For brands operating in Britain – be they of British heritage or brands from elsewhere – the report highlights three success factors: leveraging the tension between heritage and originality that is part of the definition of Britishness; being confident, not arrogant; and seeking to shape culture, not ape it.
The Banter Like A Brit report also deep dives into the nation as a brand. And by indexing against eight other countries by the British public, it reveals Britain’s three defining characteristics – and how it delivers its identity – are: ‘traditional’; ‘enduring’; and ‘witty’.
By analysing consumer response to Britishness and well-known brands, the report also identifies four different approaches to leveraging ‘Britishness’ beyond the traditional core:
British Heartland: an approach used by brands including Yorkshire Tea and McDonald’s that involves leaning into values prized by British people – such as ‘tradition’; ‘warmth’; and ‘dependability’.
Creative Originals: focusing on self-expression and hero-ing ‘attitude’; ‘experience’; and ‘individuality’ – as brands including Vivienne Westwood, Marmite and Mini do.
Sophisticated Trailblazers: balancing heritage and authenticity with local identity and global appeal, combining stylish, sophisticated aesthetics with pioneering approaches – Paul Smith and Jaguar, for example.
Exemplar Brands: brands that are trusted as gold standards in their respective industries for excelling in efficiency and reliability, as Lloyds and O2 are.
Banter Like A Brit is published at a time when, around the world, globalisation is in retreat and opinion is polarising. Yet marketers considering leaning into a particular national culture should not be put off and draw lessons from a number of Effie award-winning marketing campaigns, the report advises.
“Finding a brand’s ‘inner Brit’ can help communicate effectively and empathetically with a British audience,” the report says.
“Originating from Britain is the strongest indicator of a brand’s Britishness, but a brand doesn’t have to be a British brand for this to work. The prominence of global brands like Heinz and McDonald’s in our everyday lives plays a role as well.
“Being a big local employer and having a local tone of voice supports perceptions of Britishness too.”
Rachel Emms, Managing Director at Effie UK, said: “Provenance can be an important part of a brand’s make-up. But a brand doesn’t have to be of a particular national identity or culture to lean into it and reap the rewards – creation of meaningful connections, sales, and growth.
“McVitie’s strategic deployment of its British heritage and McDonald’s considered leveraging of the emotional truths associated with its role in British life are just two of many Effie award-winning brands to prove this.
“It’s a question of when it is appropriate to lean into national culture and, when it is, how best to do so – just two of the important questions we set out to address in this new Effie/Ipsos report.”
Samira Brophy, Senior Director of Creative Excellence at Ipsos, said: “Marketers know the value in sharp, clear positioning…almost a What3Words that define your brand and guide its activity. ‘Banter like a Brit’ shows how you can overlay a brand’s positioning with that of the nation it is operating in to drive brand equity. In Britain, feeling ‘of this place’ drives +43% brand closeness, which is a critical lever for long-term brand building. Ipsos brand tracking data shows that brand closeness has grown in importance over the last 10 years as an equity driver, in line with macro trends around individualism and the importance of trust.
We live in a ‘bumper sticker’world where people wanting brands to embody their values rose from 53% in 2013 to 69% in 2024 (Ipsos Global Trends). So finding that sense of nation and knowing which attributes to align your brand vs. not, is liberating and supportive of creativity and effectiveness. We see the breadth of possibilities brought to life by the Effie award-winning cases featured in this report.”
View the report on the link: https://ipsos-insight-llc.foleon.com/effie/banter-like-a-brit/
