It's European, so you know it's good...

[Edges]

Has anyone else noticed this theme in advertising? So many products seem to be marketing the fact that they are "European" or from some European country as a reason they should be bought.

For a while, I thought it might just be me until I realized that even those "Muzzy" foreign language tapes have jumped on the bandwagon (the main spokesman claims he was introduced to them by a "European" friend). And then there was this post in a thread about the ineffectiveness of homeopathic medicine.

So I was wondering:

1. How did this get started? Are Americans really more likely to buy something if it came from Europe (particularly since this type of advertising seems to suggest that Americans think Europe is a homogenous continent)?

2. Does this type of advertising appear in other countries? That is, is the idea that something comes from another country or continenet makes it intrinsically better a universal thing?

 

[El Greco]

Greeks appeciate Japanese electronics, German cars, Italian clothes and Russian hookers. About the only thing they insist on being Greek is food.

 

[GreNME]

Greeks appeciate Japanese electronics, German cars, Italian clothes and Russian hookers. About the only thing they insist on being Greek is food.

Not to stray from the OP, but is it okay if I put that in my signature? That has to be one of the best things I've read in the last two months.

Back to the OP: it's probably something similar to the whole "organic" craze. Being from "Europe" is probably meant to connote authenticity if you're seeing those adverts in American or Canadian media. There are times and places for implying something is better because it's local, and implying that it's better because it's from someplace far away.

 

[Piscivore]

I appeciate Japanese food, German cars, Irish whiskey and electronic hookers.

 

[El Greco]

Not to stray from the OP, but is it okay if I put that in my signature? That has to be one of the best things I've read in the last two months.

Of course, you can also substitute any other nationality for Greeks, since I'm pretty sure this holds true in many countries

 

[Prometheus]

Years ago, when I was working in a restaurant, if we had a lot of some menu item that wasn't selling well, we'd translate the name into German or French, increase the price and offer it as a special. Never failed!

 

[linusrichard]

Add to this the English accent in commercials. I refuse to believe that anyone directing a commercial picks the voice talent regardless of accent - that the English accent is ever a coincidence. So I always have to ask why the American company selling the American product to the American audience chose the voice talent with the English accent. They are trying to communicate or connote something - what?

 

[GreNME]

Add to this the English accent in commercials. I refuse to believe that anyone directing a commercial picks the voice talent regardless of accent - that the English accent is ever a coincidence. So I always have to ask why the American company selling the American product to the American audience chose the voice talent with the English accent. They are trying to communicate or connote something - what?

It's hard to answer this with a straight face, but I do believe the image that's being put forth (or attempted to be put forth) is: culture and refinement.

 

[tomwaits]

Don't forget ShamWow. It's made in Germany, and you know the Germans always make good stuff.

 

[Edges]

It's hard to answer this with a straight face, but I do believe the image that's being put forth (or attempted to be put forth) is: culture and refinement.

I wonder if this is supposed to be the allure every time something is marketed as "European". There's an implication, I think, that buying "European" products makes one more sophisticated and worldly.

I just think it's weird when the label is given to products that should have inherent value, like the Muzzy videos. Even the "ShamWow", if it actually worked, should have value because of its effectiveness not because of where it's made.

 

[Blackadder]

European made stuff is usually quality because of all the bureaucratic rules we have.

My list: German cars, Italian food, American pop culture, Dutch women, English comedy, French wine

 

[tyr_13]

European made stuff is usually quality because of all the bureaucratic rules we have.

My list: German cars, Italian food, American pop culture, Dutch women, English comedy, French wine

My list: Swiss cars, English food, German comedy, Dutch wine...

Oh wait, wrong list.

 

[gambling_cruiser]

In german speaking countries all kind of new age nonsense products are declared to be developed by NASA.

 

[Ladewig]

My list: Swiss cars, English food, German comedy, Dutch wine...

Oh wait, wrong list.

That's cold.

 

[Modified]

Well, I don't care what they say, a man carries a wallet.

 

[ComsatAngel2017]

Europe! We gave the world Bolshevism, Fascism and Nazism, which I would argue were not all that good, really. Since then we've tried to make amends with Monty Python, Jean Paul Gaultier and Umberto Eco. We promise to be good in future!

Re. the English-accent-in-adverts. Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure a lot of American adverts are dubbed into English over here, except those incessant ones of Iggy Pop pimping car insurance.

 

[Modified]

Europe! We gave the world Bolshevism, Fascism and Nazism, which I would argue were not all that good, really. Since then we've tried to make amends with Monty Python

Monty Python? I thought they were British.
http://www.google.com/search?&q="british+vs+european"

 

[BPSCG]

Years ago, when I was working in a restaurant, if we had a lot of some menu item that wasn't selling well, we'd translate the name into German or French, increase the price and offer it as a special. Never failed!

There was a cartoon in the National Lampoon lo these many years ago. The diner was sitting at his table, and the waiter has just removed (with a grand flourish) the cover off the plate he's serving the diner. "It's a fried telephone book! We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it!"

 

[KingMerv00]

It's hard to answer this with a straight face, but I do believe the image that's being put forth (or attempted to be put forth) is: culture and refinement.

http://www.freefullmovies.info/media/images/MrBean2.jpg

Edited by Darat: 

Link removed possible malware.

http://www.makefive.com/images/200820/bc5c8d3517a7bc84.jpg

And that's not even mainland Europe.

Looks like there may be a problem with one the images/sites that you originally linked to so I've removed the link: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=4505096#post4505096

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: Darat

 

[GreNME]

I wonder if this is supposed to be the allure every time something is marketed as "European". There's an implication, I think, that buying "European" products makes one more sophisticated and worldly.

I just think it's weird when the label is given to products that should have inherent value, like the Muzzy videos. Even the "ShamWow", if it actually worked, should have value because of its effectiveness not because of where it's made.

I think the "European" thing is meant to imply being more metropolitan-- so yeah, sophisticated and worldly-- as well as often implying some type of authenticity. For example, a company may market their pasta sauce as being authentically Italian or something like that.

-----

Look, I didn't say it was accurate, I just said that it's probably the impression they're going for.

In all seriousness, though, it's not just any British accent that's used when trying to portray that cultured and refined impression. It's a certain regional British accents that are used (can't remember which ones off-hand). All in all, it's not much different than the use of the Southern US accent to imply a 'very rural' or 'somewhat stupid' or other unrefined individual or thing.

ETA: Oh, and I don't care what you think, Eddie Izzard is totally classy.