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Title: Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
ISBN: 0385523882
Author:
Martin Lindstrom
Publicate Date: 2008-10-21
Publish: 2008-10-21
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $13.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $9.98
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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| Customer Review: |
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1: One of the best
This book is very helpful and will clear lots of theory that we all think about in our business. It is a must for people in marketing and advertisement ... and why not for all of us as consumers ... one of the best in its kind.
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2: A compelling read, soon to be a business classic
What are the real motivators that fuel the limitless number of purchases the average person makes in a year? Are consumers really telling the truth when they claim to buy a product for its quality and not for the status that it may afford them?
Marketing guru Martin Lindstrom devoted three years and seven million dollars in research to discover that when it comes to buying, the mind tells truths while the mouth lies. His research involves the use of a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner to study the amount of oxygenated blood in areas of the brain. His goal was to study the areas that showed increased response in relation to purchasing and compare that to the answers study participants gave when asked about why they buy.
The findings of his groundbreaking research are compiled into the must-read book, Buyology. Full of compelling and captivating case/brand studies, it's a rare and refreshing "page-turner" in the business book category. Even more important, the book is smart and innovative on how the latest in brain science effects business, and it promises to up-the-bar on books on neuromarketing.
Buy the book. But when you buy it, think twice about why.
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3: Bland with an Egotistical Author
This is a lame book. I found myself skipping paragraphs at first, pages after a while, and then the last third of the book entirely. Three problems:
1) There's not much new here.
2) The author can't shut up about how awesome he is.
3) Padding padding padding.
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4: Insights Into Marketing and the Human Brain
Three years and millions of dollars later, Martin Lindstrom presents you with a book on neuromarketing, a technique using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and steady-state typography (SST) which measures conscience and subconscious reactions to marketing, advertising, products and brands. SST provides real-time information from the brain, while fMRI maps the areas of the brain that are active at the time of the stimulation. Together, these techniques provide insight into the motivation for items that we buy. Neuromarketing goes beyond the simple interview process, focus groups, and the like, and determines the actual triggers in the brain that cause us to feel the way we do toward brands, advertisements, and marketing.
Contents:
A Rush of Blood to the Brain: The Largest Neuromarketing Study Ever Conducted
This Must Be The Place: Product Placement, American Idol, and Ford's Multimillion-Dollar Mistake
I'll Have What She's Having: Mirror Neurons at Work
I Can't See Clearly Now: Subliminal Messaging, Alive and Well
Do You Believe in Magic?: Ritual, Superstition, and Why We Buy
I Say A Little Prayer: Faith, Religion, and Brands
Why Did I Choose You?: The Power of Somatic Markers
A Sense of Wonder: Selling to Our Senses
And the Answer Is . . . : Neuromarketing and Predicting the Future
Let's Spend the Night Together: Sex in Advertising
Conclusion: Brand New Day
Appendix
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Martin Lindstrom, the author of Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, reports on the results of his study of brands, advertising, and marketing using a combination of fMRI and SST. This new technique, neuromarketing, delves in the mind of the consumer to determine which areas of the brain are affected and then to develop a campaign that leverages the real reasons why a person chooses a particular brand over another. In Lindstrom's study, he used his volunteers to examine some very popular brands, discovered why warnings on cigarettes are actually contributing to a rise in smoking, and looked at subliminal advertising (it is alive and well), among other things. The result is an incredibly interesting look at the base reasons why we buy; the subconscious is making the decision for you even before you have time to recognize that you are looking at competing brands of soda. Further, Lindstrom shows that combining smell, touch, and sound has an effect on our purchasing patterns.
This is more than a simple marketing or business book. Lindstrom shows how advances in technology are allowing companies to leverage specific feelings toward products and people to separate you from your hard earned dollars. While some of the results are startling, such as the rise in smoking due to warnings on the packages, others reveal a lot about the way people think and remember, and how that affects our buying patterns. Lindstrom also shows how YouTube is changing the way that companies market, specifically by allowing fans of a product to produce their own advertisements. This is a powerful new medium, as it allows people to connect with similar individuals, which helps the brands and products. But the most fascinating aspect is when he goes into the lab to see how brands affect specific areas of the brain. This book is all about the results of the lab work, very little time is dedicated to the actual data or the science. For those that need additional information, Lindstrom provides very good Notes (all accessible on the internet) and a Bibliography. Both are excellent resources for those that need more of the science involved.
While this book may frighten you, as it reveals new methods of marketing and advertising, it also provides you with the tools to recognize neuromarketing and allows you to gain some insight into how your brain works. You may not be able to combat neuromarketing, but you may be able to distinguish it and curb some of its effects. After reading this book, I have a new appreciation for the shopping experience as well as a better understanding of the advertisements I see on television and in print. I also know why there is major brand placement in movies and television shows. Buyology has provided valuable insights into the mind and marketing.
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5: All Sizzle, No Steak
This book discusses a few interesting ideas, but did very little to actually substantiate the claims. It's full of anecdotal evidence with no time spent on correlation.
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