Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture

by Carrie McLaren (Editor), Rob Walker (Foreword), Jason Torchinsky (Editor)

With the style and irreverence of Vice magazine and the critique of the corporatocracy that made Naomi Klein's No Logo a global hit, the cult magazine Stay Free! ―long considered the Adbusters of the United States―is finally offering a compendium of new and previously published material on the impact of consumer culture on our lives. The book questions, in the broadest sense, what happens to human beings when their brains are constantly assaulted by advertising and corporate messages. Most people assert that advertising is easily ignored and doesn't have any effect on them or their decision making, but Ad Nauseam shows that consumer pop culture does take its toll.

In an engaging, accessible, and graphically appealing style, Carrie McLaren and Jason Torchinsky (as well as contributors such as David Cross, The Onion 's Joe Garden, The New York Times 's Julie Scelfo, and others) discuss everything from why the TV program CSI affects jury selection, to the methods by which market researchers stalk shoppers, to how advertising strategy is like dog training. The result is an entertaining and eye-opening account of the many ways consumer culture continues to pervade and transform American life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Essays, Cultural, Social Science, American, Pop Culture

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2009

Reviews

[Karine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of articles from an independent magazine doesn't live up to its title: it is an exposé on advertisting, not a survivor's guide. The authors make some interesting points and are humorously sarcastic at times, but come off as very preachy. The book feels like something you should read rather than actually want to read.

[Courtney Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my book. I just want to point out that an index to the book is downloadable here. (There's no index in the book, so I created a makeshift one myself.)

[Kalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is essentially a collection of articles from Stay Free! magazine. The book breaks down America's consumer culture into a few categories and presents articles and stories related to that subject. Some of them are about the history of advertising, some of them are about how advertisers view consumers, and others cover different subjects. The articles present a new way of looking at the consumer culture that we are steeped in every day. The authors don't present many options for combating this culture, but do have a list of organizations and groups that are trying to fight back against the constant onslaught of advertising. It's informative, but probably nothing new if you have read this magazine or have been interested in the movement for a while.

[Anita Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but a book with very little new to say. If you read Adbusters, if you know who Kalle Lasn is, if you've ever been to a media criticism website, then you know the content of this book. But if you are new to this sort of study, this book may have some interesting, ground level information.

[Jon]

This is either a pretty interesting book about advertising and consumer culture, or an elaborate piece of pr propaganda to promote the movie idiocracy. In any case, it's pretty good.

[Mike Koscielny · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book that were incredibly fascinating. I wish they would update it with some new research dealing with social networking.

[Jason Torchinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book! So I, you know, love it.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Laughable. The book isn't really a guide at all. It is a collection of articles (mostly from Stay Free!) about consumer culture. The book reminds me of the girl screaming "Everything Matters!" in the movie SFW or Winona Ryder's character in Reality Bites. The book rallies against advertising and marketing's hold on the modern word but does so through the same devices and logic of advertising. The book makes some wild claims and never provides supporting information, for example, restaurants stopped supplying water because Coca-Cola convinced them to upsell soda. They show that Olive Garden did try this, but that's one chain restaurant. They do claim the main reason is due to water shortages, but that's not as interesting as a story about Coke (wait, isn't this the exact thing the book complains mainstream media does too well). The editors relish their adolescent outlook on the world and the lengths they go to in order to fight the system. There's a section on pranks that would appeal to any 13-year-old boy regardless if they want to fight the system or just cause trouble.

There are a few articles in the book that are interesting and they are from guest writers or interview subjects. There's a short piece by David Cross on going to a celebrity Nike warehouse, the article "How to Yell You're a Details Reader from the editor that was originally published in Escandalo!, and an interview with James Twitchell and Sut Jhally. Other than these three articles, there's very little in this books that was worth reading. There are better histories of advertising out there and Adbusters and several sites on the internet have more mature and thought-provoking criticisms of the advertising industry.

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Ads are even more pervasive than I'd thought, which is saying something.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about the advertising industry (not community), including its history and the psychology behind advertising. It has quite a few visuals and examples of ads, which make the essays much easier to follow, especially when the progression of ads is being depicted. The format is more like a series of essays than a research book. Sometimes this is a plus, as it allows more topics to be covered. Also, if you find a certain topic boring, it changes within a couple of pages. Unfortunately, if you find an engaging topic, it also ends rather quickly, without much additional research or explanation. I found the history parts a little dry, but most of the stories were really interesting. I would recommend it.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evidently, American culture is so embedded in us that it causes all kinds of problems for us and we start to believe that what we see on TV and, in the movie theater, and on the computer, is real and dictate our lives like that. One thing I will say that I think has affected me from this culture, is that I tend to think subliminally now. I've analyzed this culture so much (in terms of reading and movies anyway) that I tend to think my way around it and have developed some very real "worlds" that are based on what I read. I guess this is where my creative genius lies, but maybe I'm too creative for my own good?

[Elizabeth Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing, if somewhat uneven book. Some 'articles' (it reads as a collection of articles, I guess originally from the magazine rather than chapters)are fairly serious, pointing out the evils of consumerism. Some are just frivolous,funny stuff, much like The Onion. The chapter on how 9th graders fail to understand the forces behind advertising is SHOCKING. I recommend getting the book (from the library, of course, so as not to be guilty of consumerism!) and reading just that chapter if you don't have time or inclination for the rest.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles on the history and psychology of advertising, this includes a number of reprinted essays from the now-defunct "Stay Free!" magazine as well as new material. This is a lighter look at advertising than some other recent books on the subject and approaches the topic with a healthy dose of humor -- which is exactly what the modern consumer needs to navigate the daily sea of ads.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is mostly a great book. It highlights so much of how we have sold out to selling. Sad, really. Overall a fascinating read, but somewhere about 3/4 through, it gets pretty boring and draggy. Thankfully it picks up incredibly well toward the end. I even ended up reading some bits out loud to my hubby and just had to check out zug.com! Would have been 5 stars, but for that draggy bit.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like propaganda against propaganda, and I didn't feel that it added much new to what I already knew about advertising, etc. However, the interview with the Ariel fan was disturbingly hilarious and real, & I enjoyed learning about the various, bizarre ways that some products were originally marketed.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable discussion of advertising and media in U.S. society recommended by the Consumerist blog. The book is a collection of essays, some new, some originally published in Stay Free magazine. Not too heavy on footnotes, but enough to please me in a popular text.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of funny and clever articles from the brilliant Stay Free Magazine. A terrific primer for anyone interested in understanding what's wrong with advertising (and how you're really effected by it, even if you think you aren't).

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of articles on the evolution of advertising, capitalism and consumerism. Love the multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter with shocking tidbits of corporate nastiness.

[Martin Bihl · Rating 3 out of 5]

please see my review in advertising age:

http://adage.com/bookstore/post?artic...

you may also see my review here: http://wp.me/P23AlC-I8

[jen8998 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays from the 'Stay free' magazine (no longer in print). Interesting commentary on today's advertising and its impact on our world.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining compilation of articles, essays and interviews on advertising in the US and its effects upon our life and times.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyper-depressing but also funny. I never realized that "channel one" in middle school was all advertising.

[Gnuehc Ecnerwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss that zine!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors are whip smart, hilarious, and creative. That's all *I* need. Great analyses. Enjoyed the brief treatment of "Idiocracy."

[Node · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of the hidden forces in advertisement that have shaped American culture. A fascinating read. Full of light humor and interesting stories.

[corey · Rating 2 out of 5]

great for those with short attention spans; not sure i am really the target audience.