Paterson, Michael Bennis (2001) Selling Scotland: Towards an Intercultural Approach to Export Marketing Involving Differentiation on the Basis of "Scottishness"
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Paterson, Michael Bennis (2001) Selling Scotland: towards an intercultural approach to export marketing involving differentiation on the basis of "Scottishness". PhD thesis http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4495/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Selling Scotland: towards an intercultural approach to export marketing involving differentiation on the basis of "Scottishness" by MICHAEL BENNIS PATERSON School of Scottish Studies (Faculty of Arts) University of Glasgow A thesis submitted to the University of Glasgow in March 2001 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ABSTRACT Selling Scotland towards an intercultural approach to export marketing involving differentiation on the basis of "Scottishness" THIS dissertation examines opportunities for Scottish exporters to differentiate in target markets overseas on the basis of their Scottishness. Findings include: 1. ultimately, identity is largely conferred by others, rather than being shaped by assertions on one's own behalf; 2. definitional experiences of "Scottishness" may frequently be derived from and mediated by determinants that lie outwith Scotland; 3. constructed identifications of key or core Scottish values, by their syncretism, present impoverished views of Scotland; 4. "culture of origin" is a more productive concept than "country-of-origin". Opportunities are seen to establish a widely applicable methodology to add value in export markets. Acknowledgments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I WISH to record here my sincere thanks to my wife, the Rev. Sue Paterson, and daughter, Alannah, for their wonderful, loving, constant support throughout this period of study. My indefatigable father, Edward Paterson, of Waiheke, New Zealand, and many good friends provided inspiration and unfailing encouragement, in parti cular - In New Zealand: Dr Joan and Ian Mackay of Wellington; Dr John and Alannah Cairney of Auckland; Dr John Young and Philippa Clark of Auckland; Douglas and Meg Chowns of McKenzie Bay, Northland; In Canada: Professor Dan and Judy MacInnes of Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Howard and Mary Hutcheon of Stirling, Ontario; In Scotland: Charlie and Jean Baillie of Reddingmuirhead; the Ballantyne family of Armadale; Roddy MacLeod and others at The Piping Centre, Glasgow; Ann and Bill Wilson, Glasgow; Dr John and Bar Purser, Skye; ... and, of course, there are many others. As principle supervisor, Professor Ted Cowan gave unstintingly to the progress of this dissertation, and I am greatly indebted to him - for his good humour as well as his insight and academic expertise. Professor James Taggart also gave crucial support as second supervisor. I would also offer sincere thanks to all who gave of their time as informants and as 'sounding-boards'. Their help and, in many cases, enthusiasm to see this work come to fruition was a great encouragement, as well as being of great practical help. Many of these people are identified on pages 344-346. Mike Paterson Reddingmuirhead, Falkirk. June 2001. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. PREFACE: Approach and Methodology 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 8 Chapter 2 ADDING VALUE 42 Chapter 3 DIFFERENTIATING SCOTLAND 76 Chapter 4 ELEMENTS OF SCOTTISHNESS 117 Chapter 5 TARTAN (Case Study 1) 152 Chapter 6 DIASPORA and CLAN (Case Study 2) 189 Chapter 7 THE PIPES (Case Study 3) 219 Chapter 8 MANAGING SCOTTISHNESS 265 Chapter 9 CONCLUSIONS 315 SOURCES and BmLIOGRAPHY 326 Page No. ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATION (1): A confectionery tin made for Edward 36 Sharp & Sons Ltd, Maidstone, Kent, in the 1950s, and clearly marked "Made In England". (It also carried a Royal endorsement: "By Appointment ... to the late King George VI."). ILLUSTRATION (2): The Scotland the Brand "Country of 55 origin Device": the lettering is a dark blue to the left and a red-backgrounded tartan sett (Royal Stewart?) to the right, with a whitish diagonal band through the "1", "I" and underlining. ILLUSTRATION (3): Examples of "Scottish" imagery used 65 by American advertisers in the 1940s to sell lettuces, oranges and shoes - all American-produced. TABLES: TABLE (1): Scottish Manufactured Exports (£m Current 42-43 Prices) - 1996-1998. TABLE (2): Sources of information (overall averaged percentages) 265-266 about the United Kingdom mentioned by respondents to the 1999 and 2000 MORI polls: Through other eyes 1&2- How the world sees the United Kingdom: The findings of a second round of research into attitudes of young professionals and postgraduate students in seventeen countries carried out by MORlan behalf of the British Council. Thirteen countries were surveyed in 1999, 17 in 2000. TABLE (3): Translations into six other languages (and 279 all foreign language totals) of works by or about Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Sir James Barrie, Hugh MacDiarmid, lain Banks, Sir Compton McKenzie and Irvine Welsh, as recorded in the online database of the Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation (at the National Library of Scotland), to 2 June, 2000. Page No. DIAGRAMS DIAGRAM (1): IMAGES most frequently identified with 97 Scotland by "men and women, aged between 24 and 35, well educated, with above-average incomes, and likely o rise to pOSitions of influence in their society" in a 17-country survey by MORI for The British Council in 2000. DIAGRAM (2): Duration of finger movements overlap, 237 providing a comparison of the fine finger movement control of samples of skilled Highland pipers and classical musicians. DIAGRAM (3): Relative numbers of translations 280 into selected other languages of works by or about: A, Robert Louis Stevenson; B, Robert Burns; C, Sir Walter Scott; D, Sir James Barrie; E, Hugh MacDiarmid; F, lain Banks; G, Sir Compton McKenzie; H, Irvine Welsh, as recorded in the online database of the Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation (at the National Library of Scotland), to 2 June, 2000. Approach and meihodo;ogy Selling Scotland. .. 1 PREFACE: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY TO a considerable extent, this research arose from aspects of my personal and working experience. My undergraduate background is in anthropology and psychology, with special interests in comparative linguistics and cross cultural communication. I have since worked for 30 years, predominantly as a newspaper editor and subeditor, writer and editorial trainer, in Canada (Ontario, Nova Scotia and British Columbia), New Zealand (various North Island centres) and Scotland (Falkirk and Glasgow). I had been brought up in New Zealand, much encouraged to wear two national identities: Scot and New Zealander (in an order determined by the moment). My father was born and spent his childhood in Scotland; my mother was born in New Zealand (of Cornish and Irish parents); my wife (born of Scottish-Irish-German descendant parents) is from Scots-settled rural Ontario, Canada; my daughter was born in Nova Scotia; and my grand-daughter was born in Scotland. I have been actively involved in various informal and formal cross-cultural interests with pakeha New Zealanders, New Zealand Maori, Cook Islanders, Samoans, Greeks, "English" Canadians (of Ontario, Nova Scotia and British Columbia), eastern white Americans, Northern Cree, Nova Scotian MicMac, Scots and English peoples (in indigenous and/or migrant communities), and have been involved in various ways with Scottish expatriate and descendant interests in Canada and New Zealand. My involvements have included organising and promoting events, managing and promoting theatrical tours, broadcasting, publications work, journalism, importing and marketing Scottish recorded music, etc. These activities brought me into contact with numbers of Scottish Approach and methodology Selling Scotland. , 2 expatriates and descendants, as well as people on whom Scottishness has impacted in various ways. I was also able to witness activities of some of Scotland's tourism and exporting promotional interests and those of agents, distributors and retailers acting on behalf of Scottish producers. On the basis of perspectives afforded by Canada and New Zealand, it appeared to me that there were shortcomings at the British end of Scotland's promotional initiatives, and considerable unrealised potentiaL For example, current information about Scotland was difficult to come by, despite active curiosity. Activities were sporadic, inconsistent, and usually initiated within local expatriate or descendant communities. Sometimes, as in the cases of Dunedin (New Zealand) and Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada), initiatives were undertaken to serve purely local tourism priorities and organisers may have had little knowledge of (and no particular concern for) Scotland. The level of understanding on the part of British promotional and marketing interests (often represented by non-Scots) could be limited1 and attitudes were not uncommonly indifferent or patronising. Communication was cross-culturally poor. It was clear, given a remarkable openness to Scotland and things Scottish 1 When, for example, the 1994 Scottish