• Fascinate

  • Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation
  • By: Sally Hogshead
  • Narrated by: Sally Hogshead
  • Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (771 ratings)

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Fascinate  By  cover art

Fascinate

By: Sally Hogshead
Narrated by: Sally Hogshead
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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.

©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)

What listeners say about Fascinate

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hog your Head with Fascinate!

I purchased Sally's book after listening to an entertaining (and fascinating) interview conducted by Mitch Joel over at TwistImage, that featured the captivating Ms. Hogshead.

So far, I've listened to the complete audio-book twice, and the application section four times. And no, I'm not dense--this is simply great insight worth reviewing a few times.

Get this one point from the book: YOU ARE FASCINATING!

I cannot begin to describe the impact this work has had on my annual planning, future dreaming, and most importantly, the foundational certainty it provided to my personal brand. For quite some time, I have known that I had a couple of primary traits which symbiotically act as a singular catalyst when I 'get it right'. I've taken numerous personality tests that always seemed to fall short in their applicability.

It seems my Fascination triggers are: Prestige and Vice...isn't that great?! I know, you look at those two and go, "Wow, he must sell drugs in designer bags." or, "OMG, his hero must be Don Johnson!"

Do not be alarmed--read on. Now, I know why I enjoy setting new standards for competitors and gain a sense of awe when I witness an authentic brand, and why I just flat-out love to win (Prestige). The same holds true for my irreverent, but great sense of humor and timing, as well as an innate distrust of the 'way its always been done' (Vice), and why I am compelled to create a better way.

Buy this book before all the audio files have been downloaded!!! Take the F-Score test at Sally's website. Finally say hello to: what makes your soul sing; which facets of your personality are compelling; the authentic characteristics of your fascinating personal brand.

This book has even helped my marriage! My wife and I are polar opposites, and we know how to appreciate that now. Her triggers are Trust and Alarm. Buy the book and figure out what I mean.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Not Fascinated at all...

I suppose if you read a lot of business and "brain" type books, you will not find much new material here.

I didn't. I wasn't fascinated. Didn't care for this book.

Chris Reich

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Information packed, well narrorated, & interesting

I'll start out by saying that I normally don't write reviews for books. Especially since peoples taste in authors and books are subjective. That said, my favorite authors are Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, and Dan Pink. However, now I have to add Sally Hogshead to my list of favorite authors. This book is nothing short of spectacular. She has done her research and made the book interesting by explaining the content through studies and real world situations. This is a book for almost anybody. It is part advertising, part brain science, and all entertaining. Finally, I've found some books have great content, but only to be narrated poorly. With this book, Sally Hogshead did a superb job of narrating her own book.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Fascinate wasn't as fascinating as I was hoping.

I felt that this book had some fun and interesting points. My biggest issue was I don't feel it brought anything new to the table. It's all stuff you kind of already know, just put in a format. I did enjoy taking the test and getting my "F" Score. I felt it was pretty accurate.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What can I say? It's Fascinating

I love this book & highly recommend the Audiobook because Sally does a tremendous job. Her enthusiasm for the topic is evident which makes this a fun listen. Also, I love how she sometimes deviated from the script to give more background and/or updates.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

This is a thought provoking book if you listen

I read this book and then bought the audio book. I really liked the book the first time around and loved the audio version much better. Sally really adds to the points and entertains in just the right parts. Loved it and have recommended it to friends.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good advice for our "look at me" society

Although this was a fascinating audio book, I was left with a unsettling feeling about it. It was hard for me to put my finger on what bothered me about the book, but then I realized that it was the fact that the book puts getting noticed ahead of virtue. Although the author's instructions for using "triggers" including "power", "lust" and "vice" sound like they might be effective (see Miley Cyrus as evidence), I would prefer a guide to developing the better angels of our nature. (Check out "Now Discovering Your Strengths" for a more uplifting resource for unlocking your potential.)

That said, the author's narration was indeed captivating as you could almost see her pulling the levers of her seven triggers as she read.

Alas, I am sure that my relatively negative review will only serve to increase the "vice" appeal of the material and thereby trigger more purchases.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A new way to understand what makes us fascinating

Sally Hogshead does a great job of making this book come alive and has you challenge yourself. Her voice and friendly tone sounds as though you are having a conversation with a good friend.

Great book!

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4 people found this helpful