Identity construction: Jägermeister and the targets puzzle By Marco Ermidas
What makes us like one brand or product more than another in the same category? What makes us identify with something and feel that our identity is reflected in it? These and other thoughts crossed my mind as I browsed the website of one of the drinks I most enjoy consuming when I go out: Jägermeister. Jägermeister is one of the most recognized drinks in the world, and the main product of the company Mast-Jägermeister SE. It was introduced in 1935, and is
composed of 56 herbs, fruits and spices. The world it conjures takes us to an imaginary of nature and hunting. From the logo - whose main element is a elk/deer, to the catholic cross symbol - which is connected to the legend of Saint Hubertus (patron of hunters), and even within the name of the drink - Jagger (hunter) Meister (master). The question I ask is how does a brand which is characterized by very traditional origins, manage to gradually change its identity do reach a wider audience. I am interested in discussing here, what identity means in this case. Identity is a concept difficult to discuss without recurring to descriptions. The canadian sociologist Erving Goffman in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life reveals the manner in which individuals present themselves in social life as if they were in a theatre: using props and jumping on the stage on which they are viewed by an audience. This definition of the ‘I’ shows that our relation to the other, the social construction and the context is fundamental to the definition of a unique identity. Another interesting construct is the notion of the individual as a deconstructed existence. One of the greatest proponents of this idea was the french psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. This concept deconstructed the idea of the individual by considering that it constructs itself mutually through its relationship with itself and with others through language. These issues are very important to understanding that individuals (or consumers in this case) are not monolithic entities. Indeed, the very act of calling people ‘consumers’ is restricting, in the sense that it does not take into consideration other social and cultural dimensions that fundamentally influence the between people and the world that surrounds them. There is a sense of balance and coherence in the concept that the person cannot be solely understood at an individual level. Various groups work together to achieve a collective end, for example companies, which strive to capture a certain public (here we see the theatrical reference I made earlier regarding Goffman). There are therefore two elements working in parallel to achive coherence: the individual and the group. What I aim to exemplify with this is that identity is always relational and fluid, constructing itself mutually through itself and others. When an exterior incoherence occurs, therefore, we may find that it leads to a rupture (for example, when an individual disassociates itself from a product or brand). Lets go back to the question of Jägermeister. How did this company expand the reach of its product and brand? The route taken was that of sponsoring of various sports events (for example motor sports) and musical events (particularly within the genres of rock and metal). In the field of music, a page was created, jagermusic.com. At the beginning of the page one finds an advert regarding a tour that was recently sponsored by the drink: Jägermeister presents Chimaira. (The last concert of this tour was at the beginning of this
month, on the 5th of November). One sees that the brand makes a strong effort to associate itself to these kinds of events. Another interesting section is Jäger Bands, were various bands supported by Jägermeister are presented.
These kinds of endorsments are telling of how the relationship between the brand and the consumers permits a connection between what is tradition ally and contemporarily valued by men (I do not want to make a sexist point, merely state the social significance). The brand has invested in niches commonly connected to the male imaginary: motor sports, rock and metal. What is interesting here, is that the relationship with these two activities and with the traditional side of the brand is not cause for conflict, but rather allows the brand to connect with various consumers (older, younger), which would not otherwise be connected. In sum, Jägermeister sought to maintain its traditional and legendary roots (and here we can also see a kind of ‘invented tradition’, similar to that which Terrence Ranger e Eric Hobsbawm coined) at the same time as it managed to extend its identity to other activities which do not create friction with what we might call the brands internal coherence, but rather add to it. Jägermeister also became, to an extent, the property of its fans, in the sense that it is now a cultural icon. This issue of consumers’ and brands’ identity must therefore, be thought of in terms of the relational logic which allows for constant fluidity without internal disagreement. 21/11/2011