News Analysis: By George, Do They Have It?

Brands seeking to tap into the essence of Englishness may find its core attributes tough to define.

It is only necessary to look back as far as Mother's Day for evidence of how valuable commemorative days are to marketers. National days, too, offer a rich vein of branding opportunities. St Patrick's Day, for example, is always accompanied by myriad green-tinged campaigns intended to tap into the sociable characteristics of the Irish.

By contrast, St George's Day, which falls this Sunday, has been far less effectively appropriated. It has a long tradition of being celebrated in the English shires, with traditional activities such as morris dancing and battle re-enactments. But such events are relatively niche, reflecting the unease with which notions of Englishness have been perceived in recent years.

In a speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research last March, former …

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Publication information: Article title: News Analysis: By George, Do They Have It?. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: Marketing. Publication date: April 19, 2006. Page number: 12. © 2003 Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group.

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