Kelso’s experiences as an ad man as well as a media critic enrich and enliven his perspective. Mara Einstein, author of Black Ops Advertising and Advertising: What Everyone Needs to KnowĪn important contribution to the literature of advertising criticism.

Written as only a true insider can, this comprehensive and engaging overview is an important introduction to advertising as profession, as a form of communication, and as a cultural force. Sut Jhally, Professor of Communication, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Founder and Executive Director, Media Education Foundation Written for a general audience as well as the college classroom, Kelso has performed a difficult maneuver, producing a work that makes us think deeply about the social impact of our everyday lives and decisions. At the same time, he demonstrates how as a cultural form advertising stands at the nexus of identity, ideology and the environmental catastrophe that threatens to engulf us and the planet. Written in an accessible language and sophisticated in its analysis, he takes us from the first advertisers, patent medicine salesman, all the way to contemporary digital advertising, showing us the historical and institutional connections that link them. Tony Kelso has produced an extremely impressive book. Incorporating a media-literacy approach, Kelso also offers an insider’s overview of the typical procedures advertising agencies take in strategizing, conceptualizing, and delivering campaigns. Topics covered include a brief history of modern advertising in the United States, advertising’s influence on the so-called non-advertising content of the media, the ideological themes advertising inadvertently delivers, how advertising can privilege or marginalize various social constructions of identity, the controversial practice of targeting children, and how corporations often use advertising to superficially present a positive face while masking their profoundly darker sides. The book reflects the latest industry trends, especially the migration from legacy to social media vehicles like Instagram and Snapchat.

The book uniquely combines personal anecdotes with a penetrating look at some of the most critical perspectives toward the field advanced by media scholars.Ī play on David Ogilvy’s legendary Confessions of an Advertising Man, the text disrupts the creative guru’s account with a highly accessible critique of advertising suitable for classes in disciplines as various as cultural studies, marketing, media studies, political science, and sociology.

Composed with a touch of the panache of a former advertising copywriter, Kelso challenges readers to reflect on the social impact of advertising from multiple angles.

The confessions of an advertising man