Alchemy Paperback – 27 May 2021

Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of Ogilvy UK and uses his vast experience and trove of interesting anecdotes to put together a book on how irrational thinking often works better, which is interesting even for a logical thinking reader such as me. Right at the outset, Sutherland lists downs his 11 rules of alchemy. These are basically all variations of each other and Rule #6 encapsulates the direction that the book will take: The problem with logic is that it kills off magic.Sutherland's basic premise is that rational analysis is based on big data that comes from the past and cannot account for an unexpected event. Which is why irrational thinking creates alchemy. Also, humans do not behave rationally all the time. Why else would perfectly sane people pay $5 for a drink that they can make for pennies at home (Starbucks) or why would a coarse uncomfortable fabric that takes ages to dry and popular with labourers become fashionable (jeans)? He gathers his argument in six well-structured sections and then follows that up with a seventh where he lays out his recommendations. While a large part of what he writes is related to the advertising or marketing fields in some way or the other, he has used examples from other areas as well to buttress his arguments.One of the most fascinating aspects of the book are the various anecdotes strewn through it such as the one on Red Bull's success (it was expensive, came in a tiny can and had a disgusting taste as per consumer trials, all counterintuitive to a successful launch) or the story of striped toothpaste (it mixes in your mouth anyway but signals to the user that it fulfils two functions) or how mailer donation campaigns work better if the return envelope has the flap on the shorter side (as it seems more appropriate to slip a cheque in).The book is not without its problems. In his desire to hammer down the key argument of the book, Sutherland makes it completely one-sided. In the process, he pooh-poohs economists and logical thinkers several times in the book which can be somewhat off-putting. Having said that, the breezy style of writing and some fascinating insights coupled with interesting stories make this a worthwhile read. The various footnotes in each chapter, by themselves, would make compelling reading!Pros: Fascinating anecdotes, compelling argumentsCons: The constant putting down of logic is somewhat off-putting

This is a wonderful book. One of the best in learning how to apply principles of human behaviour in your work. Especially for those who work in marketing, communication, product management, sales and business.The premise of the book is this - human beings are complex. They actually don’t even know why they do things. So trying to logically model and understand their thoughts and actions and create plans based purely on data and logic is not enough. Don’t discard it. But also add psyco- logical methods to your tool kit. Don’t bother overtly with the theory of why something will work in a certain way. Try counterintuitive and sometimes even illogical experiments. Allow yourself the chance of serendipitous discoveries. Often these work in magical ways. Better than the logical well thought out decisions.Most of the behavioural science and psychology books have been written by academics. Great ones no doubt. But their experiments are usually controlled. Not done in the real world with all its noise.Rory Sutherland on the other hand is an advertising guy. Who worked in direct advertising. He’s done it and seen it all. He created the behavioural science practise at Ogilvy. He measures success and failure in business terms. His real life experience shows in the book. Which is full of real world examples and practical wisdom.The book is written in a very easy to read manner. The language is simple. The analogies are excellent. Explaining self signalling through the example of using the accelerator in an automatic car is one such. It has these tiny chapters which are like small nuggets. In addition to psychology and behaviour science, Rory borrows generously from evolutionary biology and related sciences without making it look like a research paper.More than sharing best practises or strategies, Rory helps in changing your mindset. Makes you aware of the possibilities of creating alchemy by thinking differently.I have gifted this book multiple times and everyone has loved it. Highly recommended.

The author starts with "Engineering does not allow for magic. Psychology does", and ends with "If we could resist the urge to be logical just some of the time, and devote that time instead to the pursuit of alchemy, what might we discover"Beautifully written book with a easy, reading style as well as real-life examples that when tweaked, present the possibilities for psycho-logic (not, psychologic), behavioral science, and our evolved rationality as a human trait. The idea of the book is not to overthrow any existing logical and rational explanations for the status-quo, but to use 20% of the time we spend on rationalizations to be redirected to alternative explanations, however irrational it may sound - basically, experiment more, in the pursuit of alchemyAs the author ends, "What might we discover: Quite a lot of lead, I suspect. But, a surprising amount of gold"! This is a golden book for anyone who wishes to understand how small changes in experimentation leads to (sometimes) unexpected, positive results

Love it!!!Rory is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy in UK which means you can be rest assured that he has a mastery in Storytelling.This book is for Marketers/Advertisers/Students basically anyone who is curious about Behavioural Science and why is it so powerful to apply in any and every aspect of life!It is filled with anecdotes, experiences, experiments using the principles of Behavioural Science. One book you need to pause and take the time to read the footnotes because it is too much fun to give it a miss!It's akin to reading fun stories. If you aren't an academic snob with a stiff upper lip, you are in for one helluva adventure 😉

Many interesting ideas has been explored.