Someone I admire a lot told me about this book. So I went hunting for it online. It basically shatters long held beliefs of marketers. Like the idea that sex sells. Check out this excerpt from the book on finding on the use of “graphic warnings on cigarette packs”.
Excerpt from Buy-ology
“Even Dr.Calvert was taken aback by the findings: warning labels on the sides, fronts, and backs of cigarette packs had no effect on suppressing the smokers’ cravings at all. Zero. In other words, all those gruesome photographs, government regulations, billions of dollars some 123 countries had invested in nonsmoking campaigns, all amounted, at the end of a day, to, well, a big waste of money.
“Are you “Pretty damn certain,” she replied, adding that the statistical validity was as solid as could be. But this wasn’t half as amazing as what Dr. Calvert discovered once she analyzed the results further. Cigarette warnings whether they informed smokers they were at risk of contracting emphysema, heart disease, or a host of other chronic conditions—had in fact smokers’ brains called the nucleus accumbens, otherwise known as “the craving spot.” This region is a chain-link of sure?” I kept saying stimulated an area of the specialized neurons that lights up when the body desires something—whether it’s alcohol, drugs, tobacco, sex, or gambling.
When stimulated, the nucleus accumbens requires higher and higher doses to get its fix. In short, the fMRI results showed that cigarette warning labels not only failed to deter smoking, but by activating the nucleus accumbens, it appeared they actually to light up. We couldn’t help but conclude that those same cigarette warning labels intended to curb smoking, reduce cancer, and save lives had instead become a killer marketing tool for the tobacco industry.”
