Advertising is often used to illustrate popular and academic debates about cultural and economic life. This book reviews cultural and sociological approaches to advertising and, using historical evidence, demonstrates that a rethink of the analysis of advertising is long overdue. Liz McFall surveys dominant and problematic tendencies within the current discourse. This book offers a thorough review of the literature and also introduces fresh empirical evidence. Advertising: A Cultural Economy uses a historical study of advertising to regain a sense of how it has been patterned, not by the `epoch′, but by the interaction of institutional, organisational and technological forces.

In this fascinating and highly acclaimed study of the development of consumer society in the United States, Richard Ohmann traces the birth and subsequent growth of mass culture that came with the rise of general-interest magazines and brand-name products. 20 photos.

This book provides an accessible resource for understanding the world behind the advertising jingles and Super Bowl commercials and digital algorithms. Advertising has become a ubiquitous force in American life, penetrating almost every aspect of our daily routines. Additionally, as technology has evolved throughout American history, so too has advertising proliferated as media has become increasingly sophisticated and ever-present, whether it takes the form of algorithms governing your social media feed, television commercials, paid influencers, or stadiums branded with the names of corporate sponsors/owners. This authoritative one-stop resource provides a rich overview of the evolution and present state of advertising in all its forms, as well as the multitude of connected issues-data collection, privacy, consumerism, technology, and others-regarding advertising and its role as both a shaper and reflector of American culture. It surveys various advertising media, discusses the social and cultural contexts in which it is consumed, and highlights key moments in the history of advertising in the United States. In addition, the book is supplemented with carefully curated primary sources, personal essays, a glossary of advertising terms, and other resources to provide readers with a full picture of advertising as both an industry and a shaper of American culture.