Has Brexit Made British Advertising Nationalistic?

• Published date: 08 April 2021
• Subject Matter: Government, Public Sector, Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Constitutional & Administrative Law, Advertising, Marketing & Branding
• Law Firm: Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
• Author: Mr Brinsley Dresden (Lewis Silkin)

Since the Brexit referendum decision in 2016, advertising has been dragged into a culture war about which brands are British Brands and about the UK's place in the World, not just in Europe. The most notable example has been the campaign for HSBC starring Richard Ayoade. At first, it seemed unclear whether the campaign was celebrating or bemoaning Brexit, but as it increasingly focuses on Global Britain, the answer is clear. Given the brand is the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, that is hardly surprising.

In stark contrast to HSBC, few brands are more resolutely British than Vauxhall. The German's have their Opels. The Australians have their Holdens. The Americans have their Buicks, Cadillacs and Chevys. But if you want a Vauxhall, you can only buy one in Britain.

But since Brexit, it is not enough to be British. Brands have to be seen to be British too. And not some Johnny Come Lately British immigrant, but able to trace their British heritage back for three of four generations. Ideally, a brand would be like those toffs who claim that their family came over with the Normans. Although for a car company, that might be tricky.

So, in the end frame of a recent television commercial for the all new Corsa, Vauxhall claimed "British Brand since 1903". However, in the Post-Brexit Britain of 2021 people won't stand for misleading claims of Britishness. As Cecil Rhodes observed, to be born British is to win first prize in the lottery of life. While one half of the country wants to tear down statues of Rhodes, the other half of the country appears to be embracing his 'philosophy', and insisting that only true Aryans, sorry, true Brits, should be able to make that claim.

Four people therefore complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the claim was misleading, on the grounds...