Brands

by Marcel Danesi

Marcel Danesi's outstanding introduction provides a clear guide to brands and brand identity, outlining their historical origins and their increasing centrality in contemporary consumer culture. He Danesi shows how consumer products such as cars, perfume and even websites are sold to us through the creation of powerful brand images, and analyzes the advertising campaigns developed to promote brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Absolut Vodka, Apple, Gucci and Chanel. He also discusses the rise of the anti-brand movement, and its challenges to the dominance of global brands such as Gap and Nike. Including an annotated guide to further reading, details of useful websites and a comprehensive bibliography, Danesi’s book is an important contribution to the field of marketing and communications.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Marcel Danesi (b. Marcello Danesi, 1946) is a current Professor of Semiotics and Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto. He is known for his work in language, communications, and semiotics; being Director of the Program in Semiotics and Communication Theory.

He has also held positions at Rutgers University (1972), The University of Rome "La Sapienza" (1988), the Catholic University of Milan (1990), and the University of Lugano.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies and is a past-president of the Semiotic Society of America.

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would be a pleasantly accessible primer on brands through the lens of semiotics, but Danesi rarely comes up with anything really insightful. I would have liked more detail rather than so many limp rehashings of other people's ideas; also, his grasp on American popular culture is a little bit shaky. I don't think I'll go out of my way to read anything else by Danesi, but I might try another book in this series.