This book offers a theoretically informed, critical perspective on contemporary marketing practice and its growing cultural, economic, and political influence worldwide. With marketing activities intensifying, the public has become much more aware of its status as consumers. Yet, the relentless visibility of marketing materials and messages in our everyday life contrasts sharply with the mystery surrounding the inner workings of the marketing profession. The silence on the subject is surprising, particularly because the nefarious effects of rampant marketing are widely recognized ... More

This book offers a theoretically informed, critical perspective on contemporary marketing practice and its growing cultural, economic, and political influence worldwide. With marketing activities intensifying, the public has become much more aware of its status as consumers. Yet, the relentless visibility of marketing materials and messages in our everyday life contrasts sharply with the mystery surrounding the inner workings of the marketing profession. The silence on the subject is surprising, particularly because the nefarious effects of rampant marketing are widely recognized and marketers are generally identified as key agents in shaping the face of global capitalism. This collection of essays brings together leading scholars and practitioners from the fields of history, business, economic sociology, and cultural anthropology, who share an interest in inspecting the inner workings and outer effects of marketing as a material social practice, an ideology, and a technique. Their work raises some important and timely questions. For example, how has marketing transformed the pharmaceutical industry and what are the consequences for our lives? How does marketing influence the way we think of progress and modernity? How has marketing changed the way we think of childhood? Or, how does marketing appropriate the creativity of consumers for profit? Scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in the question of how marketing ‘works’ need to acquire a profound theoretical and conceptual understanding of the institution as well as its practices and believe systems.