Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business and Life

In this book full of real-world marketing examples and psychological insights about purchasing behavior, Rory Sutherland gets you thinking outside of the box and asking the right questions. By considering your customers’ emotions and perspectives rather than cold hard data, you can create magic in your brand too.

We don’t value things;
we value their meaning.
What they are is determined
by the laws of physics,
but what they mean is determined
by the laws of psychology.

-Rory Sutherland, Alchemy

If you’re a psych nerd like me, you’re going to love the insights in this book. People don’t make purchasing decisions logically- they make them psychologically, based on their emotions and perceptions. Their decisions often don’t make sense until you uncover the hidden motivations, which is exactly what Sutherland aims to do in this book. A deeper understanding of your customers and their motivations will lead to a more effective marketing campaign than spreadsheets and retrospective reasoning.

Alchemy is available as both an ebook and an audio via the Anchorage Public Library. Borrow it today!

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