By Richard S. Tedlow
Publisher: Heinemann Professional Publishing
ISBN-0-434-92002-9
It is rumored that when asked what he would give to every Russian should the opportunity arise, Franklin D. Roosevelt said give them a copy of the Sears catalogue. Perhaps a surprising choice but it highlights the impact mass marketing can have on society.
To-day, Coke and Pepsi, Ford and General Motors or A&P are household names. But how much do we know about the epic battles those companies fought with each other and at times with the world around them before they reached the pinnacle of their respective corporate successes? Very little indeed. This is a pity particularly in the light of the ongoing economic crisis that has left some of those very same companies just sad shadows of their former selves.
Whether we like it or not, mass marketing has spread around the globe and where there is disposable income, the marketing methods will mimic those originally developed and introduced by the likes of Sears and Montgomery Ward.
Professor Tedlow’s wonderfully entertaining book is the story of the development of mass marketing. Inevitably, it is an American story since mass marketing was first tried there. However, the big household names that pioneered the techniques have in the meantime become international and hence the story is less American after all than would at first appear.
What makes the book especially interesting is that it is not just business history; it is also a cultural and social history of our time, set against the biggest change ever in how goods are brought to us. Strongly recommended.