An “Age” of Advertising in 1,873 pages
Everything you want (and don’t want) to know about advertising has been collected by Advertising Age in the upcoming Encyclopedia of Advertising. The New York Times has an interesting review of the book today. I especially enjoyed the final analysis by Edward Rothstein who writes:
But the accumulated detail of the encyclopedia makes clear that the ordinary academic model of advertising and its effects is inadequate. Advertisements are a form of communication, not mere manipulation: they help make sense of the world, defining its differences and essences, filtering through its variety, making claims and constructing images.
