In the wake of Naomi Klein’s 1999 bestseller No Logo, many pundits and experts have stepped up to take sides in the war on consumerism. Industry supporters have lined up to trumpet the benefits of branded corporations, while their detractors have shouted for a new world order in which perceived corporate excess is a thing of the past. Consumer Republic, the new book by branding expert Bruce Philp, suggests an approach that may be able to bridge the ideological divide.

Consumer Republic builds on Philp’s previous book, 2008’s The Orange Code, about the brand success of financial giant ING. Combining lessons from ING’s success with his own decades-long experience in advertising, Philp offers a vision of a kind of consumer utopia, in which corporate interests serve a conscientious buying public.

Philp begins with a survey of how brands and consumers have historically interacted. He posits that corporations aren’t evil so much as naturally inclined to locate the path of least resistance to profit. An engaged consumer has the potential to create resistance that will force corporations to pay attention to things like the environment and exploitative labour practices. Unlike No Logo, however, Consumer Republic argues that conscious consumption of well-made, ethical products is crucial, and opting out of consumerism accomplishes very little. Philp’s basic mantra is, “Buy less. Buy better. Be heard.”

Consumer Republic is a manual instructing modern consumers on how to take the power position in their relationships with corporations. Philp approaches his subject in enough detail to keep the experts happy, but not so much as to scare away a reader who is unfamiliar with the fields of advertising or branding. Whether Philp’s vision for his consumer republic will find real-world traction is an open question, but readers would be well-advised to pay attention.