Advertising in the Age of Persuasion documents and analyzes the implementation of the American strategy of consumerism during the 1940s and 1950s, and its ongoing ramifications. Beginning with World War II, and girded by the Cold War, American advertisers, brand name corporations, and representatives of the federal government institutionalized a system of consumer capitalism which they called free enterprise. In their system, government and business worked together to create consumer republics, democracies based on the mass consumption of brand name goods using advertising across all major media to sell products and distribute information. Many of the free enterprise evangelists believed it represented the fulfillment of America's god-ordained mission. They envisioned an American lead global consumer order supported by advertising based media where the brand took precedence over the corporation that owned it; and advertising, propaganda and public relations were considered the same thing. To support this system, they created a network and process for disseminating persuasive information that survives into the 21st Century.

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Reviews

“Advertising in the Age of Persuasion reveals how, by urgently defending the advertising industry as a tool to globally expand ‘free enterprise’ and democracy during the Cold War, ad councils legitimized and necessitated the spread of persuasive information over the course of the century. Spring evidences how their political networking ultimately created the current context for our commercially saturated lives and invites readers to investigate the current context of post-9/11 ‘brand America.’” (Kera Lovell, Journal of American Culture, Vol. 88 (2), June, 2015)

"Spring's account is intriguing and makes extensive use of primary sources . . . the book offers useful information to those interested in exploring the interconnections between advertising, domestic politics, and public diplomacy in postwar America." - American Historical Review

"Opens new territory for examining the manipulation of domestic and foreign public opinion during the Cold War . . . Spring's work will certainly spark a greater understanding of, and a more sophisticated appreciation for, the nature of America's unique public information programs." - The Journal of American History

"Thoroughly researched . . . This volume adds another layer to an understanding of the ad-intensive society in which Americans live and positions readers to reflect on the ultimate success of a century of global business expansion. Recommended." - CHOICE

About the author

DAWN SPRING is an independent designer and scholar whose career has been dedicated to engaging popular audiences in history through digital history, digital humanities and entertainment, and utilizing new media and technology in teaching history. Her research on American advertisers began under the guidance of her advisor Dr. Wayne Durrill, Dr. Christopher Phillips and Dr. Geoffrey Plank. Spring teaches Native American and United States History online. She holds a PhD and MA in United States History from the University of Cincinnati and an MA in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: Advertising in the Age of Persuasion
Book Subtitle: Building Brand America 1941–1961
Authors: Dawn Spring
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230339644
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Palgrave History Collection, History (R0)
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-230-11694-8Published: 26 October 2011
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-137-34717-6Published: 20 January 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-0-230-33964-4Published: 07 November 2011
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 235
Topics: US History, Modern History, Social History, History of the Americas, Media Studies, Cultural History

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

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