Design by IKEA: A Cultural History

摘要

In his 2005 book, Branded Nation, the historian James B. Twitchell explored the ubiquity of brands in contemporary culture. When brands emerged in Victorian times, manufacturers devised catchy names to sell non-differentiated products such as boxed cereal and jarred pickles. In the twentieth century, Madison Avenue developed sophisticated methods for constructing stories about products in order to capitalize on consumers' hidden insecurities and unfulfilled longings. Advertisers connected Betty Crocker cake mixes to personal expression, US Steel to American industrial prowess and Levittown homes to middle-class identity. Today, branding permeates global culture. Brands are used to sell everything from handbags to holiday cruises and college experiences, and many brands signify regional or national identity. The quintessential example, of course, is fashion equals Paris equals France.