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Rory Sutherland

Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life Hardcover – May 7, 2019

by Rory Sutherland (Author)

23 customer reviews

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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 these pages) 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.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Alchemy, as Rory Sutherland’s title promised, turns words into gold. Veins of wisdom emerge regularly and brilliantly from these pages. Don’t miss this book.” (ROBERT B. CIALDINI, author of the million-copy bestseller Influence)

“Buy this book. I loved it. It’s full of great insights.” (MATT RIDLEY, bestselling author of The Rational Optimist and Genome)

“This is a breakthrough book. Alchemy is wonderfully applicable to about everything in life. Furthermore, it is funny as hell.” (NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, author of The Black Swan)

“BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT: wonderfully heretical, naughty, funny, and wise. Alchemy has furnished me with enough good stories and sage aphorisms to keep my lecturers to tired students going for another ten years.” (JULES GODDARD, London Business School)

“Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy is a deeply original book.” (ROBERT TRIVERS)

From the Back Cover

How does magic happen?

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 fieldwork 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 these pages) 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 honeybees teach us about creating a sustainable business?

· How could budget airlines show us how to market a health-care 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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (May 7, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006238841X
ISBN-13: 978-0062388414
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 23 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Advertising (Books)
- #30 in Marketing & Consumer Behavior
- #12 in Market Research Business (Books)

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Paul Schwartzmeyer

A truly excellent book

May 19, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

It's hard to describe the enormity of this book, or Sutherland's mind for that matter. The first thing that grabs you is the author has a mountain of experience in hundreds, perhaps thousands of ad campaigns. He also has that singluar British quality of being odd. (His wife sent him to the store to buy a new toaster because the slots in there's were too narrow. He came home with a bread slicer. I think he's still married)

I suspect that most readers will want to read this several times, both for pleasure (it's really a fun read) but also because it will be hard to wrap your head around the information. An entrepreneur will want to think through the cases (there are dozens) and see how they apply to their business.

I would rank this book up there with Taleb's Incerto series. Important information from a man with a lifetime of frontline experience.

10 people found this helpful

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anon.

One of the best books I’ve read

July 23, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Who will like this book
* Anyone who makes any kinds of product — software products, physical products, experiences, processes, workplaces, cultures, etc
* Any entrepreneur seeking to create valuable businesses
* Anyone who wants to understand what is True in the world
* Any Charlie Munger fans
* Any Slate Star Codex fans
* If people would describe you as highly rational, highly logical, etc, you’ll like this book
* Anyone seeking ways to find undervalued ideas will like this book
* Anyone who wants to maximize people’s subjective well-being

The benefits you’ll get from this book
* You’ll be able to see the world, and in particular people, more accurately
* You’ll be able to make more valuable, more loved products (software product, advertising as a product, process as a product, etc) and experiences
* It makes the valuable task of independent thinking slightly easier

Conclusion
* This book is a critical reminder that the world isn’t what it seems to be.
* It feels like a lesson, or a reminder, about what’s true in the world. A reminder that many of the beliefs you’ve been holding in your brain aren’t accurate, and therefore are leading you to misperceive the world. And it’s much easier to create value and valuable things if you accurately perceive the world!
* I’ve read somewhere between 500 and 1000 non-fiction books, and Alchemy is in my top 10 all-time.

After you read it
* If you like this book, other books that you’ll like include: “Elephant in the Brain” by Simler/Hanson and any books by Geoffrey Miller on signaling and the hidden reasons we do things, “The Righteous Mind” by Haidt on understanding the truth behind people’s stated beliefs and reasoning, “Talking to Humans” on understanding the things we really want rather than the things we say we want, “The Secret of Our Success” on the ways things that seem irrational can be highly valuable.

P.S. It’s great as an audiobook. I have the Kindle and the Audible versions and prefer the Audible version. The author reads it himself, and he has a very relaxed and conversational style reading of it. I normally like audiobooks, and this style was even easier and more enjoyable to listen to than most audiobooks, so I hope other audiobook producers copy his style!

5 people found this helpful

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Portland Fella

Not much magic here

June 27, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The content of this book veers all over subject matter terrain. It's filled with aged tropes and examples.

Not useless; thus three stars. It also does have some insights, to be fair.

4 people found this helpful

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Pete

Over a decade of Rory in one package.

June 4, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I pre-ordered this. Why? I spent hours online watching over a decades worth of Rory’s insights. The book covers all the topics he’s spoken about, as well as some new insights. You get the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy as your consultant for the price of a book! If you’re looking to revamp your business without spending a ton of money, try psychological innovation. Small tweaks to change your customers perspective and increase your sales. Priceless.

2 people found this helpful

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Thorsten Hoins

Scent your soap!

May 25, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Almost without exception, the enterprises we revere are built on a sort of unobvious magic that is very hard to arrive at logically...and oftentimes even defies explanation after the fact. If you're trying to impress spread sheet acrobats with your keen analytical skills, this book will unnecessarily confuse and frustrate you...but it you've been trying to grasp the underlying magic that makes, say, Apple Apple, Disney Disney or IKEA IKEA, here's the big, bright yellow 362 page hint you've been searching for! Don't miss this opportunity to 'scent your soap' even if it logically works perfectly well without! Now if I could only enroll Rory to help me do to carpooling what Frederick the Great did to the potato...

2 people found this helpful

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Devyn

Creativity: think illogical, be irrational

June 13, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

If you’ve read Ogilvy on Advertising or Scientific Advertising, this is the complete opposite.

Sutherland isn’t talking about testing and making sure you follow the rules of Advertising. This book is all about thinking illogically, irrationally, and the whys and how’s of it’s success in creativity.

It is not him saying be whimsical, you must know the product, the brand, psychology, and biology, but if you want to understand how to exploit your creativity (cause Ogilvy and Hopkins don’t tell you) I recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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MLeland

An eye-opening read

July 15, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A really fun book with brilliant ideas sprinkled throughout. The author causes you to think about sales, marketing and life in completely different ways. Very eye-opening and page-turning.

One person found this helpful

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Hamilton Carvalho

Insightful and entertaining

May 20, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Highly recommended. Many insights for professionals working in the broad field of behavior change. It makes an entertaining reading as well.

One person found this helpful

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