Epic fails : the Edsel, the mullet, and other icons of unpopular culture / Salvador Jimenez Murguía.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jiménez Murguía, Salvador, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popular culture--United States.

Popular culture.

Marketing--Social aspects.

Business failures.

United States.

United States--Civilization--1945-.

Civilization.

Business failures--United States--Case studies.

Marketing--Social aspects--United States.

Marketing.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 165 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2018]

Summary:

"This book surveys some of the most iconic failures in American popular culture in order to shed light on the inherent, often comic strain in American life between success and failure, fame and infamy, and, in sum, what Americans most strive for and what they most fear. Epic fails, as I describe them, are not only the 'next-big-things' but also those more popularly unpopular things that get bundled in with those major flashes in the pan. From such failed gadgetry as the Betamax and Microsoft Zune to fashion flops like the Mullet and Zubaz pants, this text captures the entertaining milieu of failure, while offering interpretations of both the intentions of endeavors prior to their collapse, as well as speculations about their counterfactual position and place in the history of American popular culture"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The Edsel

Athletic uniform failures

Betamax

LaserDisc

The mullet

Blublocker sunglasses

Zubaz

New Coke

Bud Dry

Crystal Pepsi

Burger King's table service

Zima

WOW Chips

Y2K

XFL

McAfrika

Microsoft Zune

Google Wave.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Murguía, Salvador Jimenez, author. Epic fails

ISBN:

9781538103715

1538103710

OCLC:

1023610918