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What do Howard Hughes and 50 Cent have in common, and what do they tell us about Americans and our desires? Why did Sean Connery stop wearing a toupee, and what does this tell us about American customers for any product? What one thing did the Beatles, Malcolm Gladwell and Nike all notice about Americans that helped them win us over? Which uniquely American traits may explain the plights of Krispy Kreme, Ford, and GM, and the risks faced by Starbuck's? Why, after every other plea failed, did "Click It or Ticket" get people to buy the idea of fastening their seat belts? To paraphrase Don Draper's character on the hit show Mad Men, "What do people want?" What is the new American psyche, and how do America's shrewdest marketers tap it? Drawing from dozens of disciplines, the internationally acclaimed marketing expert Harry Beckwith answers these questions with some surprising, even startling, truths and discoveries about what motivates us.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
25 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Harry Beckwith
34 books68 followersHarry Beckwith heads Beckwith Partners, a marketing firm that advises twenty-three Fortune 200 clients and dozens of venture-capitalized start-ups on branding and positioning. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford, Beckwith is an internationally acclaimed speaker. He is the bestselling author of five books, which, collectively, have been translated into twenty-three languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 7, 2017
Some interesting concepts. However, a lot of them seem like personal opinions. There is no attempt to establish causality, rather just a lot of anecdotes, probably based on the author's years of experience and observations in the field of marketing.
February 19, 2011
This was interesting. The author breaks it down into three categories. We buy things because they remind us of childhood. We buy things because er.. it fits our culture. And we buy things because they appeal to our eyes.
Childhood:
We like to play and we like bright colors.
Culture:
Americans are drawn to loners, but we like to be a part of things. And we're basically optimistic.
Eyes:
We like pretty things. Which is ableist language, because he also includes 'smooth' and 'symmetrical' and things that you don't have to see to appreciate.
There's some interesting tidbits in here, and I think it'd be interesting to try to write a book and market it with these things in mind.
That said, I do have some issues with the book itself.
He starts out talking about sports. Snoore. And he'll come back to sports now and again, too. And cars. And whenever he mentions sex, it's from the male point of view. Until I felt like every time he said 'you', and he said that a lot (which is also one of his points), he was talking to someone older and maler than me. In other words, not me.
I think the book suffers for it, and he should've gotten a female coauthor or editor to really point these things out.
At one point, he talks about how we all learned to spell the word 'geography'. Did you know there's a mnemonic for it? I didn't. I thought you just.. spelled it. It's not exactly the hardest word in the English dictionary. I wouldn't even put it in the top 100.
He also seems obsessed with Nikes. Every third story, he seemed to come back to the stupid Nike shoes. Just how much Nike stock does this guy own?
Also, here's a tip: If you're going to tell people to go to a website and enter a search term, well, you'd just better be darned sure that's going to work by the time your book goes to print. Because I got this book pretty hot off the press, and the result I got was "No result matches your query". So.
I give it 3 stars for the interesting info in here and for the readability. But it definitely lost 2 for being sexist. Well, maybe 1.5 for sexist and .5 for that search not working and other uncorrected typographical errors.
Childhood:
We like to play and we like bright colors.
Culture:
Americans are drawn to loners, but we like to be a part of things. And we're basically optimistic.
Eyes:
We like pretty things. Which is ableist language, because he also includes 'smooth' and 'symmetrical' and things that you don't have to see to appreciate.
There's some interesting tidbits in here, and I think it'd be interesting to try to write a book and market it with these things in mind.
That said, I do have some issues with the book itself.
He starts out talking about sports. Snoore. And he'll come back to sports now and again, too. And cars. And whenever he mentions sex, it's from the male point of view. Until I felt like every time he said 'you', and he said that a lot (which is also one of his points), he was talking to someone older and maler than me. In other words, not me.
I think the book suffers for it, and he should've gotten a female coauthor or editor to really point these things out.
At one point, he talks about how we all learned to spell the word 'geography'. Did you know there's a mnemonic for it? I didn't. I thought you just.. spelled it. It's not exactly the hardest word in the English dictionary. I wouldn't even put it in the top 100.
He also seems obsessed with Nikes. Every third story, he seemed to come back to the stupid Nike shoes. Just how much Nike stock does this guy own?
Also, here's a tip: If you're going to tell people to go to a website and enter a search term, well, you'd just better be darned sure that's going to work by the time your book goes to print. Because I got this book pretty hot off the press, and the result I got was "No result matches your query". So.
I give it 3 stars for the interesting info in here and for the readability. But it definitely lost 2 for being sexist. Well, maybe 1.5 for sexist and .5 for that search not working and other uncorrected typographical errors.
January 6, 2020
If you want to read a book by an insufferable American talking about insufferable American qualities for 300 pages, then this is the book for you! I wish I had known before getting into it. I would have passed. I mean, there were enough anecdotes (like the story about how the Beetles became popular) to keep me going. The best thing about this book was the lovely silky paper on which it was printed. Ok, here is an example of the insufferable part. I’ll paraphrase: America is the greatest nation in the world and one of the reasons is because of how incredible optimistic we are. In fact, our relentless optimism—not stupidity or greed—caused the 2008 financial crisis. The banks lent the money because they were just so darned optimistic about the outcome, and the borrowers borrowed it for the same reason. Aren’t we Americans great??
Also, Malcolm Gladwell—even though he is suspiciously liberal—gives a good example of healthy American optimism in the intro to Outliers. How wonderful!
(The author fails to notice that Gladwell is Canadian... and is not specifically writing to or about Americans... but we will just skip over that for now and leave him with his little self centred delusion...?)
God this book was awful. The only reason I finished it was for the stories and the lovely silky paper.
Also, Malcolm Gladwell—even though he is suspiciously liberal—gives a good example of healthy American optimism in the intro to Outliers. How wonderful!
(The author fails to notice that Gladwell is Canadian... and is not specifically writing to or about Americans... but we will just skip over that for now and leave him with his little self centred delusion...?)
God this book was awful. The only reason I finished it was for the stories and the lovely silky paper.
July 26, 2023
This book is definitely dated (read in 2023) but had some interesting stories and tidbits. I kept thinking "What should I be able to do with this information?" and when I got to The Unthinking Marketer’s Checklist section (at the very end) I thought "oh, this is something I could apply"
I was very annoyed in the acknowledgements when he said that "until this book" he hadn't really believed that writing a book is like giving birth to a baby. Still not a good analogy when the point is "you hurt all over" after. If you lean into the "bringing something new into the world" aspect I would be more inclined give you a pass.
Favorite Quotes:
• …we humans are unusually biased toward choosing things that seem familiar (p7)
• That’s the rule, not the exception. When our shortcuts don’t work, we decide with our feelings, usually within seconds, then reassemble the facts to support our decision. (p11)
• It’s the surprises–the notes or lyrics we do not expect–that make a piece creep into the soul (p29)
• The second reason for the emphasis on themes relates to memory. Slogans typically are designed to appear at the end of a commercial or the bottom of the advertisement, and we tend to best remember the last thing we see or hear. (p35)
• …a story is a single coherent whole that makes sense out of a lot of parts. Aesop, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, Confucius, and followers of the Buddha all knew it; every religion has stories at its center. (p43)
• His simplicity drew people in. Simplicity always does. (p48)
• We don’t buy things; we buy what they mean, and a company’s stories provide that meaning. We need narratives from birth to comprehend our world and everything in it. (p60)
• We value things that are hard to find; they strike us as special and seem more valuable. (p97)
• When outsiders criticize Americans, they regularly note that we seem self-centered, which we are. But few contend that we are selfish, and with good reason; we are not. Every international need organization knows that to market its cause–cleft palates, tsunamis in Indonesia, or need Romanian orphans, to name three–they need to go to America first.
One could argue that there was little need to call on many Americans after the tsunami, because many of us would not answer; we already had booked our tickets to Indonesia. (p109)
• “Compassion” literally means “suffering with” (p109)
• READ: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few by Surowriecki
• We want to know what people are reaching and watching because we want to participate in the dialogue about those shows and books. Just as significant, we do not want to feel left out of those conversations. We want to be a part. (p118)
• H.O.G. illustrates a key trend: community as a service (CAAS). Good marketers always ask, “How can we bind our users together?” Nike does it by forming Nike running clubs at Nike stores nationwide. (p131)
• We can tire of the familiar, but we never tire of great memories and the great brands that created them… (p138)
• Americans hate snobs, those who pretend not to know that all of us are created equal. (p140)
• It was a classic human error: concluding too much from too little. (p155)
• Smiles comfort us; they signal, “I am a blessing, not a danger,” and they radiate optimism, something to which we are uniquely attracted. (p159)
• People who believe in major miracles, as we do, are even more apt to believe in lesser ones, like having thinner thighs in just seconds a day or becoming rich by working four hours a week. By our nature, we trust claims of “New and Improved!” because we believe in new and improved. (p180)
• We live in the age of the apparent. Design dominates this age because design works, and because our love of beauty is deep in our bones. It’s deep inside us. (p188)
• Today we are brands of one, making fashion statements that really are comments about ourselves. (p192)
• Andrew’s evaluators confirm for us again: We think with our eyes. (p193)
• We call a person we think is complete “well rounded.” By telling contrast, someone behind the times was once called “square.” Boxes are traps; when our thinking is stuck, we need to think “outside the box.” If we break the law, we may be confined to a cell, another box. When we die, many of us are consigned to a box: “They put him in a box and buried him.” The working space we most deplore is called a cube. (p202)
• Once again, we are not always a thinking animal, but an assuming one. We assume traits of a company from its name; we shortcut. (p212)
• We constantly take shortcuts, and the Looks or Sounds Easier is among our favorites. (p213)
• But for sheer simplicity, does anything top Google? (Any why don’t more marketers learn from that and make their home pages simple and quick?) (p216)
• Design changes not just our perceptions but our actions. Perhaps we should not repeat the old saw “Never judge a book by its cover,” because covers matter; design alters how we see and feel. The cover is the book; the package is the product.
We probably find ourselves thinking that what is more remarkable about design is this: how superficial it isn’t. Design, even the design of our neighborhoods, changes us… (p220)
• In the age of information, not knowing is a form of not belonging. (p243)
• Our loves don’t change, and the best marketers know that. So they don’t follow trends; like us, they follow our hearts. (p251)
• This turns out to be yet another story, not of dashed expectations but of expectations generally, and how they distort the lenses through which we see. (p255)
• Everything has a reputation that precedes it. But Trillin’s experience suggests that reputations do more than set our expectations. Reputations change the entire experience. (p256)
• We remember what we expected to happen, even if it didn’t. (p257)
• Our expectation, shaped by our entire view of a brand, doesn’t merely influence our experience. It is the experience. (p261)
• Repeatedly we see it: What we expect changes what we feel. (p265-266)
• We experience not things but our ideas of those things. Our brains fool our bodies, just as our bodies often trick our brains. (p266)
• Marketers cannot merely develop great products and services; they must develop, nurture, and manage great expectations (p266)
• During our decision making, the organ that processes our data sits on the sidelines while our feelings do the work. When our feelings reach their decision, they summon our brains to come in and draft the rationale, a task it does so well that it manages to convince us that it’s right–and that it was in charge the whole time. (p287)
• We see that few trends are trends; most are fads that start to decline almost from the second we spot them. Fads come and go, and marketers eager to endure look beyond them and ask the question at the heart of this book: What leads us to choose what we choose? (p291)
I was very annoyed in the acknowledgements when he said that "until this book" he hadn't really believed that writing a book is like giving birth to a baby. Still not a good analogy when the point is "you hurt all over" after. If you lean into the "bringing something new into the world" aspect I would be more inclined give you a pass.
Favorite Quotes:
• …we humans are unusually biased toward choosing things that seem familiar (p7)
• That’s the rule, not the exception. When our shortcuts don’t work, we decide with our feelings, usually within seconds, then reassemble the facts to support our decision. (p11)
• It’s the surprises–the notes or lyrics we do not expect–that make a piece creep into the soul (p29)
• The second reason for the emphasis on themes relates to memory. Slogans typically are designed to appear at the end of a commercial or the bottom of the advertisement, and we tend to best remember the last thing we see or hear. (p35)
• …a story is a single coherent whole that makes sense out of a lot of parts. Aesop, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, Confucius, and followers of the Buddha all knew it; every religion has stories at its center. (p43)
• His simplicity drew people in. Simplicity always does. (p48)
• We don’t buy things; we buy what they mean, and a company’s stories provide that meaning. We need narratives from birth to comprehend our world and everything in it. (p60)
• We value things that are hard to find; they strike us as special and seem more valuable. (p97)
• When outsiders criticize Americans, they regularly note that we seem self-centered, which we are. But few contend that we are selfish, and with good reason; we are not. Every international need organization knows that to market its cause–cleft palates, tsunamis in Indonesia, or need Romanian orphans, to name three–they need to go to America first.
One could argue that there was little need to call on many Americans after the tsunami, because many of us would not answer; we already had booked our tickets to Indonesia. (p109)
• “Compassion” literally means “suffering with” (p109)
• READ: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few by Surowriecki
• We want to know what people are reaching and watching because we want to participate in the dialogue about those shows and books. Just as significant, we do not want to feel left out of those conversations. We want to be a part. (p118)
• H.O.G. illustrates a key trend: community as a service (CAAS). Good marketers always ask, “How can we bind our users together?” Nike does it by forming Nike running clubs at Nike stores nationwide. (p131)
• We can tire of the familiar, but we never tire of great memories and the great brands that created them… (p138)
• Americans hate snobs, those who pretend not to know that all of us are created equal. (p140)
• It was a classic human error: concluding too much from too little. (p155)
• Smiles comfort us; they signal, “I am a blessing, not a danger,” and they radiate optimism, something to which we are uniquely attracted. (p159)
• People who believe in major miracles, as we do, are even more apt to believe in lesser ones, like having thinner thighs in just seconds a day or becoming rich by working four hours a week. By our nature, we trust claims of “New and Improved!” because we believe in new and improved. (p180)
• We live in the age of the apparent. Design dominates this age because design works, and because our love of beauty is deep in our bones. It’s deep inside us. (p188)
• Today we are brands of one, making fashion statements that really are comments about ourselves. (p192)
• Andrew’s evaluators confirm for us again: We think with our eyes. (p193)
• We call a person we think is complete “well rounded.” By telling contrast, someone behind the times was once called “square.” Boxes are traps; when our thinking is stuck, we need to think “outside the box.” If we break the law, we may be confined to a cell, another box. When we die, many of us are consigned to a box: “They put him in a box and buried him.” The working space we most deplore is called a cube. (p202)
• Once again, we are not always a thinking animal, but an assuming one. We assume traits of a company from its name; we shortcut. (p212)
• We constantly take shortcuts, and the Looks or Sounds Easier is among our favorites. (p213)
• But for sheer simplicity, does anything top Google? (Any why don’t more marketers learn from that and make their home pages simple and quick?) (p216)
• Design changes not just our perceptions but our actions. Perhaps we should not repeat the old saw “Never judge a book by its cover,” because covers matter; design alters how we see and feel. The cover is the book; the package is the product.
We probably find ourselves thinking that what is more remarkable about design is this: how superficial it isn’t. Design, even the design of our neighborhoods, changes us… (p220)
• In the age of information, not knowing is a form of not belonging. (p243)
• Our loves don’t change, and the best marketers know that. So they don’t follow trends; like us, they follow our hearts. (p251)
• This turns out to be yet another story, not of dashed expectations but of expectations generally, and how they distort the lenses through which we see. (p255)
• Everything has a reputation that precedes it. But Trillin’s experience suggests that reputations do more than set our expectations. Reputations change the entire experience. (p256)
• We remember what we expected to happen, even if it didn’t. (p257)
• Our expectation, shaped by our entire view of a brand, doesn’t merely influence our experience. It is the experience. (p261)
• Repeatedly we see it: What we expect changes what we feel. (p265-266)
• We experience not things but our ideas of those things. Our brains fool our bodies, just as our bodies often trick our brains. (p266)
• Marketers cannot merely develop great products and services; they must develop, nurture, and manage great expectations (p266)
• During our decision making, the organ that processes our data sits on the sidelines while our feelings do the work. When our feelings reach their decision, they summon our brains to come in and draft the rationale, a task it does so well that it manages to convince us that it’s right–and that it was in charge the whole time. (p287)
• We see that few trends are trends; most are fads that start to decline almost from the second we spot them. Fads come and go, and marketers eager to endure look beyond them and ask the question at the heart of this book: What leads us to choose what we choose? (p291)
August 14, 2017
Harry Beckwith has written a book about his own subjective ideas on why people purchase the things they do. He seems to have no problem claiming his own opinions as the truth, even though the way he arrives at his conclusions is very unscientific and biased. Throughout the book his tone is condescending and he seems to think very highly of his own intelligence.
Mr Beckwith writes about the popularity of iPhones and claims it has to do with the lovely bright colours of the app thumbnails, relating those colours with the cereal packages of "OUR" childhood. I for one had never heard of any of the products he mentioned and so have to regrettably note that I did not share my childhood with Mr Beckwith. He has no scientific backing for any of his claims, he just presents his own thoughts as the objective truth.
In another section he wanted to show how the "tall dark stranger" stereotype is a myth, and did so by letting the reader in on the secret existence of a few blond and short actors in Hollywood. Clearly this is proof that no one has ever been attracted to a tall dark man, when even Tom Cruise is only 5'7"!
I recommend this book for those interested in Harry Beckwith's opinions on consumerism and the attractiveness of tall dark men, but for people interested in the psychology behind people's consumer habits I would encourage one to look elsewhere.
Mr Beckwith writes about the popularity of iPhones and claims it has to do with the lovely bright colours of the app thumbnails, relating those colours with the cereal packages of "OUR" childhood. I for one had never heard of any of the products he mentioned and so have to regrettably note that I did not share my childhood with Mr Beckwith. He has no scientific backing for any of his claims, he just presents his own thoughts as the objective truth.
In another section he wanted to show how the "tall dark stranger" stereotype is a myth, and did so by letting the reader in on the secret existence of a few blond and short actors in Hollywood. Clearly this is proof that no one has ever been attracted to a tall dark man, when even Tom Cruise is only 5'7"!
I recommend this book for those interested in Harry Beckwith's opinions on consumerism and the attractiveness of tall dark men, but for people interested in the psychology behind people's consumer habits I would encourage one to look elsewhere.
May 23, 2014
"Stream of consciousness gibberish. It's like a mind dump of ideas trying to connect with advertising and things we experience in life. The actual substantive part would probably fit in a blog article but I abandoned the book after encountering several errors.
I LOVED Selling the Invisible. This one didn't hit with me."
I LOVED Selling the Invisible. This one didn't hit with me."
May 14, 2023
Everything in this book was verifiable by the examples presented but in no way pushed its own thinking. There's no examination or context for SO much of this. Specifically the section with Marilyn Monroe. You know what I'm talking about.
May 15, 2012
Quick and inoffensive. More than anything, a collection of somewhat interesting anecdotes and a lot of premises taken for granted. Light on meaningful analysis.
November 21, 2017
To be honest, I did not take the book seriously when I'm reading it. I skimmed most of the pages and didn't even bother to read the content but titles.
The reason is simple; the book falls squarely into the category of "False Causality" which I tinged so much when I reading it. I even more agitated by some so-called expert marketer that recommend the book for me as a guidebook for successful marketing campaign.
I personally think this is those kinds of books only meant for leisure reading but never take it seriously.
(Read his another best-selling book, "Selling the Invisible" if you're looking for some interesting business book)
The reason is simple; the book falls squarely into the category of "False Causality" which I tinged so much when I reading it. I even more agitated by some so-called expert marketer that recommend the book for me as a guidebook for successful marketing campaign.
I personally think this is those kinds of books only meant for leisure reading but never take it seriously.
(Read his another best-selling book, "Selling the Invisible" if you're looking for some interesting business book)
July 7, 2018
I listened to the audio book and it is outstanding! The book is short and to the point with relevant and useful examples.
To summarize the author details that we make choices based on familiarity and many times our choices are wrong, misleading, or counter-productive. The book also details how companies have and are using this knowledge for marketing and production purposes to attract us to the products they sell and it works! The example of the Swiffer duster with Italian house cleaners is a very good example.
Beckwith references Malcolm Gladwell on several occasions and this book is very similar in style to most of Gladwell's books.
I highly recommend this book.
To summarize the author details that we make choices based on familiarity and many times our choices are wrong, misleading, or counter-productive. The book also details how companies have and are using this knowledge for marketing and production purposes to attract us to the products they sell and it works! The example of the Swiffer duster with Italian house cleaners is a very good example.
Beckwith references Malcolm Gladwell on several occasions and this book is very similar in style to most of Gladwell's books.
I highly recommend this book.
April 28, 2019
Well, first of all, I did not enjoy this book at all. Perhaps force reading for my course was one of the main reason, but Beckwith’s argument was very biased and his language was so strong that I feel like he tries to connect all the example (which somes are not even connected) to prove his points. However, I still agree with some of his points, and some were very interesting, but I believe I will not reach for it anymore. Business and marketing people might enjoy it more than me, it’s just not for me then.
May 15, 2017
Parts of the book made me go wow and it's actually a really big eye opener in terms of advertising. I found myself laughing sometimes even though it's not supposed to be a funny book. I recommend this book even if you're not an advertiser or business. It's a sort of hack book.
July 25, 2020
Overall a good read. Probably the most interesting book I've ever read for school but I would have loved to see more statistics and factual data given that this was a book about marketing tactics and their effectiveness in real life. But still an very interesting book.
September 15, 2019
Great insight into the psychology of buying, as it were
September 23, 2022
Some really interesting observations and some things I don't quite buy.
September 17, 2024
I did not like this book. It seemed more antidotal than fact based, with a touch of misogyny
February 11, 2020
This book reminded me of the book "Buyology", which I thought was overall a better book. This book was interesting, but I felt that the author was trying too hard to make his point sometimes. According to him, the Beatles were successful in the US largely because Brian Epstein had the then apparently radical idea of not naming their first US album after a hit song, but rather inviting us to "Meet the Beatles." It is an iconic album cover, but that was not why they were so popular. He could have named the album "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or "Yeah Yeah Yeah" or "Four Liverpudlians Sing a Bunch of Songs." It wouldn't have mattered. I was there, and I still distinctly remember the impact the Beatles had on me when I first watched them perform. And I was just a little girl. A skeptical little girl at that. But even I knew I was seeing something great. Some things, some people, just transcend marketing.
The other passage I remember from the book is where he is saying we like nostalgia, and that fashions and trends often cycle back around. He states something to the effect that in 2010, if we walked into a Starbucks, we would see men sitting around in polo shirts, khakis, Levis, Adidas and Puma running shoes, button-down shirts and sport coats, just like in 1964 in a coffee shop we'd see men sitting around in polo shirts, khakis, Levis, Adidas and puma running shoes, button-down shirts and sport coats. But in 1964, only teenagers and farmers wore Levis and there were no Adidas and Puma running shoes (which the author should know as he has a chapter in the book about the advent and marketing of running shoes in the 1970's). People only wore tennis shoes while playing tennis, and Converse basketball shoes when they were playing basketball. Overall, the research and some of the assumptions or ideas in the book seem a little sloppy and not well-thought out. If you want to read a book about the psychology of why we buy what we buy, I'd recommend "Buyology".
The other passage I remember from the book is where he is saying we like nostalgia, and that fashions and trends often cycle back around. He states something to the effect that in 2010, if we walked into a Starbucks, we would see men sitting around in polo shirts, khakis, Levis, Adidas and Puma running shoes, button-down shirts and sport coats, just like in 1964 in a coffee shop we'd see men sitting around in polo shirts, khakis, Levis, Adidas and puma running shoes, button-down shirts and sport coats. But in 1964, only teenagers and farmers wore Levis and there were no Adidas and Puma running shoes (which the author should know as he has a chapter in the book about the advent and marketing of running shoes in the 1970's). People only wore tennis shoes while playing tennis, and Converse basketball shoes when they were playing basketball. Overall, the research and some of the assumptions or ideas in the book seem a little sloppy and not well-thought out. If you want to read a book about the psychology of why we buy what we buy, I'd recommend "Buyology".
April 4, 2011
Beckwith has offered us here a very accessible investigation into the cyclical exchanges that form the relationship between the consumer zeitgeist and the almost astoundingly complex world of marketing successes and failures. His best gestures are those that gently guide into understanding those justifiably perplexing examples that seem to defy all of our intuitions.
While the structuring of the book at times struck me as a bit scattershot and jumpy, this allowed for a certain fluidity that I appreciated in the way it worked to highlight the interweaving that underlies so much of the commercial world as it attempts to mime the movements of the Buyer. I did occasionally feel that Beckwith had left a lot on the workshop floor however, and my gut response is that while the book isn't slim as it stands, another 40 or 50 pages of deeper exploration on some of these topics were not only probably available but would have done some appreciable work towards a culminated effect that reached further than, "Well, that's all very interesting."
I suspect this might be reflected in the book apparently being framed less as an intellectual endeavor on the matters at hand than a 'How-To' for young marketers looking to get a larger grasp of the market's often schizophrenic-seeming personality. This hardly means it is without insight, but does mean that at least this reader felt Beckwith had shortchanged not only the consumers of the book but his own investigations.
While the structuring of the book at times struck me as a bit scattershot and jumpy, this allowed for a certain fluidity that I appreciated in the way it worked to highlight the interweaving that underlies so much of the commercial world as it attempts to mime the movements of the Buyer. I did occasionally feel that Beckwith had left a lot on the workshop floor however, and my gut response is that while the book isn't slim as it stands, another 40 or 50 pages of deeper exploration on some of these topics were not only probably available but would have done some appreciable work towards a culminated effect that reached further than, "Well, that's all very interesting."
I suspect this might be reflected in the book apparently being framed less as an intellectual endeavor on the matters at hand than a 'How-To' for young marketers looking to get a larger grasp of the market's often schizophrenic-seeming personality. This hardly means it is without insight, but does mean that at least this reader felt Beckwith had shortchanged not only the consumers of the book but his own investigations.
July 21, 2014
This is yet another business book that is not based on research, but on some amusing stories with cherry-picked "facts". I am dubious anyway that an American born and raised can write about what American culture is. In chapter 2, he makes a basic factual error about the painting "American Gothic" (that the man and woman are supposed to be husband and wife), which was easily verified as wrong in 30 seconds with Wikipedia. In the section about how American actors aren't tall, dark and handsome, Beckwith compared two different generations of actors in comparing American actors with British actors. (There is also a misspelling of Nicolas Cage's name, but I'll blame that on lack of a copyeditor.) He argues in chapter 3 that Ford and GM suffered from excessive familiarity -- ignoring the overwhelming quality issues that have plagued both for decades. If I were more versed in marketing I'm sure I would have found more, but finding these three on a quick read-through is enough to make me doubt anything that Beckwith says. It's a shame because he does have some fun stories about marketing the seat-belt laws to Americans and the fall and rise of Harley Davidson. But I can't recommend the book to anyone.
September 11, 2011
This was another book that told me about a bunch of interesting studies, but never does much with their information. I did learn that focus groups prefer round logos to rectangular, but it didn't mention what effect the logo preference has on a given companies sales. They shared stories like I've read before about the faulty assumptions people make, somewhat entertaining, but not terribly helpful. I like reading the stories, and individually they all support the overall point of the sections, but I expect to get more out of the book by the end of it...it should all come together in some exciting new revelation. But 'draw on childhood interests', 'appeal to the eye' and 'play to our culture' (the general idea of the three main sections of the book) aren't really new and inspirational ideas, even if the stories are amusing. So I was never really surprised by the forces behind what we buy, as the subtitle seemed to think I would be. I guess the lesson here is, the marketer knew how to market the book well enough for me to pick it up. So he clearly knows something...I'm just not sure this book really passed that knowledge along.
July 30, 2016
Supposed to be about what motivates us to buy things. It ended up being a lot about advertising in particular, which makes sense, I would've thought the background would've been a bit more psychology and economics-influenced. This was one of those books I almost gave up on, primarily because it's told primarily through anecdotal evidence, and the conclusions that he draws I just don't always buy. It seems like he often just assumes because two things correlate that one causes the other, when as I'm listening I can think of a half-dozen other explanations in my mind for a particular trend.
Perhaps the physical book has better footnotes and cites better psychological studies that back up the information he gives, but overall it just came across as a huge flop. Not to mention it also felt incredibly disorganized in places. Really almost nothing in this book worked for me--it was a great topic, poor execution.
Perhaps the physical book has better footnotes and cites better psychological studies that back up the information he gives, but overall it just came across as a huge flop. Not to mention it also felt incredibly disorganized in places. Really almost nothing in this book worked for me--it was a great topic, poor execution.
March 7, 2011
I was initially really excited, and continued to be interested throughout but in the end it was kind of like learning a magic trick. The subtitle is "The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy". But after he presents some of the foundations for his claims, you realize, it's not so surprising at all - we buy stuff that is fun to play with, that other people we know are buying, and that looks cool. He does have plenty of good psychological research studies, and documentation of marketing and sales data, to support his views. In fact it does read much like the Malcolm Gladwell style of text, which he occasionally references. If only he would move from a perspective of 'observer/consultant' to one of a global TED-like thinker, he would potentially have even more positive effect and influence.
August 19, 2016
Similar to what others have said, I was excited when I saw this on the shelf at the library thinking this would give me insight about modern marketing using statistics and facts over opinion. I found the flow of the book a little bit hard to follow. Beckwith engages the reader in new topics throughout the book using pop culture references and anecdotes but is quick to dismiss them and move onto another topic. The lack of depth in each topic he introduces makes it hard to fully immerse myself into what he's saying. I had a hard time finishing the book for this reason, but it is certainly not a lengthy read (I'd dedicate maybe a couple hours for it).
Note that this is a review of the book. As an author I think Beckwith is very knowledgeable and I'll be picking up some of his other stuff in the near future :)
Note that this is a review of the book. As an author I think Beckwith is very knowledgeable and I'll be picking up some of his other stuff in the near future :)
October 7, 2016
This was a very quick read. It reminded me of a lot of Malcolm Gladwell's work, which to me is pretty good. Harry Beckwith makes a compelling case with numerous examples and anecdotes to show that Americans and humans in general don't really think rationally when it comes to buying things. We follow trends, we like the familiar, but not the too familiar or it becomes boring.
In the book, Beckwith lists three main things we follow when buying things: Childhood, Culture and Eyes.
As a person that isn't a marketer, this book was interesting from the psychology standpoint, but I didn't really care about the tips for improving your brand or whatever.
In the book, Beckwith lists three main things we follow when buying things: Childhood, Culture and Eyes.
As a person that isn't a marketer, this book was interesting from the psychology standpoint, but I didn't really care about the tips for improving your brand or whatever.
June 23, 2011
I enjoyed this book.
However it was over-the-top American (often the word America appeared four or five times a page), the author really found evidence that supported his theory as opposed to looking at evidence to find a theory. That said, you find it hard to ever disagree with his logic which is why I'd still recommend it - just with the above caveat.
I have edited my review and upped the rating to 4-stars. This is due to the impact that the "checklist" at the end of the book has had on both my businesses. That list is worth the price of admission by itself.
However it was over-the-top American (often the word America appeared four or five times a page), the author really found evidence that supported his theory as opposed to looking at evidence to find a theory. That said, you find it hard to ever disagree with his logic which is why I'd still recommend it - just with the above caveat.
I have edited my review and upped the rating to 4-stars. This is due to the impact that the "checklist" at the end of the book has had on both my businesses. That list is worth the price of admission by itself.
August 16, 2015
there are times when the gung-ho American consumerist attitudes begin to be a little over the top. the thoughts and ideas in the book, make pressing on worth the slight annoyance. in hindsight, anybody building a business, or trying to spread an idea should be aware of the typical American attitudes in order to help grow your business.
the author isn't promoting "tricks", he does say that a quality product is your best marketing tool. he is pointing out some of the more subtle, behind the scene interior workings of our selves, that we should be aware of.
the author isn't promoting "tricks", he does say that a quality product is your best marketing tool. he is pointing out some of the more subtle, behind the scene interior workings of our selves, that we should be aware of.
February 14, 2016
It's an okay book about how Americans think from a marketing standpoint.
While most people say they want innovation and a lot of bells and whistles, after all is said and done ultimately the products that win our dollars are things that appeal to our childlike sensibilities, that reinforce our optimism and make our lives easier.
Perhaps that how Fairey's Hope campaign poster helped Obama win the presidency. It has solid colors and it had a simple mission statement.
It's a short book so it's a recommend, but there are better books out there on consumer behavior (see my reading list).
While most people say they want innovation and a lot of bells and whistles, after all is said and done ultimately the products that win our dollars are things that appeal to our childlike sensibilities, that reinforce our optimism and make our lives easier.
Perhaps that how Fairey's Hope campaign poster helped Obama win the presidency. It has solid colors and it had a simple mission statement.
It's a short book so it's a recommend, but there are better books out there on consumer behavior (see my reading list).
July 7, 2011
I have got to stop reading these business books. It took forever to read, and the narrator was annoying. Same narrator as another business book from last year, I forget what, but this was kind of wandering and inconclusive. I know more about Harley-Davidson now than I was likely to know under other circumstances now, though.
February 18, 2012
Ugh, I had such high hopes. To be fair there were some really interesting ideas presented. But mostly it was just a conglomeration of the authors random ideas. There was no real organization and very little to base it off of, and the scientist in me really balked at the way he drew conclusions. It was a poor man's Malcolm Gladwell (who ironically was talked about a few times in this book!)
September 3, 2014
In the vein of Malcolm Gladwell, Beckwith brings to light observations that are usually covered by our environmental biases. Very interesting and important things to know but, also like Gladwell, there are no citations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The author provided thought-provoking material; so much that I have already started the process of writing again.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The author provided thought-provoking material; so much that I have already started the process of writing again.
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