Viewing all posts categorized as 'Book Reviews'

If there’s one marketing book that has jumped off the shelves this year, it would definitely be Dan Ariely’s “Predictably Irrational.” Written in an anecdotal tone similar to that of “Freakonomics” and “The Tipping Point,” Ariely’s book takes the reader through a series of straightforward scientific experiments to illustrate how counterintuitive our own behavior can be — and at the same time, how utterly foreseeable it is. But what makes this book extra special is that it takes the extra step of applying these concepts to our everyday actions, providing numerous “a-ha!” moments for both the marketer and consumer in all of us.

Ariely, a renowned behavioral economist, arrives at these startling revelations with a sharp wit and sense of humor that keep the reading easy, enjoyable, and digestable. Several of his discoveries are pure gold for email marketers, including his chapters on relativity and the cost of social norms.

• Say you have been promoting two products (A and B) in an email campaign, but sales of product B are lagging. How do you sell more of product B? Just offer something nearly identical to it, only slightly worse, as a third product that acts as a decoy. [Side note: If you are an identical twin and consider yourself slightly less attractive than your sibling, this chapter will convince you to never go to bars together EVER again.]
• Mixing business and pleasure is often a dangerous proposition when it comes to your customers. If you spend the time and energy trying to be a true “friend” to your customers in your emails, then don’t back it up with quality customer service, you are probably setting yourself up for disaster. [Note to self: Re-think plan to charge $159.99 for a yearly subscription to EmailResponsibly.com.]

Ariely’s findings also confirm feelings that we’ve surely all experienced at some point in our lives — that we’d probably have ordered something different at a restaurant (and enjoyed it more) if the other people at our table hadn’t ordered the same thing first, that for some reason we actually obey hokey honor codes on school exams even if we could easily get away with cheating, and of course, that no one has the courage to order a beer with balsamic vinegar in it.