National identity as a communication framework in advertising: Sounds, images and tastes of the past
Nacionalni identitet kao komunikacioni okvir u oglašavanju: zvuci, slike i ukusi prošlosti
Abstract
The primary questions addressed in the research conducted as a qualitative content analysis were the communication framing of national identity in advertising in the Republic of Serbia. The visual, verbal, and audio elements of advertisements were observed as symbols, individually and in their interrelationships, as a cohesive narrative. The aim was to understand how national identity is adapted for commercial purposes and represented in advertising. The study explored how images, messages, sounds, and concepts are treated, and how they invite viewers to perceive national identity. Several specific symbols were highlighted. Visually, in addition to official symbols (the flag, coat of arms), food is the most prominent in presenting national identity. It is shown individually, as a particular authentic food product, or conceptually, as a meal around which people gather. Among the carriers of the narrative about national identity, sound also stands out. In most ads, music and sound effects
have a distinctly ethnic character. The past has been identified as perhaps the most complex symbol of national identity. It runs through almost all narratives, within which creative treatments of the past, the selection of historical periods, and attitudes towards tradition as an aspect of the past are highlighted.
Apstrakt
Osnovna pitanja postavljena u istraživanju sprovedenom kao kvalitativna analiza sadržaja vezana su za komunikaciono uokviravanje nacionalnog identiteta u oglašavanju u Republici Srbiji. Vizuelni, verbalni i auditivni elementi reklama posmatrani su kao simboli, pojedinačno i u međusobnim odnosima, kao
narativne celine. Cilj analize bio je razumevanje načina predstavljanja nacionalnog identiteta u oglašavanju i njegovog prilagođavanja upotrebi u komercijalne svrhe. Istraženo je kakve slike, poruke, zvukovi i koncepti su manje ili više vidljivi, na koji način su kreativno tretirani, kao i na kakvu percepciju pozivaju gledaoce. U tom smislu, izdvojilo se nekoliko specifičnih simbola. U vizuelnom smislu, pored zvaničnih simbola kao što su zastava ili grb, najvidljivija u okvirima prezentacije nacionalnog identiteta je hrana. Ona je reprezentovana pojedinačno, kao određeni autentičan prehrambeni proizvod ili konceptualno, kao obrok oko kojeg se okuplja. Među nosiocima narativa o nacionalnom identitetu izdvaja se i zvuk. U većini reklama muzičke teme i zvučni efekti imaju izrazito etno karakter. Kao verovatno najkompleksniji simbol nacionalnog identiteta identifikovana je prošlost. Ona je važna tema koja prožima skoro sve reklamne narative i unutar koje se kao posebno važni aspekti izdvajaju tretmani prošlosti u kreativnom i pripovedačkom smislu, izbor epoha i odnos prema tradiciji kao aspektu prošlosti.
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