{"id":330,"date":"2016-04-13T16:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-13T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcticincontext.com\/?p=330"},"modified":"2021-07-30T23:28:38","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T23:28:38","slug":"brand-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/aic\/2016\/04\/13\/brand-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"Brand \u2018Arctic\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Erica M. Dingman<\/strong><\/p>\n

The word \u201cArctic\u201d evokes a feeling\u2014it sparks images of pristine, wide-open spaces blanketed by the purity of ice and snow. Its unfettered beauty serves as a source of human wonderment, filling our dreams with thoughts of wanderlust and solitude removed from the drudgery of everyday life. For most, a voyage to the Arctic will remain little more than an evocative dream nestled neatly in the subconscious, ready for recall at the sight of an image of northern lights or a polar bear grandly roaming the snow-clad tundra.<\/p>\n

In recent years, however, increased media attention and provocative demonstrations have added a flavor to the High North not previously seen. For example, although environmental scientists have been tracking the receding ice pack for over 30 years, it is more likely to hit the mainstream news now than even a decade ago, raising public awareness to a region largely forgotten after the Cold War.<\/p>\n

For my part, I\u2019ve been tracking Arctic issues since 2007, more recently with the help of a Google alert. Though far from complete, information flows into my inbox on a daily basis. As I recollect, it\u2019s been roughly six years since I began this \u201cArctic\u201d alert, and it\u2019s been fascinating and at times perplexing to see what type of content gets wrapped into this daily synopsis of Arctic news.<\/p>\n

Back then, most alerts resulted in articles on conveniently named products such as the Arctic Cat snowmobile and ATV. There was only a smattering of articles on the Arctic region itself. To my gratification, the balance of content has now tipped in favor of issues directly related to the High North, attesting to the growing recognition of the Arctic as a region of special interest.<\/p>\n

Yet, despite this increased media attention on relevant Arctic issues, I\u2019ve noticed that the usage of the word \u201cArctic\u201d has also increased as a convenient tool for branding products far removed from issues concerning the High North. Eliciting images of purity and light and ideas of untamed beauty and wilderness, \u201cBrand Arctic\u201d has been appropriated for a diverse range of merchandise from water to lighting fixtures to comics.<\/p>\n

At first I thought little of the re-conceptualization of \u201cArctic\u201d as a descriptive outside the traditional milieu. When the Arctic Monkeys, a British-based rock band, entered the music scene in 2002, they were early adopters of the Internet and the \u201cArctic\u201d descriptive. The mismatched wording of the band\u2019s name was a catchy means of grabbing public attention when anonymity was the norm in the abyss of web-based information and entertainment. Needless to say, neither the band members nor their music are relevant to Arctic issues. But their branding choice piqued the curiosity of fans for whom the Arctic was a nebulous and exotic idea.<\/p>\n

Branding is an invaluable tool for a successful marketing strategy, designed to win the hearts and minds of potential customers. In the highly competitive market of bottled water, for example, some purveyors have recognized the value of including the prefix \u201cArctic\u201d to connect with the emotions and imagination of the target audience. The word communicates purity of product and suggests that the consumer will be rewarded with a thirst-quenching, cold beverage. Indeed, the Arctic is popularly understood as a cold and pristine environment.<\/p>\n

Two companies have clearly identified the opportunity to advance sales for an otherwise undifferentiated product. As Peter H. Gleick\u2019s book Bottled & Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water<\/em> points out, Arctic Spring bottled water comes from Florida, while Arctic Falls bottled water comes from New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Similarly, product design is no exception to delivering the expectation of desire. British lighting designers Joanna Bibby and Harriet Maxwell McDonald invented the Arctic Pear Chandelier, a creation symbolic of the glistening northern lights. I admit that I\u2019m rather fond of the 3 Tier Arctic Pear. As the name suggests, it delivers on the expectation of a luminous glow.<\/p>\n

Until this point, my mind was able to justify the appropriation of the word \u201cArctic\u201d for reasons of product placement. But I took exception to the name appropriation of a newly released video game called \u201cArctic Alive.\u201d The character, salaciously clad in a skintight bodysuit, paces through a maze of rooms, trapped like an animal vulnerable to an unknown villain lurking around the corner. In one depiction<\/a> of the game in play a red-eyed, hooded male avatar emerges from darkness and snaps his victim\u2019s neck. This vicious action reoccurs as the gamer controlling the female character is unable to avoid the red-eyed villain. Pushing the limits of acceptability, I took exception to this appropriation. This ill-conceived video game appeals to the consumer\u2019s baser instincts, reinforcing female victimization and remaining detached from any real Arctic context.<\/p>\n

These products I\u2019ve mentioned do not even take into consideration the appropriation of other words related to the High North\u2014information technology company Inuit India, a restaurant named Arctic Circle: Shakes, Burgers and More, and real estate developer Greenland Forest City Partners.<\/p>\n

Corporations have clearly appropriated the word \u201cArctic,\u201d as well as other High North names, for the purpose of product placement, and those who have an affiliation with the region can do little to rectify the situation. Yet, imagine if the Arctic region were considered a corporate entity with the applicable registered trademark under U.S. federal law. Such an entity in possession of that trademark would have exclusive rights to that trademark, enabling the entity to pursue litigation against all potential offenders. Undoubtedly, such an entity would not hesitate to re-appropriate the term \u201cArctic,\u201d which would be seen as a means of blurring the consumer\u2019s perception of the trademark under U.S. law.<\/p>\n

Imaginative marketing is conditionally forgivable\u2014most consumers are at least mildly aware that branding is part of the seller-consumer relationship. But to blindly accept the misappropriation of the word \u201cArctic\u201d without notice is simply a rejection of ethics.<\/p>\n

As Canadian musician and wordsmith Glenn Gould said in his laudable recording \u201cThe Idea of North,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve long been intrigued by that incredible tapestry of tundra and taiga which constitutes the Arctic and sub-arctic of our country. I\u2019ve read about it, written about it, and even pulled up my parka once and gone there. Yet like all but a very few Canadians, I\u2019ve had no real experience of the North. I\u2019ve remained of necessity an outsider. And the north has remained for me a convenient place to read about, spin tall tales about, and in the end avoid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Appropriation is no small matter. And while it is unlikely that the Arctic region, and regional entities like Inuit or Greenland, will gain or even seek the status of a corporate entity, adopting names and elements of the High North for commercial purposes is a means of stripping identity. Tread lightly.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Erica Dingman is a senior research fellow at World Policy Institute and directs the Arctic in Context initiative.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Photo courtesy of Maropak<\/a>]<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on the World Policy Institute website.<\/p>\n

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By Erica M. Dingman The word \u201cArctic\u201d evokes a feeling\u2014it sparks images of pristine, wide-open spaces blanketed by the purity of ice and snow. Its unfettered beauty serves as a source of human wonderment, filling our dreams with thoughts of wanderlust and solitude removed from the drudgery of everyday life. For most, a voyage to<\/p>\n

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