“They’ll Go Like British Shells!”: A Historical Perspective on Commercial “Anzackery” in New Zealand

Abstract

The term “Anzackery” was regularly employed in New Zealand during the centenary of the First World War to condemn a sense of irreverent exploitation of Anzac remembrance, with commercial exploitation forming a particular concern. This article contends that such sentiments continue a much older dynamic and seeks to offer a historical perspective by surveying the relationship between marketing and war, circa 1914–1918. It examines the rise of a distinctive mode of branding goods and services in the decades leading up to and including the First World War, investigates the wartime mobilisation of this consumerism and contemplates the nature of the resulting criticism. In doing so, it provides some perspective on and insight into the contemporary concerns of the relationship between commercial activity and Anzac remembrance in New Zealand.