The Great American Brands [2 volumes]: The Products and Companies That Define Today's Consumer Culture

by Kateri Drexler

To say that American culture is consumer culture is an understatement. From the Geico Gecko to Ronald McDonald, consumer images have become engrained in our popular culture, both reflecting and influencing societal trends and mores-and selling billions of dollars worth of products in the process. The pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship has always been matched by equally creative methods of promotion; savvy marketers with the ability to tap into the psyche of the consumer have created powerful and enduring brands that are now global in scale and scope. ^I^B^IThe Great American Brands^R ^R^Rexplores this phenomenon by highlighting a wide variety of brands that appeal to our psychological and social needs to fit in, rebel, be cool, be safe, be healthy, achieve status, and otherwise express our personal and cultural values.

To say that American culture is consumer culture is an understatement. From the Geico Gecko to Ronald McDonald, consumer images have become engrained in our popular culture, both reflecting and influencing societal trends and mores-and selling billions of dollars worth of products in the process. The pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship has always been matched by equally creative methods of promotion; savvy marketers with the ability to tap into the psyche of the consumer have created powerful and enduring brands that are now global in scale and scope. ^I^B^IThe Great American Brands^R ^R^Rexplores this phenomenon by highlighting a wide variety of brands that appeal to our psychological and social needs to fit in, rebel, be cool, be safe, be healthy, achieve status, and otherwise express our personal and cultural values.

Blending business and popular culture throughout, each of the 70 in-depth entries featured here^B ^Rfocus on a type of brand, with entries featuring concise narrative histories of the companies and products, highlighting such elements as key advertising campaigns and slogans, groundbreaking innovations, competitive rivalries, and socio-cultural context. Enhanced with timelines, archival advertisements, product shots, sidebars, company information, quotations, and print and electronic resources, this set offers high school and undergraduate students a revealing look the most groundbreaking and influential brands of the past 100 years. Benefits and Features:^L ^DBLCovers iconic brands, companies, products, and advertising campaigns that both reflect and influence our popular culture-in a format that is in-depth, accessible, and fun^L ^DBLFocuses on the underlying social, cultural, and psychological factors that make brands powerful, with profiles of established companies and products that have stood the test of time as well as contemporary and underground brands that appeal to today's youth^L ^DBLEntries feature timelines, photos, quotations, sidebars, facts and figures, company information, and profiles of people, products, and groundbreaking campaigns^L ^DBLDirectly ties into the social studies curriculum at high school level and courses in marketing and popular culture at undergraduate level^L Among the brands included:^L ^DBLRebel Brands (Harley Davidson and Roc-a-Fella Records)^L ^DBLHigh-Tech/High-Touch Brands (Apple, Google, and Amazon)^L ^DBLComfort Brands (Frosted Flakes and LL Bean)^L ^DBLRetro Brands (Restoration Hardware and Volkswagon Beetle)^L ^DBLBeauty Brands (Sephora and Victoria's Secret)^L ^DBLCommunity Brands (Starbucks and Patagonia)^L ^DBLKid Brands (American Girl and Nickelodean)^L ^DBLSports Brands (Nike and K2)^L ^DBLHealth Brands (Whole Foods and Weight Watchers)^L ^DBLLuxury Brands (Tiffany and Ritz-Carlton)^L ^DBLSecurity Brands (Prudential and Geico)^L ^DBLEveryman Brands (NASCAR and Home Depot)^L ^DBLBrands of the Century (Ford, Coca-Cola, and Levi Strauss)^L

• ISBN10: 031335054X
• ISBN13: 9780313350542
• Publish Date: 1 January 2018
• Publish Status: Cancelled
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Greenwood Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 700
• Language: English