Rob Walker, who writes the "Consumed" column for the
New York Times Magazine, has written
Buying In (Random House, $25), which mines data and explores theories about humans under the
influence of branding.
In one study conducted by Baylor University researchers, subjects were presented with two glasses of soda -- one labeled Coke and the other unnamed -- and asked to
state their preference. They overwhelmingly chose the labeled drink, even though both were Coke. In another, a subject who had been shown sunny ads for a new juice called "Orange Grove" was led to
declare, of the vinegar-laced "Orange Grove" concoction he was actually served: "It tasted real sweet. It quenched my thirst. Refreshing."
Walker discovers that reports about Homo
Economicus -- the supremely rational human being who is more and more isolated from mainstream media, shielded by ad-blocking gizmos and armed with easy-to-find knowledge -- are exaggerated. The siren
ad songs continue to be sung, and consumers remained all too ready to submit. Walker shows the newest wave of clever sales schemes, reflects on how and why they work, and argues that, "more than
ever," our tastes in material goods reveal who we are.
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