Small Data

By: Martin Lindstrom

Narrated by: Ricco Fajardo

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Named one of the "Most Important Books of 2016" by Inc.

A Forbes 2016 "Must Read Business Book"

Named a "Book Retailers Should Read in 2016" by Shelf Awareness

Martin Lindstrom, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, harnesses the power of "small data" in his quest to discover the next big thing. Hired by the world's leading brands to find out what makes their customers tick, Martin Lindstrom spends 300 nights a year in strangers' homes, carefully observing every detail in order to uncover their hidden desires and, ultimately, the clues to a multimillion-dollar product. Lindstrom connects the dots in this globetrotting narrative that will enthrall enterprising marketers as well as anyone with a curiosity about the endless variations of human behavior.

You'll learn...

• How a noise reduction headset at 35,000 feet led to the creation of Pepsi's new trademarked signature sound.
• How a worn-down sneaker discovered in the home of an 11-year-old German boy led to LEGO's incredible turnaround.
• How a magnet found on a fridge in Siberia resulted in a US supermarket revolution.
• How a toy stuffed bear in a girl's bedroom helped revolutionize a fashion retailer's 1,000 stores in 20 different countries.
• How an ordinary bracelet helped Jenny Craig increase customer loyalty by 159 percent in less than a year.
• How the ergonomic layout of a car dashboard led to the redesign of the Roomba vacuum.

©2016 Martin Lindstrom (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Fascinating!!

I acquired this book on a whim, having taken a short theories of advertising course some years ago. The class was engrossing and very enjoyable, and I was NOT disappointed in this book at all. The observations were very educational, and definitely made me wonder how I would answer some of the listed questions. Just about every page had some wonderful tidbit. Now, I have a list of questions I'd love to ask the author: things that he never completely answered in the book.
I will definitely look at my environment and my friends' with a more inquiring eye now.
Incidentally, Mr Lindstrom, and one main reason I don't shop at Whole Foods is that their produce and fruit have a very, very short shelf life once I get them home. I don't know if they only make really ripe or near-ripe products available, or if it's because many of those items are not displayed in any cooler shelving, which I think might shorten the time before they spoil.
Either way, Because I don't want to have to shop two or three times a week, I patronize stores that display their produce and fruit in the open faced cooler shelving, so their life expectancy is extended slightly.
Short note: Read/ listen to this book-- maybe twice, and learn to see the world differently!

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Rather Arrogant

Would you ever listen to anything by Martin Lindstrom again?

Unsure - Probably not

Any additional comments?

The whole book is about Martin and how great he is at noticing things and then makes leaps to the solution, often telling us the results are still to be determined. While I agree and understand the overall premise and even some of the items he highlights (which is why I bought the book), I don't think it actually delivers on the aspects of what it promises.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Psudo-Social-Science

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A lot more intellectual humility about his work. His conclusions are totally out of proportion to his methods. And the share of the credit that he takes for the success of the projects he is involved in have no basis in reality. He presents, without evidence, that his work is the make-or-break contribution to all of the products covered.

The methods are neat! He should have focused on them and been much more circumscribed about what he can learn from them.

What was most disappointing about Martin Lindstrom’s story?

There are a lot of confidently delivered non-sense statistics. "92.5% of communication in non-verbal", "if a brand experience involves multiple senses, your memory is 200% more engaged!"

Which scene was your favorite?

Some of the techniques in this book could be useful for the kind of product driven anthropology that the author practices. For example, telling someone to organize the contents of their refrigerator according to "fresh"ness. That's a neat way to peak in to how people organize their lives. Or trying to understand why different cultures understand "clean" differently.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

eh really

the title and marketing is a little missleading, i came from big data books looking to find how to understand small changes, this is simply a story of how small things explain big things.

great book nonetheless

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A great alternative perspective from Big Data

What did you love best about Small Data?

Good narrative. Introduced a different perspective and stuck with it throughout the book.

Any additional comments?

Ok, if you’re anywhere near the IT world, you’ve heard the term “Big Data.” The concept is actually rather simple. Gather as much data (from as many sources) as possible on a huge scale. Use the data to measure performance (ie, KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators). But also use it to ask questions (data analytics), and to help guide the offerings to your customers (think Amazon’s “People who bought XYZ also bought ABC”).
But is there an alternative? Can we get so caught up in that Big Data concept that we’re missing what’s right under our noses?
Enter Martin Lindstrom. Part Marketing gent, part Sherlock Holmes. His approach is different. To actually observe people on an individual level and look for behavioral clues that might offer insight. As an example, what the layout of magnets on refrigerators imply in terms of customer needs.
It’s an interesting concept. And one that actually goes beyond (in my humble opinion) beyond the marketing research questions proposed by the author. Cold hard analytics are only as good as the questions from the analysts and how they organize the data. A simple example: If you looked at the sales figures for a retail store specializing in Christmas good without taking the seasonal aspects into account, you’d have trouble understanding the figures.
That’s not to say that from one observation all conclusions fall immediately into place. It’s more complicated than that.
But when you look at Big Data, the goal is to take that macroscopic view and work it down so it has a positive impact on both the organization and customers. The same is true for Small Data. Looking at small behavioral patterns and from that build up to understanding how segments of society consume both product and marketing messages.
It’s a great read, even if it serves to show another perspective to gathering and analyzing data.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Incredible insight and top notch performer

I was blown away by this reading. I found it by accident and I am singled that I did. I enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end. The performer/ narrator was one of the best I've ever heard on Audible and I listen to a lot of audio books. Looking forward to listening again in a few months to see what I missed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

small signs symptoms of great stories

enlightening. insight into what makes us human. Being mindful, curious and open to our quirky wonders. serve people much better after. investigative empath...to connect and then build something that fits us. very enjoyable read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Revealing

This was very revealing and there are a lot of takeaways from this. A real shift in thinking.

Mostly it's about the stories and eventually at the last end, he mentions how to do it. I wish there was much more hows than the stories. Overall, good.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Curious and Interesting Perspective

What made the experience of listening to Small Data the most enjoyable?

Different perspective of viewing the world via small data. Fascinating even for the average reader, non-commercial sort such as myself.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Small Details, Small Data....

After listening, This book has opened my mind to that matrix of thought process about not taking things for granted and seeing "everything" as a reason and purpose. A truly simplistic way to understand the Theory of Cause and Effect. AWESOME BOOK 👍

1 of 1 people found this review helpful