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Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life Hardcover – May 7, 2019
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: 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 and "the don of modern advertising" by The Times, 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.
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateMay 7, 2019
- Dimensions6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
- ISBN-10006238841X
- ISBN-13978-0062388414
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"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 for Entrepreneurs"
“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
“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
"So many of us are trained to focus on data and the logical, and Alchemy makes a great argument for the irrational. I think everyone could use a reminder that asking dumb questions, reframing old ideas, and, in turn, trying to create a bit of magic, can lead to unexpected solutions for some of our most difficult problems. Alchemy was a reminder of that and then some." — Inc., "Great Books for Anyone Who Wants to Get Ahead in Life"
"The most recent, and the funniest book on the subject is by Ogilvy Vice Chair Rory Sutherland. Alchemy is both a book on human behavior and a rallying cry to stand up against the spreadsheet mafia dominating most government and corporate policies today. ... Alchemy is full of examples of how human behavior runs contrary to the laws of economics from Sutherland’s work at Ogilvy." — Forbes, "Best Books on Consumer Behavior to Help You in Business and in Life"
“Buy this book. I loved it. It’s full of great insights.” — MATT RIDLEY, bestselling author of The Rational Optimist and Genome
“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
“The don of modern advertising.” — The Times (London)
“Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy is a deeply original book.” — ROBERT TRIVERS
"Sutherland is revelatory — and entertaining — in his anatomy of apparently paradoxical consumer choice in action. " — The Times (London)
“Sutherland brings together complex theory with stories and plentiful humour to both captivate and entertain. It’s an important work for our era of apparent irrationality.” — The Spectator (UK)
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.About the Author
Rory Sutherland is vice chairman of Ogilvy. His TED Talks have been viewed more than 6.5 million times. He lives in London.
Product details
- Publisher : Mariner Books; Illustrated edition (May 7, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006238841X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062388414
- Item Weight : 1.18 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #533,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #249 in Industrial & Product Design
- #255 in Market Research Business (Books)
- #475 in Marketing & Consumer Behavior
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, where he has worked since 1988. This attractively vague job title has allowed him to form a behavioural science practice within the agency whose job is to uncover the hidden business and social possibilities which emerge when you apply creative minds to the latest thinking in psychology and behavioural science.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book interesting and insightful, providing intelligent and high-impact solutions to design and business challenges. They appreciate the clever writing style and relaxed conversational reading style. Many consider the first few chapters worth the price of the book. The content quality is described as marvelous and important brand and marketing principles.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting and insightful. They say it's a fun read with brilliant content and engaging stories. Many consider it one of the best business books they have ever read, with British humor and some brilliant insights into life.
"Interesting stories that explain the concepts well." Read more
"...but the book really puts great detail to many of these really interesting, intelligent, and important brand and marketing principles into play" Read more
"...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!" Read more
"...book will be reread and its entertainment value makes it a joy to listen to in the car...." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and entertaining. It encourages them to think differently and move past superficiality. They appreciate the refreshing break from logic and the value of independent thinking. The book provides insights into the power of design and how to maximize people's subjective well-being.
"Interesting stories that explain the concepts well." Read more
"...but the book really puts great detail to many of these really interesting, intelligent, and important brand and marketing principles into play" Read more
"This book is full of thought-provoking wisdom...." Read more
"...Anyone who wants to maximize people’s subjective well-being The benefits you’ll get from this book *..." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the writing clever and funny with a relaxed, conversational tone. The author reads the book himself in a wonderful narration style. They appreciate the short chapters, witty British humor, and brilliant stories.
"...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..." Read more
"...AND I have the Audible version - Rory's is a genuinely wonderful narrator. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, the content is a 6...." Read more
"...He writes with an easy style, accessible to a layman like me...." Read more
"This was a fun book to read. I loved the style of the short chapters...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say the first few chapters are worth the price and the content is brilliant.
"...plenty ample reason for us to reduce our reliance on logic to produce low-cost, high-impact solutions to design and business challenges...." Read more
"...Priceless." Read more
"...I believe the book has value, but trying to sift through the mind-numbing philosophy makes learning as difficult as mining OIL out of a..." Read more
"...First few chapters alone are worth the price of the book. Get out of your own way and remember you know what you know but you don’t know it all...." Read more
Customers like the content quality. They say it's intelligent and provides important brand and marketing principles.
"...detail to many of these really interesting, intelligent, and important brand and marketing principles into play" Read more
"...and feels like it was published on a copier at work, the actual contents are marvelous. I've read it twice...." Read more
"Alchemy - This is LEGIT STUFF! Essential Business Reading..." Read more
Reviews with images
Over a decade of Rory in one package.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2024Interesting stories that explain the concepts well.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2024Sutherland is a great speaker (lots of great youtube and social clips out there, too!), but the book really puts great detail to many of these really interesting, intelligent, and important brand and marketing principles into play
- Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020Essentially, this is a business book that takes the nascent scientific field of evolutionary psychology and applies it to the understanding of apparent consumer irrationality. Ironically, it illuminates the irrationality of the wholly rational approach taken by individuals and organizations to understand consumer decision-making.
Unfortunately, this presents a major challenge in semantics and rhetoric.
The title of the book threw me off, but after reading it, you can essentially apply the same thinking outlined in the book to any feelings you might have about its title. The author stressed that why does it matter why you might get people to do the right things, and what their motives are, when in fact it's more important how you get them to do the right thing regardless of how altruistic their internal motives really are. So the type of "alchemy" the author (who is clearly very intelligent) is referring to is not the alchemy of 500 years ago, where pseudo-scientists tried to turn anything into gold, but rather the alchemy of doing things in business that might not seem logical on the surface but get consumers (your customers!) to behave the way a business wants them to. My only concern is that the author dives too deep headfirst into his adherence to [his] alchemy. And obviously, this presents a major issue because if any business starts to embrace alchemy while at the same time throwing away the rational principles of logic, then everything will be whacked out and wicked.
The author [acutely] uses evolutionary psychology to make many points and observations. And I will use it to make mine: We have become more logical in business and in life because it is advantageous to do so. Logic will guide us to understand that if the majority of people avoid X (e.g., jumping off the George Washington bridge to go for a swim) because of Y (almost certain death), then it is probably a good idea to avoid X as well because it's most likely to be your outcome. This is, of course, unconscious, but unbelievably helpful. Now it might be obvious why people extrapolate this concept to bigger, more subtle things such as consumer behavior. For example, if a company's analysis for a product had shown that 80% of people purchased the red dress over the blue dress at a store, the logical conclusion would be that customers like red dresses more. It makes sense to have such a conclusion, and any species of human that would tell you that the blue dress is much more popular will probably go extinct! What the author is trying to teach, though, is that the red dress is not more popular because of the color, but perhaps because of the fact it is more noticeable because red shines much more brightly than blue. Accounting for human psychology is not a simple equation. The main value of the book is this: at a time when people are becoming more logical—and for the better (that's why they are becoming more logical to begin with)—they might become overly logical and miss large opportunities they cannot manifest. And because of the bureaucracy of big organizations, outside-of-the-box thinking is for the most part looked down upon and can even get you fired. This presents an invaluable opportunity for smaller and less bureaucratic businesses.
To put it all together: embracing the idea of alchemy (i.e., unconventional business methods and ideas) can not only prove to be important but necessary. Hopefully, though, the reader doesn't come out of reading this book and thinking that both rational logic and alchemy are mutually exclusive. Rather, I would stress that they should both play a pivotal part on the same side of the coin. It can be detrimental to present, or seem to present as the author does, these two things as being opposites. In reality, they should probably be conflated as some of the ideas of alchemy—understanding an action through the lens of evolutionary psychology—can, in fact, be argued as the logical path to take.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024This book is full of thought-provoking wisdom.
I like the idea that mine has to operating systems the rational logical mind and irrational created mind.
The book is so similar that I will be reading it again before moving onto my next book.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2019Who 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!
Top reviews from other countries
- CarterReviewed in Canada on November 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Changes the brain
Opens up different avenues of thought that increases understanding
- Amazon KundeReviewed in Germany on August 12, 2024
1.0 out of 5 stars Literally the same book as "Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense"
Just wasted 10€ on this audiobook only to find out that it's exactly the same as Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense, and can't return it either even though I haven't even started/opened it.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on June 2, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy two of these please
Its such an amazing book with such great insights, I fell in love . Simple english , occasional funny anecdotes, Its a good read for a week !
- Thomas McConnellReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Think differently
Rory's style of writing makes this a really easy page turner. You don't really read this book you just open the page and Rory speaks at you. Very interesting concepts put into practice with real examples that really change the way you approach a problem. You'll be left wanting more.
- Luca DellannaReviewed in Italy on December 9, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read on human behavior
Too often we dismiss the non-immediately-legible, non-immediately-useful. Wrongly.
This book reminds us why they are important, and how by ignoring them we severely limit our impact.
One person found this helpfulReport