At the last turn of the century, most of the
products that people purchased were unbranded -- flour, dresses,
hats. Now even our produce is sold under brand names and well-known
designers vie to place their branded merchandise in retailers like
K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Target. Brand.New goes far in explaining
how we got this way. Essays by cultural critics, historians,
designers and businesspeople explore how companies use brands to
influence buying decisions, provoke consumer loyalty and create
identity (for both the product and the consumer).
The topics are wide-ranging, global and historical -- there's
even a section devoted to the anti-consumerist movement. It's all
enclosed in some very beautiful packaging of its own -- more than
200 gorgeous color images help us realize why we are drawn to these
brands in the first place.
