About the Book
Ever notice that all watch ads show 10:10 as the time? Or that all fast-food restaurants use red or yellow in their logos? Or that certain stores are always having a sale?
You may not be aware of these details, yet they've been influencing you all along.
Every time you purchase, swipe, or click, marketers are able to more accurately predict your behavior. These days, brands know more about you than you know about yourself. Blindsight is here to change that.
With eye-opening science, engaging stories, and fascinating real-world examples, neuroscientist Matt Johnson and marketer Prince Ghuman dive deep into the surprising relationship between brains and brands. In Blindsight, they showcase how marketing taps every aspect of our mental lives, covering the neuroscience of pain and pleasure, emotion and logic, fear and safety, attention and addiction, and much more.
We like to think of ourselves as independent actors in control of our decisions, but the truth is far more complicated. Blindsight will give you the ability to see the unseeable when it comes to marketing, so that you can consume on your own terms. On the surface, you will learn how the brain works and how brands design for it. But peel back a layer, and you'll find a sharper image of your psychology, reflected in your consumer behavior.
This book will change the way you view not just branding, but yourself, too.
About the Author :
Matt Johnson, PhD is a writer, researcher, and speaker. He received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University, where his dissertation focused on the neuroscience of language and communication. His research focus now is on applying this neuroscientific perspective to better understand consumer experience and decision-making. A contributor to major news outlets including Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Business Insider, he regularly provides expert opinion and thought leadership on a range of topics related to the human side of business. He advises both start-ups and large brands in his native Bay Area, and has worked with Nike as an expert-in-residence in Portland, Oregon. He is a professor at Hult International Business School in San Francisco, and lives in Oakland with his wife and two-year-old son.
Prince Ghuman started his first company while attending the University of California, San Diego. He went on to be the founding head of marketing at BAP, which was acknowledged as one of the fastest-growing companies in America for three consecutive years by Inc. Most recently, he held dual roles as the US Director of Consumer Marketing and the Global Director of B2B Marketing for OFX, a publicly traded FinTech company handling over $100 billion in international payments. He is currently a professor of neuromarketing at Hult International Business School in San Francisco, California. Both Matt and Prince are founders of PopNeuro.com, dedicated to the popularization of consumer science, and to the ethical application of neuromarketing in the business world.
Roger Wayne served in the Air Force as a radio and television broadcast journalist in South Korea and won several awards before obtaining a BA degree in communications and journalism. He is an actor living in New York, narrating audiobooks, working on independent film projects, performing off Broadway, and auditioning for major network shows.
Review :
"Blindsight is a rigorous examination of how top brands sneak into our brains and grab the best real estate. Deftly mixing neuroscience, psychology, and fun stories, the book is a delight to read; it will grip you from the start, and leave you feeling smarter."
-- "Rich Karlgaard, publisher, Forbes"
"Beautifully written and fascinating--a behind-the-scenes tour of the marketing schemes designed to cajole, sway, and hook us...Blindsight teaches us how to be smarter consumers who make wise decisions that will ultimately leave us happier, wealthier, and healthier."
-- "Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author"
"Equal parts science and storytelling, Blindsight changes the way we see ourselves as consumers...This book is an engaging journey into the science of marketing's influence, and how it impacts how we see the world around us."
-- "Judy Fan, assistant professor of psychology at University of California, San Diego"
"Prince Ghuman and Matt Johnson bring to life the science behind how Facebook holds your attention, how Star Wars captured the hearts of generations of moviegoers, and selling billions in bottled water to consumers with taps in their homes."
-- "Drew Jacoby-Senghor, assistant professor of management at Berkeley Haas School of Business"
"Somewhere hidden between the bright colors, catchy jingles, and strategic placement of advertisements is the psychology behind their influence. This book uncovers this hidden layer of the consumer world and how it affects our thoughts, emotions, and spending habits."
-- "Kendis Gibson, Emmy award-winning journalist and reporter for MSNBC"
"With an entertaining blend of storytelling and science, Blindsight is a truly eye-opening look into the complex dynamics underlying how brands drive consumer behavior. A must-read book that will have you re-examining both information around you and your own purchase decisions at every turn."
-- "Abigail Sussman, associate professor of marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business"
