Author Meets Critics: The Social Impact of Advertising: Confessions of an (Ex-)Advertising Man

Abstract: This Author Meets Critics conversation focuses on Tony Kelso's book The Social Impact of Advertising: Confessions of an (Ex-)Advertising Man (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Kelso meets with other advertising experts from several fields to discuss the following topics: what is meant by the social impact of advertising, the wealth of social and cultural topics covered in the book, using personal reflections in a textbook, the importance of history in understanding advertising, the effectiveness of digital advertising, the applicability of the book in teaching various survey courses, the ideologies and values supported by advertising, and advice for professors and industry practitioners. The book covers a brief history of modern advertising in the United States, advertising's influence on the so-called non-advertising content of the media and digital surveillance, 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 present a positive face while masking some of their profoundly darker sides.