Brands: The Logos of the Global Economy (International Library of Sociology)

Brands are everywhere: in the air, on the high-street, in the kitchen, on television and, maybe even on your feet. But what are they? The brand, that point of connection between company and consumer, has become one of the key cultural forces of our time and one of the most important vehicles of globalization. This book offers a detailed and innovative analysis of the brand Illustrated with many examples, the book argues that brands: * mediate the supply and demand of products and services in a global economy * frame the activities of the market by functioning as an interface * communicate interactively, selectively promoting and inhibiting communication between producers and consumers * operate as a public currency while being legally protected as private property in law * introduce sensation, qualities and affect into the quantitative calculations of the market * organize the logics of global flows of products, people, images and events. This book will be essential reading for students of sociology, cultural studies and consumption. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 7 1: Just do what?......Page 8 2: Marketing as a performative discipline and the emergence of the brand......Page 21 3: The interface of the brand......Page 47 4: Logos......Page 69 5: The brand as a property form of relationality......Page 89 6: Interactivity......Page 114 7: The objectivity of the brand......Page 131 Notes......Page 145 Bibliography......Page 156 Index......Page 167

The brand, that point of connection between company and consumer, has become one of the key cultural forces of our time and one of the most important vehicles of globalization. Celia Lury, in this timely book, presents a sweeping survey of the cultural process of branding using as examples the products we all know: Nike, Sony, Gap, Levis, Mattel, and Disney.

The brand, that point of connection between company and consumer, has become one of the key cultural forces of our time and one of the most important vehicles of globalization. This is a wide ranging survey of the cultural processes of branding Celia Lury considers the interrelated dimensions of the brand : as a creator of space, time and community, as a form of intellectual property and as an increasingly important medium of exchange in a global economy Celia Lury. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [177]-190) And Index.