Buyology

by Martin Lindström

First published 2008

Martin Lindström reveals what actually drives consumer purchasing decisions in our advertisement-saturated world. His three-year, seven-million-dollar neuromarketing study examined the brains of 2,000 volunteers worldwide as they viewed advertisements, logos, commercials, brands, and products. The results challenge common assumptions about marketing effectiveness. Cigarette health warnings actually increase smoking desire rather than deterring it. Subliminal advertising persists everywhere despite government prohibitions. Cool brands like iPods activate mating instincts in consumers. Physical senses including smell, touch, and sound create powerful arousal responses to products. Sexual imagery often repels rather than attracts buyers. Companies deliberately copy religious practices to create purchasing rituals like adding lime to Corona beer. Through case studies of major brands including Marlboro, Nokia, Calvin Klein, Ford, and American Idol, Lindström demonstrates how subconscious processes control buying behavior far more than conscious reasoning. The book exposes the psychological mechanisms marketers exploit to capture consumer loyalty and spending.

Genres: science, psychology, business, non-fiction, academic

Vibes: analytical, informative, thought-provoking

Tropes: case-studies, research-findings

241 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday

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