Brandwashed:Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy

 

Shirley J.                 Adult Non-Fiction              How Marketing Tactics use subliminal seduction to get                                                                                   consumers to buy their products and services

Brandwashed: Ticks Sompanies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom      304 pages

I first discovered the art of subliminal seduction in advertising when I was in college and I have been an avid reader on the subject ever since.   It is amazing the ways marketing firms come up with to keep their products and services in the front of the public's minds.   Now with data mining so easily accessible companies store our shopping habits, our brand preferences, our demographics and gear ads, coupons, mailings so spot to our wants and needs it seems as though they are psychic.   All those little ads constantly running on the sides of your computer screen are the ones hidden in among news stories that strangely enough are the product we last searched online for or bought.  George Orwell's work of fiction has seen the light of day - Big Brother is watching and learning and profiling us into varying shopper categories all based on what we buy.   Turns out compiling facts on us is a multi-billion dollar business worth paying big bucks to find out what our buying trends are so they know what to market to us and save their time and money on not shoving a bunch of things we don't want and won't buy at us.   It is fascinating the tricks used and how easily we all fall in line for it.   The author who is an expert in the field has also been duped by marketing ploys and he knows what to look for.   A fascinating book showing examples over time mentioning actual products and services by name and sharing just how they persuaded us to want and buy becoming lifelong loyal customers because a product was used in our home when we were growing up.  This information won't stop it from happening to you but will give you an understanding of how it is happening to you.  Clever.   I recommend this to anyone who would like to know the inside scoop on how companies seduce us.   High-schoolers on up.   Good book