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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Jackie: Welcome to bbclearningenglish.com and another chance to hear Insight Plus, a
series first broadcast in 2001 that looks at the language of issues you hear about in
the news. Today’s topic is Big Brands, companies which see the entire world as their
market. Brands whose advertising1, popularity, look and feel are in many respects the
same from one country to another. The presenter2 is Lyse Doucet.
Lyse:More and more, large Western and in particular American companies are spreading
their goods to the four corners of the earth in search of new markets and, of course,
bigger profits. In recent months, the advance of these multinationals4 has hit the
headlines. Global brands are the topic of today’s Insight Plus - your guide to the
language and issues you hear every day in the news.
Clip
I’m wearing a Converse5 coat, Ralph Lauren shirt and Nike underneath6 it, Nike t-shirt …
.I'm wearing a GAP sweater but I think it's not as big of a deal because I bought it in
the States where I'm from and I think if you bought it here it'd be giving in more
towards buying the brand just because it's American or it's not something that started
here ……… Today I'm wearing Nike trainers and I've got a Converse sweater on and my
trousers are from GAP
Lyse: To explore this continuing rise of big brands across the globe, let's take a look
at a report by Rahul Sarnaik. It was broadcast on the BBC World Service programme,
Insight. Here’s the first extract.
Clip
“Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, General Electric and Ford”
According to a survey based on their brand value, they're the world's top five corporate7
names - and they're all from the USA. The number one brand-name, Coca-Cola, was valued
in June 1999 at more than eighty-billion dollars. Is it true that these brands are
penetrating8（深入） deeper into more and more markets around the world?
Lyse: A brand like the ones we heard - McDonalds, Coca Cola, Microsoft - is more than a
label, or the name of a product or company. A brand represents a set of values that the
company wants the consumer to associate with its products. These values go beyond the
need for quality or durability（持久性） For example, some companies try and appeal to
the youth market and its sense of adventure, whereas others target older consumers who
may be more interested in luxury（奢侈的）, comfort and prestige.
We heard in the report that the biggest brands worldwide are the ones with the highest
international brand value. Brand value is becoming increasingly important. It’s about
how well regarded a brand is by the consumer or the buyer. It’s measured by looking at
the status of the brand in a market and whether people remain loyal - whether they
continue to buy the product.
The report asks “Is it true that these brands are penetrating deeper into more and more
markets around the world?” In other words, are the big American names trying to
establish themselves in more countries? Well let’s find out as we listen to more of
this report.
Clip
Is it true that these brands are penetrating deeper into more and more markets around
the world? Yes, according to Richard Robinson, of the London-based business analysts10
Datamonitor:
Richard Robinson - Data Monitor
If you think about what's happened over the last 10 years or so there's been a massive
globalisation of the media. The result of that has been that brand values and consumer
values around the world have homogenised to a certain degree. And that's really played
into the hands of a lot of the big Western multi-national companies. For example from
the soft drinks industry - Coca cola, Pepsi Cola - over the past 10 years they've
established massive distribution networks（配电网） worldwide in markets where they were
previously11 fairly under-represented
Lyse:According to business analyst9 Richard Robinson, the answer is yes. The top
companies’ market penetration12 is increasing. And why? Well, did you notice the word
globalisation in the phrase “the globalisation of the media”. What he means is that
all over the world people now watch the same TV channels, log on to the same websites,
and read and listen to the same news stories. As Richard Robinson says:
Clip Richard Robinson - Data Monitor
…there's been a massive globalisation of the media. The result of that has been that
brand values and consumer values around the world have homogenized to a certain degree.
Lyse:The different types of media like television, print and the internet, have been
crucial in “homogenizing values”. That means that in promoting the same images and
messages about certain products they have played their part in making the values of
brands and those of consumers more and more alike. What we admire, trust and enjoy,
both about ourselves and the things we buy, is becoming much the same wherever we are in
the world.
The global market and global brands are the subject of today’s Insight Plus from the
BBC World Service - your guide to the language and background to the stories that stay
in the news.
It’s not just the global media which has helped big brands to spread their appeal. The
changing political scene has also played a part. The collapse（崩溃，倒塌） of
Communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet13 Union, and the improvement in
relations between the West and China, have meant that vast new markets have opened up
for western goods. Big brands have also been able to spread their influence because of
the worldwide fascination(魔力，魅力) with certain aspects of western life. Two
interviewees from Rahul Sarnaik’s report make this point. Shoba De is a novelist and
media commentator（注释者，评论员） based in Bombay in India. Professor Cary Cooper
lectures in social psychology14 at Manchester University in England. They both say that
western culture has an “all-pervasive15 influence” - its influence can be felt
everywhere. To begin with, Shoba De talks about how the big brands are making great
advances - or inroads（侵入，侵犯） - into newer markets such as India. Although she
says that awareness16 of big brands - or brand consciousness - has always been strong
there.
Clip Shoba De
They're making incredible inroads and more rapidly than I could have imagined possible
even a couple of years ago. The brand consciousness（意识，知觉） has always been there
in urban India because we have access to satellite television as well as imported
magazines, fashion magazines. But ever since our beautiful young ladies started to win
international beauty titles I think the focus has changed and urban India seems obsessed17
with labels of all kinds - particularly those coming out of Europe. And of course the
American sub-culture - that has such an all-pervasive（普遍的，蔓延的，渗透的）
influence on all of us
Prof Cary Cooper
What they see through films, through American Television is only the positive side and
that is what they aspire18 to, to wealth, to the visual side of wealth, i.e. the clothing
the brand name and the brand products. Countries in Eastern Europe, certain countries
in the Far East, in the Middle East… where they want the good life and don't see the
potential downsides of a society that's very much acquisition(获得，所获之物) and money
-driven.
Lyse: There are potential downsides or disadvantages of Western society - such as a
perceived obession（疯狂的代价） with money and gain, but much of the world seems
fascinated by it and some people even aspire to it. And that plays into the hands - and
indeed the pockets - of the big multi-national companies.
Take the McDonald’s food chain, it started in the 1950s and now opens up on average 5
new restaurants a day somewhere in the world. And Coca Cola - invented back in 1886 -
now sells more than one billion drinks every day. These two companies have operated
globally for a long time but they were always considered an exception. Now more and
more businesses are realising global branding is the key to success. Companies are
spending millions of dollars on branding in a bid to build a powerful international
image.
Clip
You feel that maybe that there’s more quality involved that you're maybe a bit more
sure about the production methods, bit more secure about knowing things like that…I see
people wandering around with the big label brands and the clothes don't actually look
any better - you've paid four times as much for something that actually looks worse,
what's that about? ….Normally I do go for something which is quite popular because at
least you know you're getting value for money, at least you're getting something
reputable…I think everybody knows about Coca Cola and Nike and everything some of them
and everyday you wear them as a good thing because there's a convergence(汇聚，聚焦) -
everybody's going for the same trend. But there are bad things about it because
everybody's so obsessed with（死抱住。。。不放） his or her friends that they're
spending a fortune out of it just to have branded goods themselves…It's in some way a
bit all pervasive, a bit oppressive - there's a Starbucks on every corner…..Regional
and cultural differences are becoming less important to the fashion industry and people
are buying similar clothes, looking for similar fashion regardless of whether it suits
their locality, their person and just going for the image, this global image.
Clip
For the consumer, the branded good can bring a lot of benefits. A globally recognised
name offers reassurance19, security, and quality, as well as status. But it's actually
more complex than that. While it's challenging for advertisers to promote a brand that
appeals across many different cultures, the long-term goal is to sell a way of life, not
just a product.
Lyse: Reassurance, security, quality, status - these are some of the reasons
why big, international brands are popular. But as the report also points
out, consumers aren’t just sensible shoppers they’ve also bought into
the image, the lifestyle, the very dream that big multi-national
companies have carefully created.
Global brands have hit the headlines recently. And not just for their market penetration
and end of year profits. Demonstrators（示威者） have disrupted big international trade
meetings, campaigning against globalization and global business. They fear this
relentless（无情的，冷酷的） spread of big brands is posing a real threat to our
communities, small business and the environment. And it could also mean the end of
individuality. As Rahul Sarnaik says in his report, individual choice and expression
could be become a thing of the past …
Clip
The power of global marketing-strategies has been demonstrated by the inroads that
branded Western goods are making across the globe. Some commentators20 have predicted a
future in which the world's young people will all dress alike, eat the same food, listen
to the same music, drive the same cars, and drink the same drinks.
Lyse: Today on Insight Plus we’ve heard how global branding is helping21 large
multinational3 companies make inroads into new markets. We’ve also heard that the
globalization of the media - the fact that many of us are reading, watching, and
listening to the same news and advertisements - has meant that the desires of the
consumers and the promises made by the big brands are converging22 - they’re becoming the
same.
(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
收听单词发音 |
1
advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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2
presenter
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| n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者 | |
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3
multinational
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| adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司 | |
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multinationals
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| 跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 ) | |
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5
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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6
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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7
corporate
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| adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的 | |
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8
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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9
analyst
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| n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家 | |
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10
analysts
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| 分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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11
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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12
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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13
Soviet
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| adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃 | |
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14
psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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15
pervasive
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| adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的 | |
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16
awareness
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| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
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17
obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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18
aspire
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| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
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19
reassurance
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| n.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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20
commentators
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| n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员 | |
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21
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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22
converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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