Selling Me

Martin Lindstrom writes in Fast Company about the 'Me Selling Proposition'.  Personalizing things from postage stamps to beverages to make them feel very much like mine.  He relates it to a personalized marketing experiment he did in his recent book: Brandwashed.  At the link you can read the excerpt about the experiment called 'the Morgensons'.

Teasers from Brandwashed

Martin Lindstrom's latest book: Brandwashed has made number 8 on USA Today's bestsellers list.   He sends along a flier that outlines a number of interesting topics in this controversial book.    Check out the flyer  here, it includes a provocative test to see if you have been brandwashed yourself.  Includes such topics as:  How you walk determines how much you spend ...   Subliminal Speed Bumps .... and the Convincing Power of the Morgensons.    Nicely done.    

Brandwashed Review

Good balanced review of Martin Lindstrom's just published Brandwashed book. Emphasizes Lindstrom's insider view of the marketing world.   I have mentioned his book here a number of times, including some example videos.  Good read.

Brandwashed Published

Martin Lindstrom's new book: Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate our Minds and Persuade us to Buy is now available.  See this press release for much more, including excerpts and videos and ordering. See also my previous reviews of a pre-copy.  Great book that will open the eyes of consumers, and even give some new insight to the marketer.  Are we ready?

Brandwashed Videos

A couple of videos sent to me that illustrate the topics in Martin Lindstrom's forthcoming book: Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy I have finished a review copy and it is a useful and rollicking read for everyone that buys or hopes to convince someone to buy.  See also my previous posts on Brandwashed.




Have we been Brandwashed? The question is posed by Martin Lindstrom; a 2009 recipient of TIME Magazine's  "World  s 100 Most Influential People" and author of Buyology - Truth and Lies About Why We Buy (Doubleday, New York), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best - seller ...  "

Brandwashed Read and Reviewed

Just completed a review copy of : Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom.   To be available September 20.  Have enjoyed Lindstrom's earlier books such as Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.

I will be posting some review snippets of this book here.  I highly recommend every marketer and consumer read it.  It is very much an updated version of Vance Packard's 1958 book: Hidden Persuaders.  Completely updated and containing lots of interesting examples of how marketing manipulates.   In many, but not all cases, he names specific companies and agencies.  Of course today, unlike in the 50s, we have many more marketing channels than just  TV, Radio, Billboards and Print.  The Internet is now here as well.  Shoppers are armed with their own mobile devices, and data about their activities is being recorded at a furious rate.

People who work in marketing or merchandising will know many of the examples mentioned, but I found some I had not heard of.  Lindstrom also commissions some specific studies for the book, such as in the final chapter where he constructs a test of human influencers, using the Morgenson family.   He also mentions  commissioned studies using brain study methods like fMRI.

Since I worked with the design and use of  mock retail innovation centers,  I will start by quoting the book on just such a concept:

" ... Very few people know this, but most major consumer goods companies, including Unilever, Kraft, Pepsico and Coca-Cola have set up 'fake supermarkets' ...  They stock the shelves with their own products and those of their competitors, then late at night  ... they invite people to come and shop.  While they are browsing the aisle, cameras and brain-scanning equipment are measuring what happens in real time while they select and reject various brands and items.  Not unlike in the film  'Minority Report', these supermarkets generally have a control room lined with TV screens on which reps can actually measure the changes in consumers brain waves as they encounter different positioning of products.  Based on this data, the company develops what in the business is called a Planogram, a model showing where each product should be placed to generate the highest sales .... "  

This is mostly correct, and looks ahead as we further seek to understand the conscious and especially non-conscious interactions of shoppers with the shelf and packaging,  using all of their senses.  The store laboratory allows for new retail designs to be both virtually and  physically examined.  The future is here today.

See also Martin Lindstrom's site.  As one review suggests, Lindstrom is very much an insider, and that makes this book all the more telling and interesting.  In today's world, unlike in Packard's, the industry changes very  quickly.  Advances like Neuromarketing, interactive signage, and electronic shelf labels, mentioned in the book, are changing quickly.  The book provides great examples of their use, but cannot hope to keep up with them.  Go to Lindstrom's site, and follow others like this site to keep up to date.

Brandwashed

Just starting to read: Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom.   To be available September 20.  Have enjoyed Lindstrom's earlier books such as Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.  His books are story telling and inspirational rather than either technical or 'how to' .    He tells a good story and leads you to results in a way similar to someone giving an excellent presentation.   It does remind me of Vance Packard's 1950s book Hidden Persuaders, showing the level and details of exploitation that are ultimately used by marketers and merchandisers.  A kind of expose'   Thus this book is more B to C than B to B, and may be more interesting to the consumer than marketer.  A bigger market.   I will follow up with a complete review when I am done with the book. So far it is an enjoyable and quick read.  See also Lindstrom's site for background information.

Brain and Brand Vibrations

Martin Lindstrom in his latest article writes about phantom cellphone vibrations That have us reaching for our pockets even without any conscious cues. He relates how this work relates to fmri studies he did concerning the influence of cigarette warning images. Our brains are powerful and very malleable instruments. Thus the increasing interest in how our brains really react to marketing messages. And how we ultimately respond to those cues under alternative scripts of behavior. Big sophisticated marketers are all investigating. I will be reviewing colleague Lindstrom's forthcoming book 'BrandWashed, Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy' here soon.