“Business as Usual is anything but. This sharp-eyed media history lifts the lid on the twentieth-century fight to bend our imaginations to the will of capital. Think Duck and Cover for the C-suite set. You’ll be surprised at every turn—by the stories and by the lessons they offer for our digital era.”

Fred Turner, author of The Democratic Surround: Multimedia and American Liberalism from World War II to the Psychedelic Sixties

“Capitalism’s greatest trick is convincing those under its dominion that there is no alternative. Jack’s bold, persuasively argued account illustrates how twentieth-century corporate interests not only convinced Americans that capitalism is good, but that private enterprise is the essence of American liberty and patriotism. In Business as Usual, Jack shows how the American way of capitalism was naturalized by decades of pro-business advertising and civic education, and how this long-running ideological project continues to quell the economic imagination.”

Josh Lauer, author of Creditworthy: A History of Consumer Surveillance and Financial Identity in America

“In this deftly written and richly illustrated book, Jack shows us in no uncertain terms how advertising became synonymous with America. In the guise of economic ‘education,’ business boosters promoted free enterprise as central to the American way of life. Their efforts reached into homes, schools, and the government, creating an image of Americans as naturally inclined toward market capitalism. By aligning private enterprise with national identity, sponsored media carved a nation in its own interests. Business as Usual offers a deeply researched and theoretically robust account of how promotion has always been central to our national self-understanding.”

Melissa Aronczyk, author of Branding the Nation: The Global Business of National Identity