In this fascinating and in-depth depiction of corporate greed and the politics of power, go behind-the-scenes of the ugly and bitter feud in an industry that is supposed to know the steep price for image run amok. On December 16, 1994, a bloodletting took place in the stylish boardroom at Saatchi & Saatchi, once the world's largest advertising agency. The cofounders of the company, Maurice and Charles Saatchi, were fired after threats by the firm's shareholders but less than a month later, Maurice Saatchi started a rival ad agency and quickly and viciously snapped up former Saatchi & Saatchi clients. With expansive research and eye-opening interviews, Kevin Goldman effortlessly explores this dramatic saga from the early, audacious start of the firm to the meteoritic rise of the Saatchi brothers and their ultimate fall. From the glitzy and extravagant lifestyle of the advertising industry of the 1970s and 1980s to the dramatic mergers and takeovers that altered Madison Avenue and London forever, Conflicting Accounts is an unputdownable and masterful work, perfect for fans of Mad Men and The Smartest Guys in the Room.

"This comprehensive and immensely readable volume takes the reader to the cutting edge of the field. Like the conference from which it stems, the book has extremely broad coverage in terms of the topics addressed, the disciplines from which the authors come and to which their papers contribute, and the geographic sites of origin of the ideas and findings. The conference presentations, of a high quality in their initial form, have been wonderfully crafted by the authors with the excellent guidance of the editors. It is a timely addition to the literature and belongs on every gamer's bookshelf." --Cathy Stein Greenblat, Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Jersey With contributions from leading international researchers in simulation and gaming, this book provides readers with up-to-date coverage of simulation and gaming as a professional endeavor rather than just as a set of subject-relevant techniques. Organized into four parts (applications, policy exercises, research, and professional matters), the book covers such topics as the application of simulation/games to specific purposes (such as international conflict, citizen participation, etc.); research in the areas of business performance and discourse analysis; and debriefing, ethics, and the state of simulation/gaming in various countries. Simulation and Gaming Across Disciplines and Cultures offers readers a cohesive picture of the breadth and richness of the field of simulation and gaming.

"Coke adds life. Just do it. Yo quiero Taco Bell." We live in a commercial age, awash in a sea of brand names, logos, and advertising jingles -- not to mention commodities themselves. Are shoppers merely the unwitting stooges of the greedy producers who will stop at nothing to sell their wares? Are the producers' powers of persuasion so great that resistance is futile?

James Twitchell counters this assumption of the used and abused consumer with a witty and unflinching look at commercial culture, starting from the simple observation that "we are powerfully attracted to the world of goods (after all, we don't call them 'bads')." He contends that far from being forced upon us against our better judgment, "consumerism is our better judgment." Why? Because increasingly, store-bought objects are what hold us together as a society, doing the work of "birth, patina, pews, coats of arms, house, and social rank" -- previously done by religion and bloodline. We immediately understand the connotations of status and identity exemplified by the Nike swoosh, the Polo pony, the Guess? label, the DKNY logo. The commodity alone is not what we are after; rather, we actively and creatively want that logo and its signification -- the social identity it bestows upon us. As Twitchell summarizes, "Tell me what you buy, and I will tell what you are and who you want to be."

Using elements as disparate as the film "The Jerk, " French theorists, popular bumper stickers, and "Money" magazine to explore the nature and importance of advertising lingo, packaging, fashion, and "The Meaning of Self," Twitchell overturns one stodgy social myth after another. In the process he reveals the purchase and possession of things to be the self-identifying acts of modern life. Not only does the car you drive tell others who you are, it lets you know as well. The consumption of goods, according to Twitchell, provides us with tangible everyday comforts and with crucial inner security in a seemingly faithless age. That we may find our sense of self through buying material objects is among the chief indictments of contemporary culture. Twitchell, however, sees the significance of shopping. "There are no false needs." We buy more than objects, we buy meaning. For many of us, especially in our youth, Things R Us.

Leading scholars chart the future of studies on technology and journalism in the digital age. The use of digital technology has transformed the way news is produced, distributed, and received. Just as media organizations and journalists have realized that technology is a central and indispensable part of their enterprise, scholars of journalism have shifted their focus to the role of technology. In Remaking the News, leading scholars chart the future of studies on technology and journalism in the digital age. These ongoing changes in journalism invite scholars to rethink how they approach this dynamic field of inquiry. The contributors consider theoretical and methodological issues; concepts from the social science canon that can help make sense of journalism; the occupational culture and practice of journalism; and major gaps in current scholarship on the news: analyses of inequality, history, and failure. Contributors Mike Ananny, C. W. Anderson, Rodney Benson, Pablo J. Boczkowski, Michael X. Delli Carpini, Mark Deuze, William H. Dutton, Matthew Hindman, Seth C. Lewis, Eugenia Mitchelstein, W. Russell Neuman, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Zizi Papacharissi, Victor Pickard, Mirjam Prenger, Sue Robinson, Michael Schudson, Jane B. Singer, Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud, Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Rodrigo Zamith

How maturing digital media and network technologies are transforming place, culture, politics, and infrastructure in our everyday life. Digital media and network technologies are now part of everyday life. The Internet has become the backbone of communication, commerce, and media; the ubiquitous mobile phone connects us with others as it removes us from any stable sense of location. Networked Publics examines the ways that the social and cultural shifts created by these technologies have transformed our relationships to (and definitions of) place, culture, politics, and infrastructure. Four chapters-each by an interdisciplinary team of scholars using collaborative software-provide a synoptic overview along with illustrative case studies. The chapter on place describes how digital networks enable us to be present in physical and networked places simultaneously-often at the expense of nondigital commitments. The chapter on culture explores the growth and impact of amateur-produced and remixed content online. The chapter on politics examines the new networked modes of bottom-up political expression and mobilization. And finally, the chapter on infrastructure notes the tension between openness and control in the flow of information, as seen in the current controversy over net neutrality.

The Advertising Handbook is a critical introduction to the practices and perspectives of the advertising industry. Sean Brierley explores the structures of the profession and examines the roles of all those involved in advertising including businesses, agencies, consultancies and media owners.
The Advertising Handbook traces the development of advertising and examines the changes that have taken place from its formative years through to today's period of rapid change: the impact of new media, the reise of the ad agency industry mergers, the Internet and digital technologies, and the influence of the regulatory environment.
The Advertising Handbook offers a theoretical understanding of the industry and it challenges many assumptions about advertising's power and authority. Thoroughly revised and updated, it examines why companies and organisations advertise, how they research markets, where and when they advertise, the principles and techniques of persuasion and how companies measure performance.
The Advertising Handbook includes:
*Illustrations from a range of high-profile campaigns including Budweiser, Barnardo's, Benetton and Club 18-30
*New and detailed 'workshop' exercises accompanying each chapter
*Case studies and profiles of ad agencies and key media players
*A revised and up-to-date glossary of key terms
*A guide to useful websites and online resources

"Soap, Sex And Cigarettes" examines how American advertising both mirrors society and creates it. From the first newspaper advertisement in colonial times to today's online viral advertising, the text explores how advertising grew in America, how products and brands were produced and promoted, and how advertisements and agencies reflect and introduce cultural trends and issues. The threads of art, industry, culture, and technology unify the work. The text is chronological in its organization and is lavishly illustrated with advertisements.