Badvertising

'Funny and readable, [it] will make us all see the world in a very different way' - Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People

'Brilliant ... if you thought your brain was being gently warmed by the advertising industry, read this book and you'll realise it's being fried' - Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

Advertising is selling us a dream, a lifestyle. It promises us fulfillment and tells us where to buy it - from international flights to a vast array of goods we consume like there is no tomorrow. The truth is, if advertising succeeds in keeping us on our current trajectory, there may not be a tomorrow.

In Badvertising, Andrew Simms and Leo Murray raise the alarm about an industry that is making us both unhealthy and unhappy and that is driving the planet to the precipice of environmental collapse in the process.

What is the psychological impact of being barraged by thousands of prompts to buy things every day? How does the commercialization of our public spaces weaken our sense of belonging? How are car manufacturers, airlines, and oil companies lobbying to weaken climate action? Examining the devastating impact of advertising on our minds and the planet, Badvertising also crucially explores what we can do to change things for the better.

Andrew Simms is the author of several books, including Tescopoly, Cancel the Apocalypse, and Economics: A Crash Course. Leo Murray co-founded climate action charity Possible, where he is currently Director of Innovation.