Picture Paragraphs

My teacher said that the 60s were the “last gasp of cultural criticism” before we were overwhelmed by the tidal wave of capitalist consumerism. But, I don’t know that we were suddenly overwhelmed by materialism; market capitalism was strengthened, not weakened, by the cultural critiques and studies of the 60s.

Without an understanding of what makes people tick, advertising would never have gotten so effective at getting into our brains or justifying it’s own existence. Neal Stewart, the mastermind behind PBR Beer’s resurgence, has cited Naomi Klein’s No Logo as a treasure trove of marketing ideas. If you’ve never read No Logo, here’s the little blurb from amazon.com:

In No Logo, Klein patiently demonstrates, step by step, how brands have become ubiquitous, not just in media and on the street but increasingly in the schools as well. The global companies claim to support diversity, but their version of “corporate multiculturalism” is merely intended to create more buying options for consumers. When Klein talks about how easy it is for retailers like Wal-Mart and Blockbuster to “censor” the contents of videotapes and albums, she also considers the role corporate conglomeration plays in the process. How much would one expect Paramount Pictures, for example, to protest against Blockbuster’s policies, given that they’re both divisions of Viacom?

There is something in here about the dialectic of capitalism; that resistance and consumption is either an arms race or a dialectic (whichever metaphor you prefer). there is also something in here about the way we imagine ourselves and our roles versus what actually happens in real life. but i am too lazy and rushed to tease it all out. what are your thoughts?

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/magazine/the-marketing-of-no-marketing.html