Myth, Magic & Marketing: An Irreverent History Of Branding From The Acropolis To The Apple Store
I studied History and Anthropology at UPenn. Although a card-carrying hippie at the time, I embarked on a career in marketing when I was just 18 years old, working as an office boy (interns could only be found in hospitals back in that Mad Man era), at Sieber & McIntyre in Chicago.  You'll find my fingerprints on an IBM Selectric at McCann-Erickson on Lexington Avenue, and on the Marketing Director's desk at Playboy Magazine, digitally scanned into some GSK web sites, even on the neck of an Absolute bottle.  You'll find a couple of well-worn books about mythology and Jungian psychology in my book case.  I read that ancient peoples had a panoply of gods and spirits to meet their every need. Perform the proper ritual, and love, or money, or power, or health would be yours! My leap of understanding  came when I realalized mankind has Brand Gods that serve those ancient longings. We want our brands to magically make it all better.  “Myth, Magic & Marketing” explores the creation and manifestation of these Brand Gods.  Along the way, you’ll discover how from its earliest days, advertising leveraged the power of transcendence to add power to its messages. This book might make you smarter -- it  will make you laugh!