Abstract
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the sports-media-advertising-promotional complex highlighting the unique features of sport as a vehicle for, and within, promotional culture. After briefly outlining the origins and development of advertising as an economic and cultural industry, the chapter offers a discussion of the common theoretical approaches used to understand advertising and its impact on society. In turn, the benefits and limitations of the circuit of culture model is explored as one framework for advancing the critical understanding the complex interrelationships between the production, representation, consumption, and regulation of commodities. Here, we consider the implications of 'surveillance capitalism' as an emerging disruptive force that draws upon new architectures of technology that enable unparalleled collation and exploitation of consumer data. This is followed by an overview of the structure of the book along with a summary of the key themes and associated chapters. Finally, the conclusion considers the wider significance of advertising and promotional culture within the new global and political economy.