Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy
Martin LindstromSome of the key revelations in the book include:
Advertisers and marketers intentionally target children at a very young age, even starting when they are still in the womb.
Neuroscientific evidence proving how addicted we are to our smartphones, and that cell phone addiction can be harder to overcome than addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Certain companies, like the maker of a popular lip balm, purposely adjust their formulas to make their products chemically addictive.
Companies are secretly mining our digital footprints to uncover intimate details of our private lives and target us with perfectly tailored ads and offers.
Lindstrom also conducts a 3-month guerilla marketing experiment specifically for the book to demonstrate the most powerful hidden persuader. He paints a picture of a world where we are constantly bombarded with subliminal messages to buy certain products and services.
While the book focuses on the negative aspects of these manipulative marketing tactics, Lindstrom does acknowledge some positive attempts to steer consumers towards more eco-friendly products. However, he also rightfully raises concerns over privacy and the alarming reach of these practices.