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

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.Sutherland, the legendary Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, uses his decades of experience to dissect human spending behavior in an insanely entertaining way. Alchemy combines scientific research with hilarious stories and case studies of campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft and the like. This is a must-read. --Entrepreneur (Best Books of the Year)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: a