Fascinate

Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

By: Sally Hogshead

Narrated by: Sally Hogshead

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

What triggers fascination, and how do companies, people, and ideas put those triggers to use/ Why are you captivated by some people but not by others? Why do you recall some brands yet forget the rest? In a distracted, overcrowded world, how do certain leaders, friends, and family members convince you to change your behavior?

Answer: fascination, the most powerful way to influence decision-making. It's more persuasive than marketing, advertising, or any other form of communication. And it all starts with seven universal triggers: lust, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, vice, and trust.

Fascination plays a role in every type of decision making, from the brands you choose to the songs you remember, from the person you marry to the employees you hire. And by activating the right triggers, you can make anything become fascinating.

To explore and explain fascination's irresistible influence, Sally Hogshead looks beyond marketing, delving into behavioral and social studies, historical precedents, neurobiology and evolutionary anthropology, as well as conducting in-depth interviews and a national study of a thousand consumers, to emerge with deeply rooted patterns for why, and how, we become captivated.

Hogshead reveals why the Salem witch trials began with the same fixations as those in Sex and the City. How Olympic athletes are subject to obsessions similar to those of fetishists. How a 1636 frenzy over Dutch tulip bulbs perfectly mirrors the 2006 real-estate bubble. And why a billion-dollar "Just Say No" program actually increased drug use among teens, by activating the same "forbidden fruit" syndrome as a Victoria's Secret catalog.

Whether you realize it or not, you're already using the seven triggers. The question is, are you using the right triggers, in the right way, to get your desired result? This book will tell you how.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Sally Hogshead (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"[T]his slight but practical work packs a big punch." ( Publishers Weekly)

“Can you dissect ‘fascination’? Sally Hogshead says, ‘Yes.’ Fascination is arguably the most powerful of product attachments—and this pioneering book helps us approach the word and the concept in a thoughtful and also practical manner.” (Tom Peters)

“This is a transformative work, a beautifully written book that will forever change the way you see the world. I loved it. Let me be really clear: you need to buy this book, devour it, absorb it and then buy copies for your colleagues. A lot of copies.” (Seth Godin)

Loved it!

Would you listen to Fascinate again? Why?

I'm an avid non-fiction reader because I love research, reasonably substantiated claims and thought through delivery -- this book has it all. Sure some of the names / ideas are similar to what you can find in other books but I won't take anything away from the Fascination Team that pulled this book together -- its 'all under one roof'. Seriously, if you like some new takes on old marketing concepts but also like it modernized and 'real' -- you will enjoy this book. I hate to say it but I kinda wish I had bought the actual book because it does require a lot of review and 'waz that again??' rewinds but I intend to keep it handy and will enjoy listening regularly.

What did you like best about this story?

The real life examples -- made the names / concepts / triggers stick.

What does Sally Hogshead bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her delivery - this does not feel like a read book - its very conversational and Sally is engaging.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

A lot of simple lessons long forgotten bubbling to the surface again. I need to work more effectively and practice what i preach in terms of 'wowing'.

Excellent information, great presentation!

What did you love best about Fascinate?

This was fresh information, based on recent research and modern, current trends. The psychological end was scientifically based and the market research data was largely conclusive to the author's points.

What does Sally Hogshead bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's her book, she knows what to emphasize, when, and how to bring attention to key points.

Good pyschoanalyst type of book

Very good dissection of key character types in the business world, and a method for helping you identify what you are. This is followed with pretty straight on description of what people will see in you (or be fascinated by you)... and what they won't. Key is to understand your own personality and try to capture the attention and intrigue of colleagues, team, and senior managers in the way that fits your personality.

Delightful, Engaging, Refreshing, Intelligent

One of my favorite non-fiction pieces at audible.com and I hope to find more like this one!

Insightful, Not Groundbreaking

Sally Hogshead does a wonderful job of reading her own book (she admits she's never read an audiobook before, but you would never know it, she's a natural), and BONUS TREAT: She includes MUCH new material and commentary in the Audible version, that is NOT in the print book, so this is the way to go if you want this book. Why just 4 stars? There are lots of "personality tests" out there (the Myers-Briggs probably being the most well-known), but Ms. Hogshead says what's different here is, the other tests measure your innate personality characteristics, while her test (which is online, takes 10 minutes to complete, and is surprisingly accurate) measures how OTHERS see you. Well, oo-kayy, but they probably see these traits in you because they are inherent personality traits that you employ, consciously or unconsciously, to attract attention and be persuasive, so she may be making a distinction that isn't much of a difference. Still, it's always interesting to see a different set of categories and descriptions applied to yourself, (if they are valid and insightful, as these are), so this is recommended.,

Scintillating, Captivating, Motivating, Fascinating

Five minutes into this book...all the way to the end...Sally had me salivating, drooling, devising, and dreaming up ways to rebrand myself and my company. Fabulous book with great examples, I will relisten again. Note: It’s beneficial to take the F-score test.

New angle on marketing for me :o)

If you could sum up Fascinate in three words, what would they be?

The Hog's head has a nice voice and a interesting way of putting things, very useful and enjoyable. I found the results of doing her F-score enlightening.

Genius

Honestly, in real life from what I've seen and read about Sally Hogshead, I tend to picture her as a strong-willed egomaniac. Please don't let that stop you from reading the book though. If you don't hang on every page as she reads it to you, then you're not listening!

Awesome!

If you could sum up Fascinate in three words, what would they be?

This was a great book, I highly recommend it. Very interesting and very informative.

Fascinating Read!

What made the experience of listening to Fascinate the most enjoyable?

Loved this book. Excellent information for any small business owner...heck any business owner. It is always better if the author reads their own book, and Sally is definitely easy to listen to and well worth the time. I was so disappointed to get to the end, that I am starting over again!

What other book might you compare Fascinate to and why?

Works well with John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership