28 May 2010 | the spiked review of books

An engaging tale, packed with myths

Christian Salmon’s book rightly notes the increasing use of narrative in modern life, but his ‘anti-capitalist’ instincts get in the way of understanding why

7 July 2008 | SAB Miller Globalisation Debates

Are global consumer brands a force for good?

Panel speeches and discussion at the Royal Society of Arts, with SAB Miller, Interbrand, Coca-Cola and brand guru Stan Slap

23 November 2006 | IT Week

How to tackle blogger critics

Companies are being advised to use in-house bloggers to appease their online detractors

24 July 2006 | Three Layer Cake

Interview on "Meaningful Consumption"

Meaning is to be found in what you do, not what you buy, own or use

25 August 2004 | spiked

Brands: don't buy the hype

Both corporations and their critics are so obsessed with brands that they ignore the real worlds of work and politics.

21 July 2004 | IT Week

IT suffers brand identity crisis

As long as the brand is king, no high-profile firm can afford to be truly adventurous.

20 July 2004 | UK Trade & Investment

The globalisation of UK manufacturing and services, 2004-24: toward the agile economy

For both inward and outbound investment, as well as exports, the UK economy requires a new, agile approach 226kB

9 July 2004 | Philosophy of management

Brands and the Self

Despite recent reversals for the brand, managers still view it as an indispensable and benign kind of alchemy. Meanwhile, critics hold it a swindle. However, the real problem with the brand is that it promises therapeutic solutions to issues that are in fact so big, they can only be resolved by broader social means. Brands can neither overcome the isolation and alienation of the self, nor replace it with a sense of belonging

14 August 2002 | spiked

If in doubt, brand

The craze for branding only advertises corporate insecurity.

March 1991 | Management Today

Making a clear impression

For the users of products or services, clarity is the important aspect of corporate identity

March 1988 | Blueprint

Looking forward to the 1960s

Caught between celebrations and lamentations of the 20th anniversary of the student explosions of May 1968, we have lost sight of the real significance of the 1960s and their lessons for the unrevolutionary present

October 1987 | Blueprint

Aesthetics of the new machine age

The shape of products to come depends more on economics and technology than on cosmetic design