Alchemy: the Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business and Life. By Rory Sutherland

I’ll admit it - I judged this book by its cover title.

“Alchemy” sounded fun - the idea of turning one thing into another and looking at things in a different light. But I wasn’t sure if it would be any good (more judging?) since no one had recommended this book, it simply popped up in my library app and happened to be available.

Overall, this book was full of interesting ideas and real world examples. It’s a great read for helping you look at your marketing and research in a new way.

One thing I found distracting was the fact that there were SO many footnotes - as in two to three on nearly every page. However most of the notes were jokes or deeper dives of the examples given, so I just skipped over them and continued on with the main text.

Below are some of the great takeaways I found than can help the reader look at marketing in a different light.

First, we don’t always have to know WHY something works, just that it DOES work. You can figure out the how by working backwards later.

Take the invention of aspirin. Long ago, doctors discovered that it worked but didn’t know how or why until much later. Imagine if they refused to administer this medicine even though the test subjects felt better when taking it and there were no side effects, simply because they didn’t know why it worked. Even science needs “lucky accidents” sometimes, so don’t put the brakes on an idea just because you can’t map out the exact reasons why it’s working.

Another interesting point was the argument between logical and psychological explanations.

Do you know why people brush their teeth? Most people would say it’s to clean their teeth, but is that the real reason? Think about the times that you brush - is it after every single meal and snack? Probably not. Do you brush (and maybe floss) before a date or a big presentation at work? Probably yes. Cleaning your teeth has more to do with social interactions and avoiding awkward social situations.

If you ask a focus group they likely wouldn’t answer that they brush so they aren’t embarrassed by stains or bad breath - they would mention maintaining dental health. So this forces us to look twice at relying on studies and panels, and look deeper for the real motivation behind certain behaviours and actions.

Of course, there are instances where focus groups work, but we are urged to take a second look. No one will admit they want an item just because it’s cool…they will justify by working backwards (remember the first point above?) knowing that they want the item and will then come up with “logical reasons” why.

One more fact I found interesting - we’d rather avoid pain than move towards something good. The pain of losing $100 is stronger than the joy we get in receiving $100. That leads us to choose the “least bad” option of something we know over one that someone assures us is “the best” that we don’t personally know. Like choosing your favourite fast food spot that is not amazing but is consistent over a new restaurant that is advertised at great but there’s a chance it’s not.

I’d recommend this if you feel stuck with your processes and want some fresh ideas in marketing or branding. The author is from England so if you’re based in another country it also helps you see things from a different perspective. Which is definitely a good thing!