Buying in: What We Buy and Who We Are

Might be a bit dated by now but some of the examples in there are very nice. The "murketing" concept is also nice, however these concepts seem to wear out and reappear in different guises as time goes by. So all in all the core idea sustains itself, the packaging of the idea might be subject to upgrading. Think of it as an FMCI (a fast moving consumer idea).

This was the book that first engaged me in the whole arena of retail branding and the potential power of the marketer to create something magical that a consumer couldn't refuse.Walker's concept of `magical thinking' describes that transformative power of brands that can be quite intangible and yet enormously powerful.He leads us through countless engaging case studies of businesses and brands (fashion retail and otherwise) who have harnessed the knowledge of their market and how they create their own identities through purchasing power.It's fascinating. Think you're immune to marketing and brand loyalty? Prepare to think again.

I really enjoyed the way Rob Walker takes us deep under the skin of what a brand really means rather than what a marketing manager thinks that their brand is in the book Buying In. Walker decodes one of marketings great mysteries: what is it about Red Bull's marketing that makes it so successful.Probably the most interesting part of the book however is the amount of time that Walker spends on the concept of authenticity. Authenticity partly comes from the attributes of the business, rather than just the marketing of the business and part of it comes from the way that the consumer interacts with the brand: what values and attributes that they put on it. It is this complex brew that gives a brand authenticity and engenders trust.

Rob Walker's main point in this book is that for most Americans brand choices have become a way to express individuality while still feeling connected to others. Why? Most people don't really do anything creative, but they want to feel better about themselves. They pick brands that reflect an appealing self-image.This tendency to designer identity carries as far as choosing brands that reflect lifestyles that are symbolic of what you like, but aren't you. In some cases, brands develop such weak images that people flock to the same brand for widely different reasons.The examples are what make the book fascinating. Mr. Walker has a keen eye for change in fashion and a good ear for listening to what people say about their choices. I've never seen such a simple thesis so thoroughly and interestingly illustrated.Many brand marketing books avoid the whole realm of using nonadvertising methods to create images and awareness. Mr. Walker dives headlong into that subject and treats it pretty well.The book's main weakness is that he doesn't get into the various segments that people tend to associate with in any detail. That leaves his examples better reflective of human psychology than marketing.This book ultimately will provide more insight to consumers than to marketers. If you are a marketer, you'll probably grade this as a two-star book.Mr. Walker is a talented writer as well. I don't recall having the opportunity to read too many books on marketing that display which a good writing style.