OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder

The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion

By: Lucas Conley

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

America pours upwards of $300 billion dollars into branding every year. On any given day, each of us is bombarded by between 3,000 and 5,000 ads. In myriad ways, we are subtly branded through every chapter of our lives: by the clothes whose logos we complacently sport, by the music we listen to, by the beverages we drink and the food we eat, by the books we read, even by the neighborhoods in which we choose to live.

In this trenchant analysis of a business stratagem gone wrong, Lucas Conley offers us a long overdue investigation into our culture of obsession. From sensory specialists to word-of-mouth marketers and executives keen to leave their mark, we are introduced to the unforgettable cast of characters responsible for getting our attention from often insidious, emotionally charged angles. In a landscape punctuated by brand-churches and tribes, Conley lifts the veil on an unchecked phenomenon and requires us to consider the grave ramifications of our branded world.

As hilarious as it is frightening, OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder skillfully reexamines our buying habits to illustrate the chilling impact of the industry masterminds responsible for capturing our attention and seducing us to buy - at any cost.

©2008 Lucas Conley (P)2008 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Lucas Conley offers a stinging and hilarious take on a world in which brands have gotten out of hand...This audio is the cure for what ails us." (William Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company Magazine and coauthor of Mavericks at Work).

Disconnected thinking abounds

I think the author has an interesting idea to explore but he seems to be fighting with himself on whether to praise or vilify the subject. Not a terrible read, but would have been a better long white paper than an extended long form book

downer.....

This book is very negative and depressing.