Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

I have been reading quite a bit lately and always seem to be on the prowl for a new title, generally in the business category. Knowing this, my wife forwarded me a link to "Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation". We have an inside joke at our house involving my youngest son and the word "fascinating", but that's a whole other story. Suffice to say, the title fascinated my wife so she forwarded it along. I'm actually very glad she did. In Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, Sally Hogshead explores why you're captivated by some people but not others. Why you recall some brands and forget the rest. Why you hear some messages, but are deaf to others. As it states in the books inside jacket cover, "to explore and explain fascination's irresistible influence, Sally goes beyond marketing and delves into behavioral and social studies, evolutionary anthropology and a national study of thousands of consumers to emerge with deeply rooted patterns for why, and how we become captivated." The seven triggers are: * Lust - We're seduced by the anticipation of pleasure. * Mystique - We're intrigued by unanswered questions. * Alarm - We take action at the threat of negative consequences. * Prestige - We fixate on symbols of rank and respect. * Power - We focus on the people and things that control us. * Vice - We're tempted by "forbidden fruit". * Trust - We're loyal to reliable options. For personal interactions, each of the above triggers leads to a different style of communication, and a different type of relationship. The more accurately you identify your personality triggers, and the more intelligently you hone them, the more influential your message becomes. Brands apply these triggers, too. Volvo uses trust. Godiva uses lust. Fedex uses alarm. Apple Computers uses several triggers, most notably prestige and power. Triggers help companies sell products off shelves, persuade shareholders to invest, and convince key employees to stay. The gold hallmark of a fascinating message: * Provokes strong and immediate emotional reactions * Creates advocates * Becomes cultural shorthand for a specific set of actions or values * Incites conversation * Forces competitors to realign around it * Triggers social revolutions This book was a quick, interesting and informative read. Sally's conversational and no-nonsense writing style coupled with a bit of humor makes the book quite enjoyable. As a non-marketing type, I now find myself much more in tune with the brand "messages" that I'm exposed to. I understand why I must "CALL NOW" as there is a "LIMITED SUPPLY" of the new gizmo!! It all makes sense... Hurry, get the phone, Billy Mays has hit my alarm trigger!! This book would be excellent material for marketing folks, "C" level exec's or anyone that is interested in a deeper understanding of "why" people act and respond to certain messages. I will read this again at some point because the book really was fascinating. Also check out Sally's website and find out your own F-Score, you might be fascinated by your personal triggers.

I've always said that the greatest power anyone could desire is the power of persuasion. After reading Fascinate by Sally Hogshead, I'm convinced fascination is even more powerful. Sally Hogshead is one of the more successful copywriters and creative directors in recent advertising history. Her considerable talents are on full display in Fascinate. Hogshead presents seven triggers to fascination - power, trust, mystique, prestige, vice, alarm, and lust. By communicating in a way that hits one or more of these triggers, people will be more drawn to your message. The first part of the book talks about the meaning of fascination, and why it is a necessary skill for success. The second part explains how and why each trigger has an effect. And the third part offers concrete strategies on how to develop, measure, and execute your strategy to fascinate. Here's why I liked this book: 100% Platitude-Free: We've all read happy-go-lucky cliche marketing books and online articles that sound like a recruiting drive for a self-improvement cult. This is not one of those books. Hogshead does an excellent job in finding provocative and surprising ways to make her points. Her insights are deep, intuitive, and often counter-intuitive. Even some of the case studies and analogies she chooses are quite off-the-wall, but they still hit the mark. This is a refreshing experience for those of us who have read a lot of books on branding, marketing, and social media. It Gets You Thinking: Hogshead's writing style and the book's format inspires the reader to creatively engage the material being presented. This is not a book that just relays information like a professor giving a lecture. As I read about each of the seven triggers, I immediately started to identify where I had seen that trigger used, and how I could use it for myself or clients. There are also several easy-to-follow exercises offered in the third section of the book that help you start putting the theory into practice. The Process Will Lead To Great Ideas: In the advertising world, there is a constant conflict between "creativity" and "process." Ad agencies market their services based on proprietary theories, and often do research before creative gets the project. But once a creative project is underway, ideas come in all forms and, often we're stuck finding ways to rationalize how a great idea fits the theory we previously sold the client. Fascinate is a flexible framework that will help ad professionals bridge the gap between bold ideas and a coherent strategy, without compromising either. Applicable to Everyday Life: Fascinate is not just for building brands. The seven triggers of fascination are applicable in one's home life and social life as well. In fact, many of the analogies and case studies given come from other sources than brands, products, and services. Conclusion: Sally Hogshead has blessed her audience with a big book of insights on how to create more fascinating brands and a more fascinating you.

I was quite surprised by this book. It appealed to me because i watch one of Marie Forleo's videos on Youtube where she interviewed the author about the book. I was expecting a completely different book. I thought it would be more on the personal fascination and not so much related to business. As I started reading, I soon discovered I had been misguided, but i did NOT for one second regret getting the book. It is very smartly written, it is based on rather interesting examples and it is very easy to extrapolate the message to any other realm of one's life (it needs't be read only business-wise) I was quite satisfied when I finish the book and I have been practicing some of the techniques I read in it. I was quite sad, though, that in the book the author talks about some fascination test which can be taken online. I got quite excited about it, but when I went to the website I discovered it was not free; it was actually quite expensive :( Well, to conclude with I just would like to emphasise that it is a great book, it did FASCINATE me even though I bought it for all the wrong reasons and I strongly recommend it even as a self-descovery journey.

This book really goes at the core of why people are more to some products and not others. Very insightful book.

Excellent information

This is worth reading, great book about presentations and self awareness. I took the test on the internet, and this itself is worth much more than the price of the book : self-awareness ! You will get to understand what people want a bit more and how you can use your own personal traits to catch their breath.

E' un testo affascinante e scusate il gioco di parole. Spazia dalla psicologia al marketing, e con esempi concreti ci offre spunti interessantissimi