Steven McKevitt, Visiting Professor in Brand Communication, Leeds Beckett University

Steven McKevitt is Visiting Professor in Brand Communication at Leeds Beckett University. He studied for his PhD at the University of Sheffield. Over a 20 year career in marketing, communications, and branding, his clients have included Nike, Coca-Cola, Sony PlayStation, and Deutsche Bank. His research has been featured in newspapers around the world from The Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, and New Scientist to The Kenya Daily Nation. He is the author of City Slackers (Cyan, 2006), Everything Now (Route, 2012), and The Solar Revolution (Icon, 2014) amongst other books. He lives in Sheffield, UK.

"All in all, McKevitt's book provides an insightful and provocative account of the history of the persuasion industries in Britain, which would be of interest to communication scholars and students." - European Journal of Communication

"A compelling argument that challenges current thinking and will have widespread implications for those working in the field." - Catherine Maskell, Managing Director, The CMA (The Content Marketing Association)

"Shows how and why marketing has become the driving force in most successful businesses. McKevitt's analysis of the developments that made this possible is revealing and rewarding." - Martin Lucas, author, Using Technology to Sell

"For those working in the field, McKevitt underlines the importance of starting in the right place and makes a convincing argument that not many actually know where that is." - Stephen Chandler, Founder and CEO of Feel

"A fascinating investigation. The Persuasion Industries clearly maps out the challenges facing brand communication and should be required reading for everyone working in the sector." - Andreas Nicholaides, Group Digital Development Director, iProspect, Dentsu Aegis

"A fantasically thorough history of a period of remarkable change in a fascinating industry." - Evan Davis, Broadcast journalist and presenter