Buyology

Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

By: Martin Lindstrom

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Based on the single largest neuromarketing study ever conducted, Buyology reveals surprising truths about what attracts our attention and captures our dollars. Among the long-held assumptions and myths Buyology confronts:

Sex doesn't sell - people in skimpy clothing and provocative poses don't persuade us to buy products.

Despite government bans, subliminal advertising is ubiquitous - from bars to supermarkets to highway billboards.

Color can be so iconic that the sight of the robin's egg blue of a certain famous jewelry brand significantly raises women's heart rates.

Companies shamelessly borrow from religion and ritual - like the ritual, made up by a bored American bartender, of drinking a Corona with a lime - to seduce our interest.

"Cool" brands, like iPods, trigger our mating instincts.

The fact is, so much of what we thought we knew about why we buy is wrong. Drawing on a three-year, 7 million dollar, cutting-edge brain scan study of over 2000 people from around the world, marketing guru Martin Lindstrom's revelations will captivate anyone who's been seduced - or turned off - by marketer's relentless efforts to win our loyalty, our money and our minds.

Packed with entertaining stories about how we respond to such well-known products and companies as Marlboro, Calvin Klein, Ford, and American Idol, Buyology is a fascinating tour into the mind of today's consumer.

©2008 Martin Lindstrom (P)2008 Random House Audio

Neuroscience of Marketing

Martin Lindstrom presents the research findings related to the neuroscience of marketing. He sheds light on what consumers do and why - which is often different from what they think they are doing and why. I would like to have Lindstrom speak at least some to the marketing of products which are harmful to the public. Will marketers ultimately be able to sell anything to anyone at anytime or is their a limit to what individuals will do in response to marketing? Are there ethical implications to what is being learned from neurscience and marketing? The issues are troublesome and Lindstrom is in a unique spot to inform us about the issue.

Great for class

Any additional comments?

If you have a paper due its a great listen. Also if you are at all interested in marketing.

Make your gfs and wives read this! Saves u $$$!

Great overall. ... Make your gfs and wives/husbands read this! It will save you a lot of dollars if they can become aware of buying habits.

Great narration and storyline

Good for people in the marketing business, it keeps you hooked from the first minute until the very end. Not exactly ground breaking but filled with interesting real life facts.

An inside look

Martin's research and insights hold up nearly 20 years later. Solid work end to end

Great insight

This book provides a very unique take on what drives us to actually buy or do something.

Thin

Would you try another book from Martin Lindstrom and/or Don Leslie?

Probably not

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The book lacked focus. Lots of 2nd hand filler put in for unclear reasons. The core of the book is his own research results, but he draws conclusions that don't relate to the results he describes. The point of the book is that we are more manipulated than we thought... by people like him, I might add... but his own storytelling and essential purpose in telling us this is not clear... except to burnish his own brand as an expert, which seems to be the ultimate goal of the book. Meh.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was hammy. It gave the book the sense that it was a piece of entertainment rather than information.

Just read this book if you work in a multinational

I've heard for 2 hours just the author saying that buyology is the new discovery for understanding the secret inside customer heads but what I found was just a description of modus operandi of multinational marketing campaigns. A lot of talking for few content.

Very High Word to Idea Ratio

I was eager to hear what Buyology had to say but after 2 hours, I still hadn't reached any of the main ideas. I am not a fan of abridged books, but I'd make an exception with this one. I kept thinking, "enough already, get to the point!" I think there is some good stuff here, but I couldn't take it; I need more intellectual engagement to make listening to a book rewarding. It's worth reading, but I'd recommend getting a version you can skim so you can focus on the main points and not invest too much time in the padding.

The s sound is very sharp

Cannot listen to the audible atall. The slurr on S is more like ssshhh and it hurts the ears. Cannot imagine how such audibles get approved and sold. Looking for a refund.