ABSTRACT
According to Held and colleagues (1999: 16), globalization is “a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transaction – assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact – generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction and the exercise of power.” While most contemporary commentators (Hirst and Thompson (1996) apart) would concur with Held et al.’s assertion as to the existence of globalizing economic, political, cultural, and technological processes, there is widespread disagreement as to their effects. This is particularly true when considering the ramifications of globalization for the future of the nation state. While many learned commentators decry the demise of the nation at the hands of rampant globalization, some display a steadfast belief in the enduring relevance of the nation as a source of identity and differentiation. This fracture is equally evident among those working in the global marketplace, particularly those within the marketing and advertising nodes of transnational corporations (i.e. Sony, Volkswagen and Disney), whose corporate footprints transcend the boundaries of nation states, and who operate “simultaneously in different countries around the world, on a global scale” (Morley and Robins, 1995: 223). Located as it is in the “pivotal position between production and consumption, the advertising industry plays a key role in constituting the geographic boundaries of markets and in the internationalization of consumer culture” (Leslie, 1995: 402). Consequently, it is the strategizing developed within the promotional arm of transnational corporate entities that provides our present focus.
