The Conquest of Cool

This study explores how the youth counterculture of the 1960s was not only a grassroots movement but also a phenomenon co-opted and even anticipated by American businesses, particularly the advertising and men's clothing industries. Thomas Frank reveals how these sectors, once pillars of conservatism, embraced rebellion and counterculture as marketing tools. The book offers a history of advertising and an incisive commentary on the evolution of American consumerism, highlighting the pervasive co-optation that defines today's commercial culture.