If, like me, you'd be fascinated by an examination of "how advertising appropriates a dominant anti-consumerist political ideology to promote consumption within China’s social and political transition,” then by all means click this link to Science Daily.
A couple of researchers looking at advertisements in the People’s Daily, China's largest daily newspaper, noted the ways that advertisers have co-opted communist symbols and messages, such as red stars and red flags, to promote color TVs, refrigerators, and everything else under the sun.
Using patriotic symbols to help sell stuff isn't exactly revolutionary (get it?), but this is an appreciable irony: Communist political propaganda being harnessed to fuel the transition to a consumer culture, itself part of a socialist strategy to modernize the world's largest economy.
Aside from that, I learned about the Mongolia Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girls. Coming soon to Publix, we hope.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717092100.htm
