Journalist Conley examines the implications of brand-centric marketing in an incisive investigation that illustrates how defenseless consumers are against advertising-on any given day, they are assaulted by 3,000 to 5,000 ads and branding stratagems that subtly dictate every aspect of their lives. Harnessing scientific innovations, branding has become increasing insidious-whether it is the Xbox audio logo or Southwest Airlines' incorporation of the "fasten seatbelt" sound in their marketing campaign-consumers are being conditioned to think in brands. Beyond ad creep and product placement in entertainment programming, viral and word of mouth (WOM) marketing now make even personal recommendations suspect. According to Conley, 1% of American children and 7% of mothers are compensated for participating in WOM marketing. Even social policy is being corrupted-the author asserts that public branding initiatives such as post-Katrina New Orleans' allocation of public funds toward refurbishing its Mardi Gras City image rather than addressing its safety issues shifts resources away from problem-solving in favor of perception. Conley's perspective on branding's encroachment into social areas is as alarming as it is stimulating. (June)
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OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion
A successful brand creates a positive association in a customer's mind, sells a promise, and tells a story about who we are. The virtues of creating brand identity to attract product sales have been acknowledged for decades. But branding-once considered a helpful, rather than necessary flourish-has assumed status in today's world as a key ingredient to winning business.
America pours upwards of $300 billion dollars into branding every year. On any given day, each of us is bombarded by between 3,000 and 5,000 ads. In myriad ways, we are subtly branded through every chapter of our lives: by the clothes whose logos we complacently sport, by the music we listen to, by the beverages we drink and the food we eat, by the books we read, even by the neighborhoods in which we choose to live.
With hundreds of new products arriving on retail shelves every day, and the rise of cheaper foreign brands and the house brands of mega-stores like Target and Wal-Mart, American companies are increasingly resorting to image overhauls to attract customers in lieu of improvements to product quality or functionality. Identity, in a sea of nearly indistinguishable items, is more important than ever before. Yet while innovative packaging commands attention, it often does so at considerable cost to the businesses and consumers responsible for fueling an industry of shape-shifting.
In this trenchant analysis of a business stratagem gone wrong, Lucas Conley offers us a long overdue investigation into our culture of obsession. From sensory specialists to word-of-mouth marketers and executives keen to leave their mark, we are introduced to the unforgettable cast of characters responsible for getting our attention from often insidious, emotionally charged angles. In a landscape punctuated by brand-churches and tribes, Conley lifts the veil on an unchecked phenomenon and requires us to consider the grave ramifications of our branded world. As hilarious as it is frightening, OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder skillfully reexamines our buying habits to illustrate the chilling impact of the industry masterminds responsible for capturing our attention and seducing us to buy-at any cost.
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OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion
A successful brand creates a positive association in a customer's mind, sells a promise, and tells a story about who we are. The virtues of creating brand identity to attract product sales have been acknowledged for decades. But branding-once considered a helpful, rather than necessary flourish-has assumed status in today's world as a key ingredient to winning business.
America pours upwards of $300 billion dollars into branding every year. On any given day, each of us is bombarded by between 3,000 and 5,000 ads. In myriad ways, we are subtly branded through every chapter of our lives: by the clothes whose logos we complacently sport, by the music we listen to, by the beverages we drink and the food we eat, by the books we read, even by the neighborhoods in which we choose to live.
With hundreds of new products arriving on retail shelves every day, and the rise of cheaper foreign brands and the house brands of mega-stores like Target and Wal-Mart, American companies are increasingly resorting to image overhauls to attract customers in lieu of improvements to product quality or functionality. Identity, in a sea of nearly indistinguishable items, is more important than ever before. Yet while innovative packaging commands attention, it often does so at considerable cost to the businesses and consumers responsible for fueling an industry of shape-shifting.
In this trenchant analysis of a business stratagem gone wrong, Lucas Conley offers us a long overdue investigation into our culture of obsession. From sensory specialists to word-of-mouth marketers and executives keen to leave their mark, we are introduced to the unforgettable cast of characters responsible for getting our attention from often insidious, emotionally charged angles. In a landscape punctuated by brand-churches and tribes, Conley lifts the veil on an unchecked phenomenon and requires us to consider the grave ramifications of our branded world. As hilarious as it is frightening, OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder skillfully reexamines our buying habits to illustrate the chilling impact of the industry masterminds responsible for capturing our attention and seducing us to buy-at any cost.
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172364563 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Ascent Audio |
| Publication date: | 11/12/2008 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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