A storm in a syrup tin

The picture of the dead lion with bees swarming from its abdomen is to be dropped from a few of Lyle’s Golden Syrup packaging. This has created fairly a fuss – being mentioned extensively within the media together with on the BBC and GB News. The reactions within the Christian group – reflecting as soon as once more the tradition’s means of reacting – is to push to 2 extremes.

At the one finish are those that appear to see it as an indication of the top instances, yet one more indicator that Britain’s companies are opposing Christianity in the whole lot they do. On the opposite aspect are those that assume it’s not solely utterly irrelevant however that anybody who brings up the difficulty is actually culturally irrelevant and combating the improper battles. It’s all the time amusing when somebody says that ‘life is simply too quick to put in writing about this type of stuff’ – of their newest piece writing about this type of stuff!

In a world which incorporates main wars in Gaza and Ukraine, unrest in Congo and Myanmar, and mobs threatening the UK Parliament, my sympathy is instinctively with those that assume the entire difficulty is overblown and ridiculous. This appears such a trivial matter. And but, maybe it’s indicative of one thing extra?

The lion with the bees comes from the Old Testament story of Samson killing a lion and noticing {that a} swarm of bees has produced a comb of honey within the carcass. He later makes use of the phrase in a riddle “out of the sturdy comes forth sweetness” (Judges 14:14). Both the textual content and the picture have been used on Lyon’s Golden Syrup since 1888, making it the oldest branded picture on the earth in accordance with the Guinness Book of Records.

Why was this used? Because the founding father of Lyle’s (later Tate & Lyle Sugars) was a Scottish businessman known as Abram Lyle, who was additionally a Presbyterian elder – and who took his religion actually significantly. Doubtless there have been many in Victorian instances who would have recognized and appreciated the biblical reference. I believe that’s not true as we speak, however would that be cause sufficient to drop it? Let’s take into account why it has been carried out and the way it exhibits modifications inside British society.

According to the corporate’s model director James Whiteley, the modifications are being made as a result of the corporate wants to point out its clients it’s shifting with the instances and assembly their present wants: “Our contemporary, up to date design brings Lyle’s into the fashionable day, interesting to the on a regular basis British family whereas nonetheless feeling nostalgic and authentically Lyle’s.”

It actually is a part of trendy life that corporations assume that rebranding truly means one thing. Will any British family be inspired to purchase extra syrup by the change in design? It’s what’s within the tin that actually issues. Only somebody who has to justify a level in advertising and marketing from the London Business School would assume in any other case. But Branded Britain goes sturdy.

Although some would argue it’s a completely logical advertising and marketing determination, in advertising and marketing phrases it would not make a substantial amount of distinction and certainly might even be adverse, as a result of loyal clients do not like change to the issues they get pleasure from. Replacing the ‘actual’ lion with a cute cuddly lion’s head might sound nice to a advertising and marketing technology reared on Disney, nevertheless it’s so boring. I word in passing that when actual Christianity thrives, so does actual creativity. But Bland Britain can be going sturdy too. We cannot have any actual range right here. Everything should match into the design mantras the advertising and marketing folks inform us work – all inside the bounds of the present ideology.

Because of the fuss Gerald Mason, Senior Vice President of Tate & Lyle Sugars, apologised for the upset triggered. “We are very happy with the historical past and biblical hyperlink to our Lyle’s tin, and have completely no intention to vary it in any means,” he mentioned.

This appeared considerably contradictory provided that they’d simply introduced that they do intend to vary it for many of their syrup packaging, though apparently not the tin – which once more begs the query: why have two completely different manufacturers for a similar product?

He additionally instructed that, “Religion performed completely no half in our determination to attempt one thing completely different on our syrup bottles”. But Helen Edwards, the adjunct affiliate professor of selling at London Business School, would not appear to agree. She defined why the rebranding must be carried out. As she instructed the BBC, “The story of it coming from spiritual perception might put the model in an exclusionary area, particularly if it was to go viral on X or TikTok.” You need to cease and skim that once more after which take into consideration what it means. Apparently trendy company Britain and its advertising and marketing gurus assume that something coming from spiritual perception may be seen as ‘exclusionary’ particularly if somebody ran a marketing campaign on social media!

I believe that there are caveats to this recommendation. For instance, if one thing was Islamic or Buddhist that may little question be seen as ‘inclusionary’, but when it have been Christian or Jewish that may be ‘exclusionary’. So in that great postmodern illogicality we have now to unique as a way to be inclusive. Suddenly the story would not seem so trivial in spite of everything.

Of course it’s a storm in a syrup cup. And after all Christians shouldn’t be ‘combating battles’ to vary branding. But we should always pause and ask how we have now gone from a tradition the place a biblical verse and story on a product was regular, to 1 the place no such factor could be even thought of possible. It appears the one biblical image permitted in trendy Britain is the culturally misappropriated rainbow!

It is straightforward to mock and level out that nobody got here to religion due to seeing an obscure Bible verse on a syrup tin, however that misses the purpose. This story is only one piece in a thousand-piece jigsaw which illustrates how branded, bland and unbiblical Britain is changing into. Revive us Lord … and restore to us the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).

David Robertson is the minister of Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church in Newcastle, New South Wales. He blogs at The Wee Flea.