The last episode of the brilliant series Mad Men ended with “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” the iconic 1971 television commercial. Though it may not have been the dramatic intent of the series’ writers, the moment served as a nostalgic eulogy to the golden era of marketing.
If you’re above a certain age, you remember it: A rapidly growing economy driven by a burgeoning middle class, three major broadcast television networks that captured an overwhelming majority of eyeballs day and night, glossy magazines that attracted millions of readers, a homogeneous suburban population with shared tastes, and the emergence of what Daniel Yankelovich dubbed a “Psychology of Affluence,” which encouraged spending on self-indulgent products and experiences.
