Why do people think that a British accent legitimizes a product advertisement or other idea?

Question

British accents on TV and other media, especially pitifully fake ones, must make a difference to advertisers and producers.

Some of the targeted audience must be pathetically gullible, or, worse, just the lowest common denominator of the mentally challenged.

Answer 1

Ha ha, I'd love to hear it. This is in America, right? Totally laughable. It's all the more ridiculous as most Americans appear to be virulently anti-British, never having got over their subordinate colonial origins.

There's no such thing as a "British" accent anyway. There are many hundred different English, Welsh and Scottish accents and the dialect/accent can vary even from one village to the next, never mind from town to town.

Answer 2

I assume you're non-UK based? The 'z' in legitimise gives it away...

Several possible reasons:

- it may break through clutter - if your ad is different from others ads through different accents, it may be remembered more - you remembered the ad, right?

- associations with tradition - the UK is perceived as being a traditional country, which is probably quite accurate as there is a long line of tradition and history behind the UK (Eddie Izzard - 'Yes, well, I'm from Britain. Where the history is from.')

- it works / it sells product - don't blame the advertisers, blame the audience...they made the purchase decision...

- it's a neutral accent - if you're trying to appeal to many global markets but don't want to record separate voicetracks to each country, use a neutral accent such as the English one

Answer 3

Because English accents supposedly make people sound distinguished and sophisticated (although they make me blahhh) so automatically they must be intelligent and know what they are talking about...