The Advertised Mind: Ground-Breaking Insights Into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising (Hardcover)

by Erik Du Plessis (Author) "Many advertising books avoid asking a very basic question: 'Does advertising work?'..." (more)
Key Phrases: Millward Brown, South Africa, Professor Bahrick (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Go ahead and pick it up ... the book will give you a competitive advantage." -- Fast Company, Readers' Choice June 2005

Review
"Recall and persuasion are today's primary measures of ad effectiveness. Du Plessis makes the case that emotion is actually the foundation of both, a major shift that he says today's advertisers are reluctant to accept. ... Go ahead and pick it up ... the book will give you a competitive advantage." -- Fast Company, Readers' Choice June 2005

"Of all the books I have reviewed for this column over the past two years, The Advertised Mind is certainly one of the most interesting... [Erik du Plessis] has carried out some intelligent research, drawn some valuable conclusions, and explained complex subject-matter without resorting to spin, posturing or unnecessary jargon. Highly recommended.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Kogan Page; illustrated edition edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749443669
• ISBN-13: 978-0749443665
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,871 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cognitive science meets Madison Avenue, May 24, 2007

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This treatise is designed for patient, methodical readers with a quest for insight. Erik Du Plessis is committed to explaining how advertisements work on consumers' consciousness, so he reviews existing research on advertising, and includes cognitive science's understanding of how the brain works on a chemical and cellular level. His research is accessible, since he often recaps and provides analogies that bring it to life, but some of the material remains dense and even obfuscates key points. Du Plessis' results are accurate but may seem self-defining  such as the idea that ads you like are ads you remember  and they can be difficult to apply. This is an impressive attempt to bring social science and neurological theory to bear on advertising. Given the intangible nature of creativity, a strong intuitive understanding of what makes advertisements likeable might help ad designers get more from this dissection. Of course, the industry also wants to know how it can reach a tech-oriented audience that records its favorite programs on TIVO and fast-forwards through the ads anyway. We find that this innovative book may be most useful for professionals in areas that involve a quantifiable, systematic approach, such as methods for determining how many ads to buy and how to allocate them across television outlets and other media.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of what makes advertising work, July 8, 2005

By	A. Schools (Crystal Coast NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an accountant by trade who has recently taken on a volunteer advertising position. I found the book very informative in that it offered good common sensne to advertising. The conclusions were supported by research from all over the world. I will be reading it again.

5.0 out of 5 stars A scientific and psychological approach to the world of advertising, November 8, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising (Paperback)

It says something about the mind when the most easily remembered things are advertising jingles. "The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights Into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising" is a psychological look at advertising and how people deal with it. An effective advertisement is one that stays with the viewer, and creating an advertisement that does such a thing requires understanding the mind. A scientific and psychological approach to the world of advertising, "The Advertised Mind" is required reading for psychology students and business majors.