Alchemy

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

By: Rory Sutherland

Narrated by: Rory Sutherland

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 byOgilvy 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.

Modern Business Magic

Love Sutherland's voice and enthusiasm, which comes through strongly in this book. He also combines the latest in behavioral science with what he knows as a practitioner through 30+ years in advertising.

Sutherland challenges the over-rational mindset in a compelling way while backing his claims with strong science.

Laughter is no Enemy to Learning

In Alchemy, Rory Sutherland becomes our quick-witted and lovable guide into the mysterious realm of behavioral economics. He will have you laughing as much as you are learning and you will find the journey coming to an end far too soon. The explanatory power of this book is baffling, and the humor is cutting and quick. Being narrated by the author makes it all the better as Rory's intonation increases the effectiveness of the delivery. Download this book and settle in for a wonderful listen.

Logic + Great Concept

Rory takes us on a logical review of logic and convinces us that sometimes there is more than logic to solve problems creatively and efficiently.

If A Tree Falls in the Forest

Read by the author with proper inflection and enthusiasm, Alchemy will keep your attention as he covers subjects in chapters with short examples from real life and scientific insights. Sutherland covered the spectrum of alchemy regarding illusion and misdirection of focus.
The art of alchemy is based on science but each person is developed or, the neuroplasticity from which we developed causes each of us to develop uniquely and yet universal averages allow the art of allusions to elude our illusions like cattle to the yard. It doesn't change lead to gold, it tricks the observer into believing so.
Come learn how you came to those decisions you regretted or why that gorgeous arm candy is with...'him'. It's in the eye of the beholder. Does the tree make a sound? Not without the observer. Everything relies on a perception and if you're not observing definitions like 'tree', 'forest' and 'sound' simply don't exist.
Enjoyable book to listen, i recommend download at least the sample ebook to get the TOC. Without the table these contents would sound disjointed and we're here to organize the misunderstood.

Probably the best nonfiction book I've ever read

This book explains in 3 minutes what others take entire hours and chapters to explain. It's an excellent work on non-conformist, creative thinking and human behavior.