
Alchemy
The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
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Buy Now for $31.46
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Narrated by:
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Rory Sutherland
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Written by:
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Rory Sutherland
About this listen
HOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN? The Ogilvy advertising legend—“one of the leading minds in the world of branding” (NPR)—explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas.
"A breakthrough book. Wonderfully applicable to about everything in life." —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan
“Veins of wisdom emerge regularly and brilliantly from these pages. Don't miss this book.” —Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence
Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.
Based on thirty years of field work inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived—the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism—Alchemy, the revolutionary book by Ogilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.
Heralded as “one of the leading minds in the world of branding” by NPR, Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in this audio) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision-making can be found in surprising places:
What can honey bees teach us about creating a sustainable business?
How could budget airlines show us how to market a healthcare system?
Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?
What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk-aversion?
Better “branding,” Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products, but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech.
Equally startling and profound, Sutherland’s journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.
©2019 Rory Sutherland (P)2019 HarperCollins PublishersYou may also enjoy...
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From early on, we are taught that there's only one path to getting ahead: do well at school, get a certain kind of job, and avoid failure at all costs. We're so busy trying to follow these rules that we never stop and ask ourselves: What's my purpose? Is my 9-5 really what I want to do? What kind of job or business do I really want to pursue? Do I have the power to make it happen? With Simon Squibb’s incisive new book, you can make it happen.
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Ok
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I only have one gripe: What the author frames as “anti-rational thinking” is really *expanded* rationality; a rationality that is broad enough to encompasses the the strange, counter-intuitive quirks of human psychology.
Mind-expanding
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Excellent
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brilliant
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If you work in management or have employees, you need to read this.
Exceptional!
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A blind purchase, well worth it
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Of note, the audiobook is spectacular. Read by Rory himself, it ads a certain character to the narrative that only he could deliver.
A must read for anyone who works with people...
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Alchemy, the magic of Marketing
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Irrational doesn't mean incorrect, and the inverse
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Fascinating and full of examples
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A rare breed of business book which actually says something interesting
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