Advertising plays a key role in defining contemporary culture worldwide, creating a variety of meanings in the minds of consumers. Intrigued by this process, Marcel Danesi-an entertaining and insightful tour guide-decodes the messages woven into the advertisements, commercials, brand names, and logos we see on a daily basis. Marketing-oriented messages are made, he notes, through techniques not unlike those used by artists, musicians, and other creative sources. Guiding readers through the basics of how to interpret ads, Danesi explores everything from product and package design to jingles, cyberadvertising, ad campaigns, global impacts, culture jamming, and advertising effects. Why It Sells will fascinate and inform all readers interested in how ads, marketing, and branding take hold in the consumer psyche.
Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 1 What Is Advertising? Chapter 3 2 General Techniques and Strategies Chapter 4 3 Brand Names Chapter 5 4 Logos Chapter 6 5 Language-Based Techniques Chapter 7 6 Art Chapter 8 7 The Meanings of Ads Chapter 9 8 Marketing Chapter 10 9 Advertising and Society Chapter 11 Glossary Chapter 12 References Chapter 13 Further Reading Chapter 14 Online Resources