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Satisfaction Guaranteed: The Making of the American Mass Market Paperback – May 1, 2004

by Susan Strasser (Author)

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This sweeping history provides the reader with a better understanding of America’s consumer society, obsession with shopping, and devotion to brands. Focusing on the advertising campaigns of Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Wrigley’s, Gillette, and Kodak, Strasser shows how companies created both national brands and national markets. These new brands eventually displaced generic manufacturers and created a new desire for brand-name goods. The book also details the rise and development of department stores such as Macy’s, grocery store chains such as A&P and Piggly Wiggly, and mail-order companies like Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.

Print length

348 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Smithsonian Books
Publication date

May 1, 2004
Dimensions

5.97 x 0.74 x 8.98 inches
ISBN-10

1588341461
ISBN-13

978-1588341464
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A meticulous, probing, and often colorful study of the origins and workings of the American mass market in its formative years.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Satisfaction Guaranteed brings the subject of mass-market society out of the clouds of theory and down to earth.”—Village Voice Literary Supplement

“Strasser shows how we have evolved into a consumer culture in which the creation of demand is central.”—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Susan Strasser teaches history at the University of Delaware. Her books include Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash. She lives in Washington, DC.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Smithsonian Books; Reprint edition (May 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 348 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1588341461
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1588341464
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.97 x 0.74 x 8.98 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,334 in Advertising (Books)
- #2,245 in Economic History (Books)
- #2,868 in Sales & Selling (Books)

Customer Reviews:
9 ratings

About the author

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Susan Strasser

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Susan Strasser, Richards Professor Emerita of American History at the University of Delaware, has been praised by the New Yorker for "retrieving what history discards: the taken-for-granted minutiae of everyday life." Never Done: A History of American Housework (1982) won the Sierra Prize of the Western Association of Women Historians; Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash (1999) was awarded the Abel Wolman Award from the Public Works Historical Society. She is currently working on A Historical Herbal, a history of the culture and commerce of medicinal herbs in the United States.

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Top reviews from the United States

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Highly recommend

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2017

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A fascinating read on the roots of advertising, branding, and how capitalism led us from farms to disconnected modern consumerism. Highly, highly recommend.

2 people found this helpful

Strasser's eye for research coupled with easy to follow writing style makes reading the past as ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014

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Strasser's eye for research coupled with easy to follow writing style makes reading the past as simple getting on the Internet. Gives complete insight to our pathetic consumer society today.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2004

This is a very detailed economic history of wholesaling and retailing from about 1880 to 1930. The first chapter describes how Proctor and Gamble set out about creating consumer demand for a completely new product, Crisco, in 1912. In this chapter, Strasser eloquently points out "Human needs...are cultural constructs....Some people need yams and breadfruit, others Post Toasties and Kellogg's corn flakes." Now there's a thought worth pondering, as we consider "Do we need a second car in the family? Do we need a new TV? Do we need dental floss?"
After reading some of Strasser's other books, I expected this book to focus more on this topic of need creation in the world of American manufacturing. However, much of the rest of the book is devoted to documenting business practices during the period. Subsequent chapters cover labeling and branding as a means of establishing consumer confidence and brand loyalty, the shift away from middlemen in the chain of distribution from producers to retailers, advertising as a way to introduce new products and habits to consumers, early marketing and promotion practices, the development of the self-service grocery store and the rise of retail chains and government regulations of the period affecting retailing and food. The book is amply illustrated with black and white reproductions of period ads, photographs, and cartoons. Source material is referenced with unnumbered endnotes; there is no separate bibliography or list of suggested readings. The book includes an index.
I found reading this book through to be a tough slog. The style is highly academic, and the details tend to obscure the big picture. I found myself lost in the details, waiting for her to address the main points. I wanted to learn more about how manufacturers had changed American culture. Looking back and reflecting on what Strasser wrote, I can see that she did indeed tackle these topics, but there was so much information about the history of manufacturing and retailing and marketing that I missed what I was looking for in the first place. That said, the book still represents a fine piece of academic research. Her overview of the development of marketing and retailing practices in America from 1900-1930 is particularly well-researched and her illustrations are varied and well-chosen. All in all, the book wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it was still well worth reading.

12 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kenny Julien

Thoughtful, intelligent and provocative

Reviewed in France on May 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

This sweeping history provides the reader with a better understanding of America’s consumer society, obsession with shopping, and devotion to brands.

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