Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy

by Harry Beckwith

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.

Audio CD

First published January 26, 2011

About the author

Harry 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.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although ostensibly a book about marketing, it is much broader in scope. It's about what motivates us, what pushes our buttons. One of those things is stories, and the book is chock full of interesting stories. The bottom line, as I've learned from other books such as Thinking and Thinking Fast and Slow, is that we are governed by our emotions and then think up reasons to justify our choices post hoc. P.S. The title of the book is Unthinking, not Unmarketing.