She looks at names like Nike, McDonald s, The Gap, Disney and Starbucks to demonstrate how the concept has dethroned actually manufacturing a product. Barbie and Hello Kitty merchandise even harness irony. Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick created his iconic image of Che Guevara after an improbable chance meeting with the Communist revolutionary in Kilkee. Now the Revolution Soda Co. has it on a bottle of orange pop. Branding succeeds because society has failed by leaving these ideas unattended.
Brands are the only ones speaking to young people in the language of inspiration.
The awful truth Klein is at her best analysing marketing and corporate behaviour in the West. When she discusses grim sweatshops and human rights abuses, she loses the fresh angle depressing, but we ve heard it all before. It s somehow pleasing that she herself has found success through personal recommendations rather than a massive publicity drive from her publishers. No Logo by Naomi Klein is published by Flamingo, STG 8.99pb. For more information, check out NoLogo.org .