This book, written in an accessible style with numerous illustrations
and with drawings by the author, discusses what brands are and the role
brands play in American society and consumer cultures, in general. The
book uses a cultural studies approach and draws upon concepts and
theories from semiotics, psychoanalytic theory, sociological theory,
discourse theory, and other related fields. It also quotes from a number
of important thinkers whose ideas offer insights into various aspects of
brands. Brands has chapters on topics such as what brands are, their
role in society, brands and the psyche, brands and history, language and
brands, the marketing of brands, brands and logos, the branded self, San
Francisco and Japan as brands, brand sacrality, multi-modal discourse
analysis and brands, and competition among brands.