Who belongs to the 'Star people'? Negotiating beer and gin advertisements in West Africa, 1949-75

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Periodical article

Title:	Who belongs to the 'Star people'? Negotiating beer and gin advertisements in West Africa, 1949-75
Author:	Van den Bersselaar, Dmitri
Year:	2011
Periodical:	The Journal of African History (ISSN 0021-8537)
Volume:	52
Issue:	3
Pages:	385-408
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Ghana Nigeria
Subjects:	advertising alcoholic beverages historical sources 1950-1959 1960-1969
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/41480246
Abstract:	This article explores the different trajectories of advertising for schnapps gin and beer in Ghana and Nigeria during the period of decolonization and independence up to 1975. It analyses published newspaper advertisements alongside correspondence, advertising briefs, and market research reports found in business archives. Advertising that promoted a 'modern' life-style worked for beer, but not for gin. This study shows how advertisements became the product of negotiations between foreign companies, local businesses, and consumers. It provides insights into the development of advertising in West Africa, the differing ways in which African consumers attached meanings to specific commodities, and possibilities for the use of advertisements as sources for African history. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]