Let the Buyer BewareFebruary 1st is Super Bowl XLIII Sunday and lets face it; the commercials will attract just as much attention as the game. Just as Super Bowl ads often lead to spikes in sales, the following titles provide examples of how the advertising industry can determine what we buy or as the authors contend, what we buy into.
Bottlemania by Elizabeth Royte explains how bottled water sales have come to surpass milk and beer sales in the U.S.; water sales now play second fiddle only to soda sales. The social aspects of why we buy water are fascinating as is the implied question -- "Is bottled water better than tap water?" Royte presents one point of view.
Mary Lisa Gavenas, a former Glamour, Mirabella and InStyle beauty editor, offers an insider's look at the beauty industry in Color Stories. Ladies... if you have wondered why you chose a dreadful shade of lipstick and somehow felt good about it, this book is both entertaining and humbling.
New York Time's journalist Melody Petersen chimes in with Our Daily Meds and takes on the pharmaceutical industry; its marketing techniques, and the role drug marketing has played and continues to play in patient care. Don't expect any pulled punches in this one...
