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Alchemy
- The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense
- Narrated by: Rory Sutherland
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
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Alchemy
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Publisher's Summary
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense, written by Rory Sutherland.
To be brilliant, you have to be irrational.
Why is Red Bull so popular - even though everyone hates the taste? Why do countdown boards on platforms take away the pain of train delays? And why do we prefer stripy toothpaste?
We think we are rational creatures. Economics and business rely on the assumption that we make logical decisions based on evidence.
But we aren’t, and we don’t.
In many crucial areas of our lives, reason plays a vanishingly small part. Instead we are driven by unconscious desires, which is why placebos are so powerful. We are drawn to the beautiful, the extravagant and the absurd - from lavish wedding invitations to tiny bottles of the latest fragrance. So if you want to influence people’s choices you have to bypass reason. The best ideas don’t make rational sense: they make you feel more than they make you think.
Rory Sutherland is the Ogilvy advertising legend whose TED Talks have been viewed nearly seven million times. In his first book he blends cutting-edge behavioural science, jaw-dropping stories and a touch of branding magic on his mission to turn us all into idea alchemists.
What listeners say about Alchemy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-2020
A must read for very marketer
Absolutely loved it; an excellent book on behavioural psycho-logic-ology. If you want to get closer to understanding how customers choose what they choose, it's a must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-05-2019
loved this book.
If you are in business or have a product or service you want to market for success this is a must read. A somewhat 'crusty' former advertising guru genius with a great sense of humor leads you through the realities and BS of modern marketing techniques and instead introduces the sensible quirk reality of the way people think when they are buying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rob
- 02-09-2020
Alchemy, slow start then grabs your interest
Rory's dulcet tones introduces the reader to the concept that we live in a world endentured to the philosophy of logical explanations. This world view limits our ability to see the power of illogical thinking.
The book was recommended as an intelligent discussion on modern marketing and it ticks all the boxes.
It is not an academic presentation, rather it's more a relaxed chat around theme of marketing solutions that fly in the face of economic logic.
Of course, the intial part covers information that is fairly common knowledge on marketing, however the progression moves into personal motivation and behavioural psychology with plenty of case studies.
He finishes, as he began, with a plea for a wider perspective in our thinking.
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- Andrew Ko
- 16-02-2023
Insightful
Absolutely fascinating look into marketing and psychology. Some really interesting case studies. Narrated by the author
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- JOHN
- 27-10-2024
Great insights
Lots of real world experience, it was real revelation and one I could relate to
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- SG
- 10-08-2021
Recommended by this cold-hearted logician!
I'm very close to being a homo economicus, and I found this book to be enormously enlightening, which ought to mean that the rest of you will like it even more than I did.
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- Albert
- 20-01-2021
Phenomenal!
Absolutely fantastic, recommended to all and especially readers who are fans of Nassim Taleb's Incerto series and general works. Enlightening and humourous, I only got half way through this before I went on a Rory Sutherland binge on YouTube.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-05-2022
I Just Keep Hitting Replay!
The combination of insights, stories and scientific references delivered with such a comforting voice has me using this book as my reference listen during my daily morning preparation ritual way after my initial read. The concepts and author have even been referenced in the most recent audiobook I am listening to which further validates this purchase. I am constantly using the information and knowledge provided in this book as a form of consulting therapy in many of my social and professional conversations.
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- Yulia
- 07-07-2023
Absolutely love this book
Highly recommend for anyone who is interested in human psychology and marketing to listen to this audiobook. I found this book very engaging and educational.
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- nick
- 09-10-2024
Good book
Liked it, very interesting and well written and funny in parts. Well worth a listen
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