Positive Nationalism, an Elaborate Marketing Ploy?

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Globalization is fueling the movement towards a homogenized universal culture.  As reinforced by Ohmae, globalization is contributing to an increasing homogenization of local differences and the emergence of a ‘borderless’ world (Ohmae, 1990).  With the blurring of cultural boundaries and the increasing prevalence of ‘imagined communities’ (Anderson, 1983), the pressure to define national culture is becoming more eminent in a bid to counteract the West-Rest paradigm of cultural imperialism (Iwabuchi, 2010). 

The scenario of Turka Cola is an example of defiance against Americanization through Turkish positive nationalism.  Positive nationalism is expressed by Özkan & Foster as “new strategies for defining the Turkish nation vis-a-vis other nations or, put differently, for making and managing national culture in this era of globalization.” (Özkan & Foster, 2005). 

The Cola Turka scenario brings to light consumer citizenship as a method of manipulation of cultural artifacts, in order to generate positive nationalism through consumption patterns. “Turkish consumers affirm their national identity through the purchase of a soft drink. Drinking Cola Turka, then, is qualified as an act of patriotism.” (Foster, 2008).

So, if the purpose behind these anti-colas is to provide consumers with the option of purchasing a Cola that reemphasizes their cultural identity, doesn't it raise the question of how a sugary, caffeinated fizzy beverage is in any way actually related to the Turkish culture? Therefore, it could be that the ethos behind these anti-colas, is not only to provide Turkish buyers with a wider choice of products to consume from, but also symbolizes a nation’s attempt in taking on an American icon by creating a similar product shrouded with symbols of the cultural essence of the nation and placing this cultural artifact in a product category that is accepted globally. In other words “this process puts less stress on defining markets and identities in terms of bounded territorial units and more stress on asserting membership in an unbounded commercial arena of world class consumption” (Özkan & Foster, 2005).   

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The concept of positive nationalism raises many concerns.  Namely, the foundation of business is providing consumers with products and services in exchange for money.  This has evolved to ensure that consumers have a variety of choice when it comes to purchasing products; these choices are based on product features or unique selling points, which can be measured in monetary terms, such as is it a luxury product? Or a value for money product? Therefore, a product is marketed to consumers by highlighting its features or benefits. The use of cultural identity as a marketing tool to sell a consumer commodity is seemingly a contradiction of the underlying concept of freedom of choice in consumerism; this is not marketing the products benefits as much as it is marketing what the product stands for. “In other words, consumerism, with its dominant values of personal freedom and choice, becomes the vehicle for enacting citizenship. The market, rather than the state, becomes the immediate reference point for demonstrating national belonging.  Again, we might well pause to consider whether consumer citizenship of this sort is a form of political resistance or an instrument for consolidating market rule…”(Foster, 2008).

This brings me to the questions I will leave you with… Is your cultural identity so simply defined by what you wear, what you drink or what you buy?  Or is it a deeply personal connection that cannot be packaged, produced or monetized and sold for a profit? 

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Reference List:

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.

Foster, R. J. (2008). Coca-globalization : following soft drinks from New York to New Guinea. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Iwabuchi, K. (2010). Taking "Japanization" seriously: Cultural Globalization Reconsidered. In D. K. Thussu, International communication: a reader (ed) (pp. 410– 427). New York: Routledge.

Ohmae, K. (1990). The borderless world: power and strategy in the interlinked economy. London: HarperCollins.

Özkan, D., & Foster, R. J. (2005). Consumer Citizenship, Nationalism, and Neoliberal Globalization in Turkey: The Advertising Launch of Cola Turka. Advertising & Society Review.