Cultural Reconstruction from Function to Symbol

A Social History Study on the Changes of Vitasoy Brand Image in Hong Kong (1940-1997)

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.220706.016How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Vitasoy; Advertisement; Brand Image; Hong Kong Society

Abstract

The image of modern food is diversifying, and Vitasoy, a Hong Kong-based brand, is a typical representative of this trend. This paper attempts to start with the advertisements of Vitasoy from 1940 to 1997, to investigate the shaping and changes of the brand image of Vitasoy during this period, as well as use these to ascertain the current state of Hong Kong society at the time. This paper is mainly divided into three stages. Before the early 1970s, due to the lack of material resources and limited consumption power, the image positioning of vitamin A in advertising was functional. From the middle and late 1970s to the late 1980s, the image positioning of Vitasoy in advertising experienced youth, fashion and leisure, and became a fashionable and enjoyable leisure beverage. Vitasoy reflects Hong Kong’s economic take-off, the pursuit of life taste by Locals, the advancement of Hong Kong’s globalization, the prevalence of Western pop culture, and the growth of Hong Kong’s local culture. Since 1997, the image orientation of Vitasoy has experienced humanization, localization and classicalization. It reflects the rise of local consciousness and the local feelings and root seeking desire of Hong Kong citizens in these turbulent times. This paper combs the social history of Vitasoy consumption and discusses the transformation process of dietary culture or products from function to symbol, which will provide a new case for the study of dietary anthropology or social history, and also be beneficial to the study of regional culture in Hong Kong.

Copyright

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yiming Qin
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/07/14
TI  - Cultural Reconstruction from Function to Symbol
BT  - Proceedings of the 2022 3rd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange（ICLACE 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 69
EP  - 73
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220706.016
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.220706.016
ID  - Qin2022
ER  -