Britishness is a rather nebulous concept. Not surprising really, given that Great Britain is, in truth, the moniker for the island land mass that contains an assemblage of nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – rather than being a country in its own right. For most people on these isles, it’s more a matter of personal choice to refer to oneself as British. Only on passports and at international events, such as the Olympic Games, does it become an official tag.
Yet the meaning of Britishness, and whether it is something that is in decline, causes much hand-wringing in some quarters of society. It’s a common media debate: “What does Britishness mean to you?” The fashionable answer these days is to be as all-inclusive as possible. Fish and chips, talking about the weather, red double-decker buses and profligate tea drinking are as valid as ever. But so too are regional accents, tikka masala, gangsta’ rap and performances of Iranian dance.
The internationally famous department store, Harrords, has tapped into this vibe of diversity with a month and a bit of special events and promotions. The ‘Truly British’ campaign places the emphasis on the ‘ish’ to extend the meaning to anything and everything that the company considers is a part of what Britishness means today. Check out the Truly British microsite here.
It’s a clever promotion, well supported by demonstrations, exhibitions, displays, celebrity personal appearances and, of course, lots of special offers. Harrods has long been an intrinsic part of British culture and the initiative both feeds on and bolsters this reputation. The more cynical among us may insinuate that it’s more posturing by Harrods Egyptian owner, Mohammed Al-Fayed, to convince a sceptical public that he is worthy of British citizenship – something that has been repeatedly denied to him by the authorities.
Perhaps, but the campaign is utterly apt for a company that signifies a top tier of Britishness that is identifiable both at home and internationally. How British ‘Truly British’ really is will of course be debated, but Harrods has been shrewd in associating itself with a more contemporary cause for the term. Instead of defining itself as part of Britain’s past, indeed its heritage, it has exuberantly placed itself in the centre of a festival of manifold, modern Britishness that is of its own making and therefore neatly encompasses everything from the company’s broad range of good and services.
