Customer Reviews

What Americans Really Want...Really: The Truth About Our Hopes, Dreams, and Fears

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the owner of a small business, I'm looking for insight that will help me understand my clients and make decisions that will help my business grow, especially in our current economy. I pre-ordered this book based on the strength of Dr. Luntz' previous book, Words That Work, which offered some great tips on how to communicate more effectively. While he and I are on different sides politically, his new book does not seem to have any party affiliation (the first quote he uses is from JFK!). His writing style is engaging and entertaining, and fairly balanced as well.

I found the chapter on jobs and work ("I Can't Get No Satisfaction") to be the most interesting. Not only does he talk about what workers want from their employers, he also turns the tables and discusses what employers expect from their employees. Putting both in the same context is revealing, highlighting the areas where the two sides are out of synch. The aspects of an employer that Luntz lists as being important to employees are valid when customers look at a company as well.

His analysis of the "2020 Generation" was an eye-opener. The picture Luntz paints is of a large group of consumers who think and act (and react) so differently than their predecessors, so the old way of thinking no longer applies. Luntz' interviews and focus groups sounded like they were painful for the media executives to observe, yet they produced some good advice on how to appeal to this segment.

The chapter on politics was useful, although I might have read it differently than then author intended. I found value by looking at the voters as consumers and government as the product. The "lessons" section at the end of the chapter is as relevant to a business, or to any interpersonal relationship, as it would be to an elected representative.

The old joke is that a consultant is someone who looks at your watch and tells you what time it is. Luntz is effective in this role - to me, his identification of our priorities show what people around me are thinking, which is a valuable lesson to learn.

If you care about what is really happening in America, you need to read this book.

Finally, someone tells me what Americans think rather than what I should think. While I was expecting a lot of politics, there's so much more. Luntz hits all the hot topics: jobs, healthcare, climate change, religion, even retirement.

I also like the fact that Luntz provides a significant amount of public opinion data, some of it his own and some of it from other public sources, to back up his conclusions. Clearly a lot of work went into writing this book.

His last book taught me a lot. What I learned from this one will prove even more valuable in my daily life.

The author tells the reader right up front that he or she is going to read a lot of pessimistic stuff in this volume, "but this book isn't designed to bring you down. On the contrary, it has been written to help you identify and take full advantage of the numerous silver linings in even the darkest clouds."
"In our reality, we need a new road map to help us figure out where we are going and how best to get there. This book is that road map--a snapshot of who we are, what we believe, and where we hope to go both as individuals and as a nation." The author then goes on to explain some of the answers he has learned from decades of public-opinion polling in all fifty states.
"In essence, this book is about listening--and learning from--the American People." Basketball great Jason Kidd said, "read, react, execute. Read the basketball court not just as it looks at that instant but as it will look a split second later; react to the opportunities in front of you as they develop; and execute so that those opportunities are realized. That's a good metaphor" for both the title of this book and for life itself. The book is about how to find opportunities for better understanding and then to maybe to put those insights into finding a service or product that can be provided.
The author further states that the attacks of 9/11 and the terrible recession America has just passed through has caused major psychological setbacks in the average American's optimism about the future. He predicts it will take years, maybe decades, to recover the American's "Can Do" confidence.
As the author points out at the very beginning of this tome, "The word `credit' comes from the Latin word that means `to believe'." Americans have lost much of their core beliefs in the "credibility" of their government and it's institutions. This book is filled with focus group tested words and phrases that we the public are bombarded with all day and night both from product advertisers and politicians. That is what makes this book seem so "right on." It reminds me of another similar myth busting book called "The Millionaire Next Door." That book blasted through the myths and misinformation about who millionaires are, where and how they live and how they got their fortunes. Almost every page contained new truths. Ditto for this book.
Unlike the just mentioned book, this one has a business applications to it. It tells how individuals and businesses can figure out exactly what people really want and how to make a product or service that satisfies that desire. It lists the most desired aspects of any product Americans hanker to own.
The book is packed with enlightening information, but here are just a few of the points the author makes based on his years of conducting focus groups. All Americans will tell you that they are for energy conservation, but what they really mean is that they want to live exactly as they do now, but they want their cars and appliances to make more efficient use of energy. They don't want to drive less or buy smaller homes that require less heat and a/c or are closer to work, they want to be able to drive much farther on the same gallon of gas at a cheap price. They see conservation largely as improved energy efficiency--through better technology. Hassle-free technology
rules.
One of the things that most Americans absolutely hate are recorded answering services that have the caller press their way through an endless menu of items. Americans want to speak to humans who speaks their language, usually with their own local accent and who also know the answers to why they are calling. The focus groups say that if the first live person answering the phone doesn't know the information he can only pass the caller on to
one other "specialist who knows the answer." People feel like they are getting the run-a-round if a third expert
has to be consulted. Businesses should beware of this fact.
Americans want good quality and service at low prices. They want hassle-free "push the button and start using it" technology that doesn't constantly break down. Apple is one of the best users of this information about what the market seeks. The typical Apple product users consider themselves to be part of a unique group and identify with it. They like being part of groups they can identify with such as "Mac Owners." The most desired thing most Americans (men and women) want is more money. Also near the top of desires is more free time. Some of the other top choices aren't so obvious and may astound the reader?
Personally, along with the book's author, I liked the results of a focus group done with a group of Playboy Bunnies about how they decided if they wanted to date a man. I won't give away all the findings reported in the book, but the first thing the PB Bunnies checked in a prospective date was the man's watch to see if was expensive enough. Then they checked the man's shoes and later went down their list to the make and cost of his car. That information wasn't all that surprising to this reviewer except for the number one consideration--the prospective date's wrist watch and number three on the list. Sorry you'll have to read the book to find out what was the third most important consideration the Playboy Bunnies looked for in prospective date. Try guessing what it is before you
peek. You'll probably be amazed at how wrong your guess was?
This was a really fascinating eye-opener. It's nice to have a source that clears up mistaken assumptions and provides the actual facts. It's a good read and chuck full of interesting information. Unlike much of the media and politicians this book lets the reader take a voyeur's peek at what American consumers really, really want.

The author, a highly respected person in his field, has written a timely, well-documented, informative book. I recommend it to anyone, but especially to marketers, to people who sell anything at all to anyone at all. I found some parts more interesting and useful than others, of course. For example, I appreciated the way the author tested selling phrases to see which one sold the most products. As a copywriter, I'm continually amazed at how changing one tiny word can make all the difference in the world!

Find out what Americans really want. You'll be surprised at some of the findings. It's not always what we think. This knowledge is worth more than gold in selling to people in this country.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

I read this book hoping to see true revelations, but what I found instead was a book full of obvious notions and deductions. Gee, everyone wants a better life and government accountability and safer schools. People eat fast food because they don't have a lot of free time. Religion is playing a dwindling role in American life. DUH.

I did find the "Generation 2020" chapter a little interesting, thus the 3 stars. But all it did was verify my own suspicions about the "me" generation and how they want everything without actually EARNING it. Boy that paints an optimistic picture of the future, doesn't it?

If you're looking for an insightful book that reveals the hidden desires of the average person, this book isn't for you. Even the polling data itself is somewhat useless because of the questions that ask for "top 2" or "top 3" results.

I enjoyed watching Frank Luntz on TV during the campaign because I felt he asked the tough questions and had a strong sense of public opinion. I *hoped* this book would be more of that, but it wasn't.

I bought this book because his previous book left such a mark on me. I didn't fully understand what a difference words make in voters' minds, for example, by renaming the Estate Tax to the Death Tax.

This book is more about what Frank Luntz learned of American attitudes from polling than it is about how words matter, which made me skeptical in the beginning. In the first chapter he made a few sweeping conclusions from his polling that ended with statements like, "and forever changed our view of the environment." Really? I distinctly remember the largest demonstrations our nation ever had, in the early 70s, after our view of the environment was forever changed due to Lake Erie dying. Forever only lasted a few years in that case.

But I grew much more comfortable with the book as he described our attitudes towards businesses (CEOs are no longer trusted but entrepreneurs are), politics, the American Dream, choice, the Internet, news, etc. I listened to the audio version while biking and kept thinking, "I MUST remember that line!" Now I wish I read the Kindle version so I could have marked those lines and come back to them.

He is still the master of word choice and for me the best parts of the book were when he suggested better words than we use now. For example, the person who goes to their boss and asks, "How can I get a promotion" will likely get a bad reaction. But if they ask, "How can I earn a promotion," the feeling will be very different.

I can point to a dozen thoughts in this book that changed me.

Let's hope our government heeds the ideas promoted in this very well presented analysis of what we have fought and given our lives to preserve. JS-Texas

Frank Luntz has been finding out what people think since out of highschool. Basically it has been his vocation. Excellent book and if you own a business, especially one that deals with the public, there are a lot of good ideas.

Once again, Frank Luntz has hit the nail on the head! His grasp of Americans' wants and needs is Spot On! If you own a business or in any way manage or influence the direction your business proceeds in the future, this is a must read. Why assume what you think your customers want, when you can determine with clarity exactly what consumers want by reading Frank's book.

I'm actually listening to the audiobook version for the second time. This book, published in 2009, is based on the author's career of polling and interviewing thousands of Americans on a large variety of topics. Tha author, Dr. Luntz, is able to provide vivid pictures of how Americans think and feel about just about everything -- getting up in the morning, food, politics, the environment, cars, sex, you-name-it. He has a nice sense of humor and has written in a conversational and entertaining manner. While Dr. Luntz sometimes speaks of his own viewpoints, I never got the feeling that they influenced his understanding or presentation of the data. I'm a writer, writing for Americans, so find his data and insights very helpful for understanding my audience.