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In order to establish what British people are proud of and how they express that pride, Demos polled over 2,000 people from England, Wales and Scotland, asking them about everything from their self-esteem to their view of the royal family. And, overwhelmingly, they were found to be less proud of Britain than their forefathers.
Some 53 per cent believed Britain was less patriotic than it was 25 years ago and 61 per cent argued that patriotism declined over the last 50 years. However, four in five Brits were still happy to declare themselves proud to be British .
Read more about all things British:
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- Five ways the Queen influences buyers
- Six brands you didn’t know were British owned
Its indeed something to be proud of, with research from Cebr in 2014 showing that products labelled Made in Britaincommanded a considerably higher premium when sold abroad than those with no declared country of origin. And spanning firms producing Rolls Royce engines and Newcastle Brown Ale, the UK has a long and decorated history of homemade products that emanate well throughout the world.
That being said, we took a look at RKCR/Y&R’s “Brand Asset Valuator,” which correlates results on 48 imagery attributes with brand England to reveal the brands best representing the English national identity. It should be noted that “Englishness” was most associated with being “friendly” and “down to earth”.
We took a look at some of the history behind the brands that were mentioned.
(1) Fullers London Pride
According to the company, “Beer has been made in the capital for more than 350 years, dating back to the era of Oliver Cromwell. Back in 1845 it was common to brew your own beer and one such private brewhouse was run by Thomas Urlin. When he died the property was given to Thomas Mawson.”
After decades of being passed down, it fell into the hands of the Thompson brothers, who partnered with Philip Wood, brother of Londons Lord Mayor. However Wood didn’t have money to keep the brewery afloat, so he looked to John Fuller a wealthy gentleman for help. After Fuller bought one of the Thompsons out, he soon became the majority shareholder at the brewery.
When he died, it was passed onto his son,”who in turn sought investment from John Smith, who had helped run a successful brewery elsewhere. He invested on behalf of his son, Henry Smith, and his son-in-law, John Turner and so the company behind London Pride, Fuller, Smith & Turner, was born.
Thats not the end of the story though, as the company continues to invest and innovate. In fact, in November 2015, an interview revealed that while Fullers strong performance was down to the hard work of well trained pub teams,” its “range and the heritage and commitment to quality to ensure that the beers being produced would sell” helped the company growsuccessfully.
(2) Mr Kipling
The brand was created in the 1960s by Rank McDougall in order to revitalise cake sales. However,?Mr Kipling himself never actually existed he was created to give the product a traditional family feel. This was reinforced through adverts suggesting Mr Kipling was a small shop baker, specifically in TV adverts.
This was perhaps best explained by Alysa Leven in Cake: A Slice of History,” where she said: Mr Kimpling, whose tagline is that he makes exceedingly good cakes is a prime example of the cachet lent to a cake by nostalgia and tradition. The unfussy logo, the kindly and mature voice-over, the depiction of an old-fashioned bakery in TV adverts, all speak to a family business steeped in tradition.
The brand has been owned by a series of big companies, founded by Rank Hovis McDougall, the flour people, and purchased by Premier Foods in 2007. But consumers still like that sense of heritage; when the packaging was rebranded in 2001 and again in 2004 featuring a more modern logo and a simpler look to the boxes, sales fell. The following year the pictures of the cakes were restored to the front, and the fall-off in sales declined.”
From Bakewells to Battenberg, Apple Pies to petite French Fancies, Mr Kipling’s success truly lies in how its heritage is involved in every aspect of the brand, and its success is further highlighted by the fact that almost 60 per cent of UK households indulge in Kipling treats every year.
Read on to find out which games and cosmetics companies made the list.
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(3) Monopoly
Given that Monopoly was based on Atlanta, it’s surprising that so many link Monopoly to Britain. It was first invented by US game designer Elizabeth MagieAs a protest against the “unbridled thirst for profit” though it was protected by a British patent.
Itsdeemed “creator,”Charles Darrow, allegedly stole the idea. Initially, oneDan Layman learned it at school and after a long chain of showing a friend how to play it, who then in turn taught someone else, it landed in Darrow’s lap. He started making monopoly boards and sold them to friends, and after demand increased Darrow had to enlist the help of a printer to get sets made more quickly.
Darrow tried to sell the game to Parker Brothers in 1934, but it didn’t sway the firm until 1935 Monopoly. Wanting a “monopoly” on Monopoly, Parker Brothers began trying to squash the competition even going so far as to acquire Magie’s patent.
It has since been translated into 47 languages and 275m Monopoly sets have been sold in 114countries. Its streets have also been changed to suite a British audience.
(4) Avon
Cosmetics giant Avon recently revealed that it would be relocating its headquarters to Britain from New York after 130 years in a bid to increase sales. This certainly helps the perception that Avon personifies British nature.
But there’s a particular reason why it has its heart set on Britain. The UK is the fourth-largest market for Avon, with sales exceeding 28m. Avon is also the second-largest mass beauty company in the UK, and its share in the beauty market has tremendously increased year-on-year.
Once known as the California Perfume Company in 1886, it was founded by David McConnell an entrepreneur that led the way for women. Even today, empowering women is at the forefront of Avon’s philosophy. And in 1928 McConnell changed the name to its now famous Avon chosen due toMcConnell’s love of William Shakespeare. Also, from 1954 to 1967 the tag line “Avon Calling” and it’s iconic “Door Bell” was used. It became the longest running and most successful advertising campaign in history.
Avon’s “Foundation for women” began in 1955, being one of the largest corporate-affiliated philanthropy campaigns dedicated with helping women’s causes globally. It was even the owner of Tiffany & Co for a short while.
(5) Co-op
The Co-operative Group is steeped in history, having been developed over 165 years from the merger ofco-operative wholesale societiesAnd independent retailers.
The group’s roots are traced to theRochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, established in 1844,And to the eight Rochdale Principles which introduced the idea of distributing a share of profits according to purchases through a scheme. Though The Co-operative Group incorporates the original Rochdale Pioneers’ society, the business’s core operation was its wholesaling operation.
The brand was later strengthened by the creation of theCo-operative Retail Trading Group in 1993, with the company having since extended its feelers into all manners of sectors with the launch of The Co-operative Food, The Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Travel alongside Thomas Cook.
