Modern marketing and advertising deeply influence the way we in which perceive the world and define our identity. Yet many of today's marketing and advertising practices are themselves products of earlier times. The development of brands, of advertising techniques and modern retailing are all associated with economic and business development of earlier periods.
This collection of essays considers the emergence of modern marketing by examining product differentiation and brand creation, distribution and retailing strategies as well as advertising in a range of case studies covering the United States, Continental Europe and the United Kingdom. It highlights important innovations in marketing whilst underlining some surprising continuities, and is a valuable reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students of marketing and advertising.

The emergence of modern marketing - international dimensions; Madame Tussaud and the business of wax - marketing to the middle classes; purposive strategy or serendipity? development and diversification in three consumer product companies, 1918-1939 - J & J Colman, Reckitt & Sons, and Lever Bros./Unilever; closing the deal - GM's marketing dilemma and its franchised dealers, 1921-1941; foreign multinationals and innovation in British retailing, 1850-1962; building knowledge about the consumer: the emergence of market research in the motion picture industry; "Times Change and We Change with Them" the German advertising industry in the Third Reich - between professional self-interest and political repression.