Styles of Communication, Vol 3, No 1 (2011)

Abstract

This study aims to put forward two concepts often contradictorily perceived: globalization and specificity. Therefore, the article analyzes a very successful product, namely beer. The reason for choosing beer as part of our empirical data lies on its worldwide target, its history and its frequency in TV commercials due to the new theory of sensorial brands. We are interested in the TV formats used in beer commercials and in the factors that determine global and local features. The empirical data will be made of five Romanian brands and on five international brands. Even if we tend to consider that there is a gap between global and local aspects, it is interesting to find out whether the TV commercials make this distance smaller or bigger. The basis of this study starts from several stereotypes: beer, mostly addressing men, could be associated with many issues starting with entertainment, responsibility, involvement in the community, and commitment. Local elements refer to the country of distribution, especially in the case of international brands, taking into account that beer is a product with worldwide circulation. Starting from theoretical perspectives on positioning types, commercial formats and consumer profiles, we will focus our analysis on the main TV formats and the positioning types used in the local and international beer commercials, on the one hand, and on the balance between the global and local features and on the profiles of the heroes represented in beer commercials, on the other hand.