In August 2011, UK rioting shone a mirror back onto modern British society. Historically, civil unrest in Britain has been fuelled by inequality, and political dissatisfaction, and although there is undoubtably an element of these factors behind this latest, unparalleled violence, the general consensus seems to be that the one significant cause was the very modern culture of consumerism.
As parts of London and then other cities erupted into chaos, with young men and women of all ethnicities looting and causing damage to property on an unprecedented scale, it rapidly became apparent that this was not a unified anti-establishment anarchic protest, it was simply robbery and on a mass-scale, fuelled by selfish greed.
In the days that followed experts and politicians pondered the causes of this sudden, extreme flare-up. Many have pointed the finger at 'bling-culture', the phenomenon of recent times where people, regardless of their level of income, desire items of high value, mainly to impress their peers. Bling culture came about in the credit-rich area before the recession, were people were able to acquire clothing, cars and gadgets by spending beyond their means. Now, post-credit crunch, possessing these items has become harder for most people, and is more often than not, impossible. But they're still there, and advertising teases people that can't have them.
The job of advertising and marketing industries create these impossible dreams, to exaggerate the desirability of these items. Successful campaigns are emotive, making objects and brands become "must-haves", things without which life can to somehow seem incomplete. An increase in the use of celebrities to endorse products portrays owning these products to be t not a by-product of success or fame, but a necessity to achieve it. The modern idea of celebrity in the UK adds to the tantalisation; as 'ordinary' people can acquire the desirable lifestyles with little or no talent, education or effort. This can addd to the frustration of many young people who wonder "why can they have all that, and I can't?".
Most people, including young people, are smart enough to realise that the imagery of advertising is myth, and understand that campaigns rely on aspiration towards lifestyles that are essentially fantasies. But some people, perhaps those with poor education or lack of opportunity, may somehow believe that these lifestyles could actually exist but outside their own environment. Lifestyles, rich in designer brands and hi-tech products, which are so close and yet so far away.
The effect of certain brands on British youth can be gleaned by looking for patterns in the looting. Adidas, JD Sports and Foot Looker were hit in almost every town were rioting occurred, whilst branches Waterstones remained untouched. Designer brands like Yves Saint-Lauren and Bang and Olufsen were stripped bare, as their products have massive resale street value. This was selective looting, and the brands whose marketing has worked best on those responsible, suffered the most damage.
Take for example Adidas. More significant than the damage to it's stripped-bare stores around the country is the damage to the Adidas brand image itself. On the mornings that followed nights of fear and chaos, newspapers were full of images of looters and rioters, hundreds of which wore hoodies and sportswear emblazoned with the Adidas logo or it's iconic three-stripes. Recent Adidas campaigns have played along with the bling-culture attitude of it's fanbase, but will the global giant want to continue apparently producing the uniform of an angry, hostile, threatening section of society? It's doubtful, especially when other target markets, such as the wealthy middle-class sports market, will not want to be associated with these values. Adidas will need to do some serious repositioning, probably following the example Burberry has been doing for the last decade to try shake off it's perception as the uniform of "chavs" and football hooligans.
There are many factors to blame for the rioting and looting. Bad parenting, public sector cuts, failing education, even video games and music will all be brought into the debate at some point. But the advertising industry must look at what it's role in modern British culture is. Fuelling the desires and unreal aspirations of people without opportunity is dangerous.
Many young people are growing up feeling that the life they have is not the one they want and can see no way to achieve it. They feel that the lifestyle they want can almost be touched but not quite; as it they're staring at it through a pane of glass. And for some, the only way to get beyond that glass is to smash it.