Lining Naomi's pockets (No Logo - Naomi Klein)

Name: hshearer

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Product:	No Logo - Naomi Klein
Date:	19/04/02 (216 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: informative

Disadvantages: nothing new

No Logo was a big hit, bestseller, filling all major bookshop windows, you could have probably found it on a 3 for 2 offer at one stage. So alot of people bought it. But is it any good? Well it probably won't tell you anything new, rather it collates alot of stuff you were already aware of but nicely repackages it. No Logo aims to blow the lid on the corporate branding of just about everything. From buses to school textbooks, ads are creeping in everywhere and brands are playing an increasingly bigger role in our everyday lives. Walking down your average high street you'll probably come across the same handful of stores, Coffee giants, Book chains etc. Choice is gradually diminishing and as coporations merge, vanishing out of sight.
Klein explores the encroachment of brands into our cityscapes, schools, homes, the list seems to be endless. We are surrounded by Swooshes and bears drinking cola and we don't even really notice it anymore.
Klein's book raises some interesting points but nothing really that revelatory. (Children as both think tanks and walking adverts, the adoption of anything new, fresh and cool into the next big ad campaign. And of course the sweat shops that provide the big brands poorly paid backbone). Now as much as I agree with her writings No Logo does strike me as being a little patronising. Being middle class, comfortable and already well established in her chosen field of journalism, it is an easy task to look at the world and tell other people what is wrong with it. Hey and make a pretty penny while you're about it. It also seems that this anti-corporate stance is very trendy at present, there are magazines devoted to defacing big brand ads and cool young things pop into their local Borders to buy them. Is there something wrong here?
The adoption of anti-capitalist notions is continually expanding but with the emergence of bestselling books and magazines on the subject, you have to ask yourself if this is at t
he expense of real content?
Now while I applaud bringing such issues to peoples attention I would have had alot more respect for Klein if she'd shown the courage of her convictions. Perhaps taking her work to an small independent publishing house or putting the books doubtless huge profits to good use. Anyway its an idea.

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