Dallas Twp., PA, Jan. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Misericordia University proudly announces that Jennifer M. Black, Ph.D., associate professor of History, has completed her groundbreaking book, "Branding Trust: Advertising and Trademarks in Nineteenth-Century America." The prestigious University of Pennsylvania Press published the highly anticipated manuscript this month.
"The book tells the story of how we came to trust the brand-name goods that define American culture today, showing how middle-class ideas about individual character and honesty influenced both business practices and law," explained Black, who has dedicated over a decade to this remarkable project.
Since 2008, Black has tirelessly immersed herself in extensive research, demonstrating unwavering commitment to her work. Her efforts have culminated in a comprehensive exploration of the historical development of trust in consumer goods, shedding light on the origins of the brand loyalty that permeates society today.
Within the pages, the book captures the essence of early advertising’s battle with marketplace chaos that stemmed from building brand trust to the complex legal and graphic artistry that occurred during this time. However, the pages are filled with very familiar brands known to this very day, such as Quaker Oats, Nabisco, and Coleman Mustard, to name a few. The pages also pair with historic visual examples of the ads, newspapers, and products that paint a photo for the reader.
“Visual media hold the key for understanding the development of America’s modern consumption regime. Branding trust has become a central component of American capitalism, but that trust has been primarily imagined and established through trademarks, advertising imagery, and the visual rhetoric of commercial honesty,” Black explained at the end of her book.
Black expressed her gratitude for the support she received from her colleagues at Misericordia University and the administration throughout the arduous process of expanding her research and writing the book. "It truly wouldn't have been possible without the community here," she acknowledged. In her book, Black noted, “I especially want to thank the Faculty Research Grants committee, who sustained my continued research and writing over the past nine years. The Department of History and Government, as well as the offices of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the vice president for Academic Affairs, together provided a generous subvention for costs related to producing the book’s many images.”
Readers eager to gain insight into the captivating narrative of “Branding Trust: Advertising and Trademarks in Nineteenth-Century America” can access Dr. Jennifer Black’s website by clicking here. To hear about the book, Black has already been featured on podcasts: Steve Tarter’s “ReadBeat” podcast: Listen on Spotify and Hagley Library’s “History Hangout” podcast.
Future book talk events are at Winterthur Museum, Hagley Library, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and Philadelphia Athenaeum in the spring.
Please click here for those interested in learning more about the History Program at Misericordia University. For information about the Public History specialization run by Dr. Jennifer Black, please click here.
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