Breaking Up America: Advertisers and the New Media World

by Joseph Turow

Combining shrewd analysis of contemporary practices with a historical perspective, Breaking Up America traces the momentous shift that began in the mid-1970s when advertisers rejected mass marketing in favor of more aggressive target marketing. Turow shows how advertisers exploit differences between consumers based on income, age, gender, race, marital status, ethnicity, and lifesyles.

"An important book for anyone wanting insight into the advertising and media worlds of today. In plain English, Joe Turow explains not only why our television set is on, but what we are watching. The frightening part is that we are being watched as we do it."—Larry King

"Provocative, sweeping and well made . . . Turow draws an efficient portrait of a marketing complex determined to replace the 'society-making media' that had dominated for most of this century with 'segment-making media' that could zero in on the demographic and psychodemographic corners of our 260-million-person consumer marketplace."—Randall Rothenberg, Atlantic Monthly

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1997

Reviews

[Linh Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading about the advertising industry from an outsider's perspective.
I believe this is an important research, and in fact, Turow does a really good job gathering data and presenting them in great details. The thesis is crystal clear: "Whether ad people like it or not, they are centrally responsible for images of social division." Turow hardly talks about ethics in this book, but we all know that from his point of view, the advertising industry has been playing the devil's part. This is rather depressing, to somebody who want to work for advertising (like me).
I learned a lot of interesting and stunning facts from the book, as Turow unveils the process of profit maximizing of ad people, (the most stunning one must be about PRIZM.)
Despite its informativeness, this book contains a lot of repetition of ideas, which from time to time bored me. I wish Turow's writing was more concise and appealing.
I like the so-what part at the end of the book. However, I feel like Turow should have elaborated more on the effects/ threats of social division on democracy and people's lives.(This should take up a whole chapter, I think)

3 stars.

[LinaReads 🎧💌]

Read it for class. I think it was alright if you’re looking into the history of America’s media and marketing shifts, but it didn’t offer anything practical in our modern era🙃