JasonKoivu

Why oh why do we buy? Martin Lindstrom's Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy and the New Science of Desire goes a long way in answering that question.

Lindstrom explains the methods and mechanics used to judge our true buying tendencies. A brief history on past failed practices to elicit this information, as well as the current (and apparently successful) techniques, are discussed prior to the meat of the book, which is mainly about how our brains react to stimulus and how advertisers are tapping into that knowledge, for better or worse.

I don't like marketing and advertising, but I love learning how our brains work, and so I enjoyed much of what Buyology had to offer...even the embarrassing parts wherein I discovered I've been duped right along with millions of others into purchasing certain items because of a clever ad. The useful and uselessness of company logos, the "smashableness" of products, historic examples of product failure and success, all of these interesting topics were written in an intriguing, entertaining and engaging manner.