Branded Nation
The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld
Published on 23. August 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-7432-4347-6 (ISBN)
Description
How is it that a Big Mac is merely lunch in America and a symbol of cultural imperialism in France? Why did the September 11 terrorists choose United and American over any other airlines? Because they are branded, looming as larger-than-life symbols of America. Branding, to hear James Twitchell tell it, is nothing more than commercial storytelling - and it's become so ubiquitous that even institutions we thought were above branding have succumbed. And according to Twitchell, that's probably just fine. BRANDED NATION lays bare an American society where megachurches resemble shopping malls, where a university lives or dies on the talents of its image-makers, and where museums have turned to motorcycle exhibits and fashion shows to bolster revenue. Full of provocative anecdotes and penetrating analyses, Twitchell's parsing of the age of 'McCulture' is a triumph of great verve, sharp wit and, most striking of all, infectious optimism.
Reviews / Votes
"Jim Twitchell is Jay Chiat wrapped in H. L. Mencken. He gets marketing better than most marketers -- and writes about it better, with more insight and wit, than just about any writer. Now that brands have moved off the rumps of cows onto colleges, museums, and even churches, we need Twitchell's intelligence more than ever."-- Randall Rothenberg, author of Where the Suckers Moon: An Advertising Story and columnist, Advertising Age "Twitchell is a tart-tongued observer who details how every corner of the culture has been exploited for commerce."
-- Geoff Lewis, BusinessWeek "Readers fascinated by the pervasiveness of marketing in American life will revel in the way Twitchell parses our industry and academic lexicon."
-- Clayton Collins, The Christian Science Monitor
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
82 illustrations t-o
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
475 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7432-4347-6 (9780743243476)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2004
1st Edition
Simon + Schuster LLC
€15.81
Available for download
Person
James B. Twitchell is professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida. He is the author of several books on English literature, culture, marketing, and advertising, most recently Living It Up: America's Love Affair with Luxury.