NO LOGO By Naomi Klein Preface Born in Montreal in 1970, NAOMI KLEIN is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Nation, New Statesman, Newsweek International, the New York Times, Village Voice, Ms., The Baffler, and Saturday Night. She writes a weekly column in the Globe & Mail, Canada's national newspaper. She is a frequent media commentator and has guest lectured at Harvard, Yale and Mew York University. Naomi Klein lives in Toronto. No Logo was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2000. Reviews: 'Naomi Klein brilliantly charts the protean nature of consumer capitalism, how it absorbs radical challenges to its dominance and turns them into consumer products.' MADELEINE BUNTING, Guardian 'The bible for anti-corporate militancy.' Select 'This entertaining exposure of corporate culture resonates with disillusion.' CHRISTOPHER HIRST, Independent 'Personable and well-informed, prescient, necessary and ultimately optimistic, No Logo paints a vivid picture of spirited, creative rebellion.' WILLIAM GEORGIADES, Literary Review 'Naomi Klein catches the anticapitalist mood so well it seems unbelievable that No Logo was written before the "Battle of Seattle". She expresses brilliantly the rage that so many people feel about what is going on in the world, giving us ammunition against the bosses and governments.' JUDITH ORR, Socialist Review 'Zipping between corporations, countries and human rights violations with all the self- assured effortlessness of a multinational transferring capital between currencies, Naomi Klein's convincing analysis of the rise of the superbrand -Starbucks, Nike, Ikea, Gap, Blockbuster et al -reveals a world where labels are hungry for every inch of space.' The Face 'A touchstone of sanity' 'A brilliant book' Red Pepper PETER YORK, The Times Packed with facts and arguments and gratifyingly cross with not just corporate culture, but our own eagerness to buy into it, No Logo couldn't have been better timed.' Independent on Sunday 'No Logo should be read by anyone who thinks that the Seattle demonstrations were an aberration.' Economist 'Athletic, expansive and an antidote to sloppy thinking . It's impossible not to notice the prescience of her argument.' AUSTIN BUNN, Sunday Herald 'A brilliant account of how Nike, Starbucks, McDonalds etc. branded the industrialised world, and how the most exciting strand of radical politics is now bound up with resisting their kulturkampf. Fantastic and inspiring.' Select 'Unerring and serious . This is a juicy, salty book.' FERDINAND MOUNT, TLS 'No Logo is a comprehensive account of the potential monster that the global economy has created and the actions to thwart it. So brands watch out, there is a loud and strong message here!' ANN PARKER, Marketing 'A passionate, well-written and thoroughly researched book.' JIM DUNNE, Sunday Business 'No Logo is a siren going off.' Overload 'Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful fighters already out there. No Logo is an invigorating call to arms for everybody who wants to save money, justice, or the universe.' GLORIA STEINEM 'What corporations fear most are consumers who ask questions. Naomi Klein offers us the arguments with which to take on the superbrands.' BILLY BRAGG 'Essential millennial reading.' RICHARD BENSON, Limb by Limb American and Canadian reviews: 'Klein is a gifted writer; her paragraphs can be as seductive as the ad campaigns she dissects.' New York Times Book Review 'Naomi Klein's trenchant book is the perfect introduction to and explanation of those stunning events [in Seattle] . this book is the very essence of cool.' Globe & Mail To understand how branding drives the global market, you couldn't ask for a better guide than Naomi Klein.' Toronto Star 'A dense, fact-filled publication that makes plain the jargon spouted by all who put profit before basic human needs. with its far reaching vision and clear presentation. A well- conceived primer on the machinations of the modern consumer world, No Logo is required reading for anyone who thinks people should not be treated like machines.' Eye Weekly 'Nothing short of a complete, user-friendly handbook on the negative effects that '90s uberbrand marketing has had on culture, work, and consumer choice ... an encyclopaedic compilation of the decade's fringe and mainstream anti-corporate actions and mind-sets.' Village Voice 'A powerful and passionate book.' National Post 'An incredibly important, timely read and a powerful call to arms.' Calgary Straight 'No Logo finally puts in perspective what the newest generation of fed-up consumers and anti-corporate activists have been trying to verbalize for the past 10 years.' Ottawa Express 'Generation-X intellectual Naomi Klein could become the next Douglas Coupland with her No Logo. She anticipates a revolt against corporate power by younger people seeking brand-free space. Even if the revolt is not in the works yet, her tart writing might inspire one.' Report on Business 'At once an impressive journalistic analysis and an impassioned rallying cry.' New Brunswick Telegraph You might not see things yet on the surface, but underground, it's already on fire. -Indonesian writer Y.B. Mangunwijaya, July 16, 1998 NO SPACE NO CHOICE NO JOBS NO LOGO NAOMI KLEIN For Avi First published in Great Britain by Flamingo 2000 Copyright ® Naomi Klein 2000 Naomi Klein asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work ISBN 0 00 653040 0 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The four-year process of taking No Logo from an idea to a finished book has been exhilarating. It has not, however, been painless and I have relied heavily on the support, understanding and expertise of those around me. It has been my great honour to have as my editor Louise Dennys, whose intellectual rigor and personal commitment to freedom of expression and human rights have sharpened the arguments in this book and smoothed my rough edges as a writer. She transformed this book in magical ways. My research assistant, Paula Thiessen, has tracked down many of the most obscure facts and sources. For more than two years she worked tirelessly collecting the statistics that make up this book's many original charts, extracting facts from cagey retail chains and cajoling government agencies around the world to send unpublished reports. She also conducted the book's photo research and has been a calming influence and supportive colleague during what is often lonely work. My agents at the Westwood Creative Artists, Bruce Westwood and Jennifer Barclay, took on what many would have seen as a risky project, with boundless enthusiasm and determination. They searched the international book world for kindred spirits who would not just publish No Logo, but would champion it: Reagan Arthur and Philip Gwyn Jones. The exceptional team at Knopf Canada has been warm-hearted and cool-headed no matter what the crisis. I am grateful to Michael Mouland, Nikki Barrett, Noelle Zitzer and Susan Burns, as well as to the talented and dedicated team of editors who have strengthened, polished, trimmed and checked this text: Doris Cowan, Alison Reid and Deborah Viets. I am deeply indebted to John Honderich, publisher of The Toronto Star, who gave me a regular column in his newspaper when I was far too young; a space that for almost five years allowed me to develop both the ideas and the contacts that form the foundation of this book. My editors at The Star-Carol Goar, Haroon Siddiqui and Mark Richardson-have been enormously supportive through leaves of absence and even wished me well when I left the column to focus my full attention on this project. The writing for No Logo began in earnest as a piece for The Village Voice on culture jamming and I am indebted to Miles Seligman for his editorial insights. My editor at Saturday Night, Paul Tough, has supported me with extended deadlines, research leads, and No Logo-themed assignments, including a trip to the Roots Lodge, which helped deepen my understanding of the Utopian aspirations of branding. I received valuable research assistance from Idella Sturino, Stefan Philipa and Maya Roy. Mark Johnston hooked me up in London, Bern Jugunos did the same in Manila and Jeff Ballinger did it in Jakarta. Hundreds of individuals and organizations also cooperated with the research, but a few individuals went far out of their way to ply me with stats and facts: Andrew Jackson, Janice Newson, Carly Stasko, Leah Rumack, Mark Hosier, Dan Mills, Bob Jeffcott, Lynda Yanz, Trim Bissell, Laird Brown, and most of all, Gerard Greenfield. Unsolicited juicy tidbits arrived by post and E-mail from Doug Saunders, Jesse Hirsh, Joey Slinger, Paul Webster and countless other electronic angels. The Toronto Reference Library, the International Labour Organization, the Corporate Watch Web site, the Maquila Solidarity Network, The Baffler, SchNEWS, Adbusters and the Tao Collective list serves were all invaluable to my research. I am also grateful to Leo Panitch and Mel Watkins for inviting me to speak at conferences that helped me to workshop the thesis early on, and to my colleagues on the This Magazine editorial board for their generosity and encouragement. Several friends and family members have read the manuscript and offered advice and input: Michele Landsberg, Stephen Lewis, Kyo Maclear, Cathie James, as well as Bonnie, Michael, Anne and Seth Klein. Mark Kingwell has been a dear friend and intellectual mentor. Sara Borins was my first and most enthusiastic reader - of both the proposal and the first draft —and it was the ever-fabulous Sara who insisted that No Logo must have a design that matched the spirit of its content. Nancy Friedland, John Montesano, Anne Baines and Rachel Giese stood by me when I was nowhere to be found.