No Logo: 10th Anniversary Edition with a New Introduction by the Author

by Naomi Klein

Paperback, 2009

Status

Checked out

Genres

Publication

Picador (2009), Edition: 10 Anv, 544 pages

Description

No Logo employs journalistic savvy and personal testament to detail the insidious practices and far-reaching effects of corporate marketing-and the powerful potential of a growing activist sect that will surely alter the course of the 21st century. First published before the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, this is an infuriating, inspiring, and altogether pioneering work of cultural criticism that investigates money, marketing, and the anti-corporate movement. As global corporations compete for the hearts and wallets of consumers who not only buy their products but willingly advertise them from head to toe-witness today's schoolbooks, superstores, sporting arenas, and brand-name synergy-a new generation has begun to battle consumerism with its own best weapons. In this provocative, well-written study, a front-line report on that battle, we learn how the Nike swoosh has changed from an athletic status-symbol to a metaphor for sweatshop labor, how teenaged McDonald's workers are risking their jobs to join the Teamsters, and how 'culture jammers' utilize spray paint, computer-hacking acumen, and anti-propagandist wordplay to undercut the slogans and meanings of billboard ads (as in 'Joe Chemo' for 'Joe Camel'). No Logo will challenge and enlighten students of sociology, economics, popular culture, international affairs, and marketing.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member JonArnold

In many ways this is a left wing equivalent of all those right wing columnists who tell us doomsday is nigh. The difference here is that Klein actually uses thorough research to back herself up rather than base her opinion on isolated incidents. As a result it's a fairly depressing overall read,

from this you'd think that the corporate drive for profit during the 1990s were completely undermining not only Western society, but also the poorer parts of the globe. Which, to an extent they are. Klein charts how large corporations are systematically divesting themselves of their base earthbound corporeal form (in terms of jobs and goods) and are attempting to ascend to a higher corporate plane, where all they have and sell is their own identity. Even if you disagree with Klein's ideological position it's a fascinating account of how corporations and society are changing.

If it has a major flaw it's that it seems to be hankering after a utopian past, where corporations and branding were less pervasive. Despite that, Klein seems to want this to be an intelligent call to arms, pointing out the problems of rampant capitalism and how, even at an individual level, it can be checked.

Like the opening quote of the book, on the surface No Logo is simply a document of corporate practice. But undeneath that it's an angry polemic positively seething with anger at the sweatshops, job cuts and invasive advertising. It might be overly reductive to say this, but No Logo is an anti-corporate wake up call whose theme is even more relevant today, even if some of the details aren't.

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LibraryThing member pbirch01

I read this book in 2006 but should have read it earlier such as in 2001. It reads like something assigned in a Freshman level Sociology class and never really rises above that. Logos and companies are skewered in the hopes that the person reading it will come to better understanding of the current

world of commercialism. The same tired drum is beaten throughout the book about how bad corporations are and how invasive they can be. How Klein manages to write about this for 430 odd pages is surprising, the fact that I stuck with it until the end is even more surprising to me.

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LibraryThing member ragwaine

Since I work in marketing research I guess I shouldn't wish for the destruction of all brands. But I would definitely be more than happy to change careers if it meant I got to see Nike, Monsanto, Walmart and all the other destroyers of our (world) society topple.

The only reason this book didn't get

5 stars is that it made me so angry and made me feel so helpless. Don't get me wrong, Ms. Klein also adds a healthy dose of optimism about how "the movement" has evolved and continuously found new ways to out companies for their misdeeds. It was also very enjoyable to see how corporate missteps caused them even more grief (and millions of dollars). McDonald's execs saying, "Coke is healthy, it has water in it." made me smile for days.

So if you're a devout capitalist I would say this book's probably not for you. But if not, you'll get a good idea what's happening so that the richest 10% of the world can be super-consumers of cheap branded products. I'm motivated now to go to my (extremely liberal) church and give a presentation so that we can (collectively) give some of these corporations a little kick in the bottom line.

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LibraryThing member papalaz

Naomi Klein's NO LOGO was a massive hit when it was originally published in 2000. It was a justifiable best seller and she has since followed it up with The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Klein is a journalist - and a very good one at that and she manages to present huge amounts

of statistics and analysis in a readable fashion - which with her topic is no mean feat. And her topic?

In NO LOGO she initially charts the transformation of the cutting edge of capitalism into a brand based phenomenon. She tracks the Nikes, the Apples, and the Gaps of this world and how they have come to specialise in selling their brand rather than their products (which they no longer produce themselves). This is a convincing - nay compelling - analysis and expose and having accomplished her first goal she spends the subsequent chapters outlining the consequences for those companies and us as consumers of that shift of focus until she explains how this move has changed late capitalism in toto.

Fortunately for us she documents the rise in opposition movements and methods to this new form of capitalism and although with hindsight we can see her enthusiasm for these new modes of resistance was misplaced it offers some balance to an otherwise bleak picture.

There is much to like about this book and in terms of its analysis it should be made mandatory reading for all secondary school kids.

Read it. I'm looking forward to her second book as soon as I can find it in a second hand bookshop.

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LibraryThing member libraryhermit

It takes a book like to this to wake up people like me who cannot even tell the things that are going on right under my nose. The disinformation clouds our vision so that we cannot see the true emergency. Thank you for doing this good work, Naomi Klein.

LibraryThing member soylentgreen23

Klein's book feels like the sort of book that should elicit the strongest emotions, but for me all I felt was tiredness. That isn't to say that the subject isn't moving, or isn't well-presented, or doesn't make a compelling argument against globalisation and the mega-bucks world of advertising. But

it did make me feel tired.

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LibraryThing member maunder

No logo is a textbook examination of the evolution of branding and logos into global marketing machines whose ultimate effect is to squeeze out competition by using the most outrageously exploitative labour and manufacturing practices. In addtion, these global corporations work to reduce choice for

the consumer and result in unfair competition with smaller businesses.

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LibraryThing member dvf1976

This book is way against our corporate masters.

I'd say that one of Schlosser's books (Fast Food Nation or Reefer Madness) will give you the same moral:

"If the market only strives for efficiency then humans somewhere will pay the price."

With that said, I liked reading about struggles against

Nike. It reminded me of being back in college.

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LibraryThing member jaygheiser

Disturbing book in many ways. Although I do think that there are times when she exaggerates, and is a bit sloppy in casting blame, some of her major themes are very much in synch with concerns that I've been developing over a period of years. The loss of public space and the domination of cultural

discourse on the part of global brands, resulting in a loss of choice, is one issue that has been increasingly painful for me to witness. You travel the world, and end up right where you left, in a homogenous, consumerized culture of global blandness. In exchange for the generation of brand loyalty, global corporations are forcing small business out of business, and taking jobs away from loyay employees. Ultimately, the extent to which sweat shop countries outgrow this phase is not something she is willing to deal with (consider the overall advances in economic well being made in South Korea).

The book forshadows many of the themes from Dreher's "Crunchy Cons" book (which does not index Klein). She does quote from Kunstler.

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LibraryThing member andersondotau

Very impressive and wide ranging book, can drag a bit but is well worth reading this now classic book. The world of brands will never be the same again. It also gets very scary when the advertising/sponsorship in schools was covered.

LibraryThing member cmc

I probably should have read this book long ago, but I felt that I had a pretty good handle on its arguments from other sources. Stumbling across it in a Foozles, though, made picking it up a no-brainer, and last week’s Frontline (``The Persuaders’‘) made reading it seem apropos.

LibraryThing member jddunn

I assumed that this book would mostly solidify inklings of ideas and opinions I already had, but it did a lot more than that. A very thorough and convincing portrait of a world headed for a new class crisis, coupled with a crisis for the freedom of expression, and perhaps democracy itself.

LibraryThing member elliepotten

A shocking and lively book designed to stir both thought and emotion in the Western reader. It details all that is wrong with globalisation and corporate power, brings to life the tireless yet often unseen operations fighting back, and mercilessly sets out the dreadful treatment of workers being

exploited by many of our most well-known brands.

In terms of these corporations and global companies, Klein unapologetically explores the very darkest depths of their capitalist mentality. She names and shames several huge brands, including Nike, Nestle, Disney, Microsoft, Wal-mart, McDonalds and Gap, and frequently refers back to these examples to illustrate her points in a recognisable context.

Another of her tactics, well-used to provoke reaction throughout the book, is to provide the reader with detailed case studies, and accompanying analysis, of some of the more heinous scandals linked to various companies over the years. From strikes by humiliated teenage workers at McDonalds to compulsory pregnancy testing and the sacking of pregnant workers in poor factories, this is really explicit and shocking material. One example that will never leave my mind is that of the death of many young female workers, mostly teenagers, in a poor foreign garment sweatshop. The girls were locked into the factory all day, with no comforts and no safety measures in place. When a bundle of flammable material caught fire, the whole factory went up. The workers had no escape route and died, some in the fire itself and some, tragically, by throwing themselves from the windows to avoid being slowly burned alive.

Alongside these horrors, Klein explores the anti-globalisation politics in the world, as well as the pitiful, hypocritical means used by the brands to try and claw back their popular image. She visits worker unions and help centres trying to liberate sweatshop workers. She looks at boycotts and consumer power in changing the way brands conduct business. Movements such as ‘Reclaim the Streets’ – a disruptive street-blocking festival scene – and ‘Culture Jamming’ – the art of reworking and altering adverts on the streets in order to change their political meaning drastically – are also described in detail.

Whilst it is terribly frustrating to read about the evasive tactics used by companies – moving factories, issuing ‘ethical’ ad campaigns and avoiding monitoring – the final message is one of hope, empowerment and a need for education. A brilliant and eye-opening book that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who is feeling disillusioned with all-dominating brands and capitalist values in today’s turbulent and morally questionable society.

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LibraryThing member MeganZ

A must read for those who think that the free market eventually trickles down.

LibraryThing member questbird

Modern History. A populist-academic examination of brands and globalisation and their effects on worldwide labour. Quite a good insight into systemic corporate greed and the brewing backlash against it. Later chapters remind me of my own 'Control, Change and the Internet' in their vague attempt to

grasp global culture.

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LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen

Some political activists can over-sell their ideology: I would be surprised were Naomi Klein's sternest critics to accuse her of that. She sets out her case both rationally and without drama. This makes her findings all the more disturbing.

In this, her first book, she takes on the big names of

corporate branding. She explains how exploited workers in third world countries produce designer brands which are then sold, often to the poorer members of the richer countries populations, for exorbitant profits. Klein steers clear of making value judgements, but I defy the reader not to feel depressed. It doesn't matter whether you are a Communist, or a fully paid up capitalist; if you read, with as little prejudice as possible, you must surely come to the conclusion that this trend will not end well, for anyone. The third world poor are being paid less than a living wage, getting injured, or even killed, by dangerous practises and must be building animosity towards the west. The people of the west are being duped into paying over the odds for "designer" labels and losing their jobs to foreign workers and, even the 1% making vast profits at the moment, would see that their days are numbered.
This is a bleak, but necessary read. Klein tries to put a brave face upon the situation, suggesting that change can and is coming. I, for one, remain to be convinced that we will make the amendments, so desperately needed, without bloodshed.

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LibraryThing member willszal

"No Logo" is a phenomenally-impressive first work from Naomi Klein. Written in the '90s about the rise of brands which sold ideas as opposed to corporations selling products, it could not be more relevant today.

Hipsterism, millennials (although they weren't called that yet), irony, terrible jobs,

organizing. These are some of the themes that run throughout the book.

Klein highlights some fascinating intersections between art and activism. For example, have you heard of Reclaim the Streets? Started in London, they organized massive parties on public streets.

Although you think you may have heard the story, getting into the hardship of working conditions in third-world countries is worth revising. Nike sells shoes for hundreds of dollars that it pay workers to manufacture for pennies. The inequity is stunning and humbling.

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LibraryThing member bkinetic

Modern corporate avarice takes many different forms and all are brought into the light of day in No Logo. Naomi Klein illustrates how corporate entities have ceased to be factories that make things and have instead transformed themselves into brands they slap on outsourced materials. Klein gives

many examples of the way in which advertisers condition people to respond favorably to brand labels by associating those labels with positive stimuli, such as music, concerts, sports events, and sports venues. This results in the brands themselves becoming cherished symbols of delight, worn on clothing, transforming people themselves into advertising media. She gives many examples of how corporations have shut factories in North America and opened vastly lower-paying sweatshops in impoverished countries. She shows how companies have increasingly ceased paying anything close to a full-time living wage, forcing people to give up searching for work or accepting low-paying part-time work. She also covers grass-roots movements that have risen up to challenge these forms of corporate exploitation. No Logo is now 18 years but remains an eye-opening catalog of what has gone wrong in corporate America and how to begin to solve these problems.

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LibraryThing member jessicariddoch

I read this book in college and this will be more that 10 years ago now. I am beginning to feel old.
This is a book with a message and it says it loud and clear. that consumerism is actually destroying the fabric of the communities that we live in.
It was interesting to read the way that brans are

promoted. why a brand name is promoted as opposed to a product.
Looking back at it now for this distance I can see that the subject covered was besed very much on the hyped up eighties version of marketing which was very in you face. It does however leave you with a lingering doubt as to whether the sopfter capains are any different under the skin.
This book used language that I could understand, where jargon was used it was explaned (but not in too much detail) teh subject was covered from every angle.
I read this book as I had a social concious in college and was advised to give this book a go as it would explane things. not certain that I would read it fro any other purpose.

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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

This is powerful stuff, asking questions about the way we percieve brands and branding and the complacency with which people allow corporations to dictate the ways things work. I was at times disturbed by it and sometimes celebratory in the way she points out some of the good ways people have

forced change.
Being a person who really doesn't believe in Logo's (I have this profound distrust of doing other people's advertising for them!) I was comforted and disturbed by how easily some people have been manipulated by the media and the advertisers.
It was also interesting to see how the job market has been manipulated by companies. Contributing as little as they get away with to a country's tax base and assuming that they will get away with it forever.
I really wonder what is happening with the world and whether or not we will be ruled by ourselves in the future or by corporations that will regard us as numbers and not free people. You can see it creeping in where people are ruled by social security or job numbers and not by their names.

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LibraryThing member Miro

Here's a good commentary on "No Logo" and Naomi Klein from "The Rebel Sell" by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter;
"Many people who are, in their own minds, opposed to consumerism nevertheless actively participate in the sort of behaviour that drives it. Consider Naomi Klein. She starts out No Logo by

decrying the recent conversion of factory buildings in her Toronto neighbourhood into “loft living" condominiums. She makes it absolutely clear to the reader that her place is the real deal, a genuine factory loft, steeped in working-class authenticity, yet throbbing with urban street culture and a “rock-video aesthetic."

Now of course anyone who has a feel for how social class in this country works knows that, at the time Klein was writing, a genuine factory loft in the King-Spadina area was possibly the single most exclusive and desirable piece of real estate in Canada. Unlike merely expensive neighbourhoods in Toronto, like Rosedale and Forest Hill, where it is possible to buy your way in, genuine lofts could only be acquired by people with superior social connections. This is because they contravened zoning regulations and could not be bought on the open market. Only the most exclusive segment of the cultural elite could get access to them.

Unfortunately for Klein, zoning changes in Toronto (changes that were part of a very enlightened and successful strategy to slow urban sprawl) allowed yuppies to buy their way into her neighbourhood. This led to an erosion of her social status. Her complaints about commercialization are nothing but an expression of this loss of distinction. What she fails to observe is that this distinction is precisely what drives the real estate market, what creates the value in these dwellings. People buy these lofts because they want a piece of Klein’s social status. Naturally, she is not amused. They are, after all, her inferiors—an inferiority that they demonstrate through their willingness to accept mass-produced, commercialized facsimiles of the “genuine" article.

Klein claims these newcomers bring “a painful new self-consciousness" to the neighbourhood. But as the rest of her introduction demonstrates, she is also conscious—painfully so—of her surroundings. Her neighbourhood is one where “in the twenties and thirties Russian and Polish immigrants darted back and forth on these streets, ducking into delis to argue about Trotsky and the leadership of the international ladies’ garment workers’ union." Emma Goldman, we are told, “the famed anarchist and labour organizer", lived on her street! How exciting for Klein! What a tremendous source of distinction that must be.

Klein suggests that she may be forced to move out of her loft when the landlord decides to convert the building to condominiums. But wait a minute. If that happens, why doesn’t she just buy her loft? The problem, of course, is that a loft-living condominium doesn’t have quite the cachet of a “genuine" loft. It becomes, as Klein puts it, merely an apartment with “exceptionally high ceilings". It is not her landlord, but her fear of losing social status that threatens to drive Klein from her neighbourhood.

Here we can see the forces driving competitive consumption in their purest and most unadulterated form."

Well, yes, I agree. Klein is a highly sensitive to her own brand status.

Also, what would her anti-business (centrally planned?) anti-trade (national socialist?) anti-brand (dictatorship?) look like. No information about this.

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