Viacom
video games
viral marketing, 5.1, 6.1
Vitaminwater
vodka, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3
Vranich, Belisa
wabi-sabi, 143
Wahlberg, Mark
wallet carriers
Walmart, 2.1, 9.1, 9.2
Warhol, Andy
Web browsers, 9.1, 9.2
Weber, Fabrice
Web sites. See online entries
Weintraub, Arlene
Whole Foods, 2.1, 2.2, 6.1
Williams, Evan
women, 8.1; Bieber phenomenon, 4.1; emotional decision making, 4.2; environmentally responsible products and, 8.2; fear-based marketing and, 2.1, 2.2; pregnancy and new mothers, 1.1, 2.3; suggestive advertising and, 4.3; word-of-mouth influence, 9.1, 9.2
word of mouth, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3. See also The Morgensons
YouTube, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2
Zhu Zhu pet hamster
Zynga
About the Author
When he was a kid growing up in Denmark, MARTIN LINDSTROM had but one thought in his life: LEGO. He was, to put it simply, obsessed with LEGO. He hand-built and slept on a LEGO bed. He dressed in Lego’s colors. He even turned the family garden into his very own LEGOLAND creation, a miniature village complete with bonsai trees, scooped-out canals, and dozens of houses and ships constructed entirely out of LEGO.
Then one bright summer’s day in 1981, ambitious 11-year-old Martin Lindstrom opened the doors to his own LEGOLAND, optimistically anticipating hordes of visitors from near and far. Not a single person showed up.
Aware that something more than mere brilliant design was needed to attract visitors, young Martin suddenly had a flash of inspiration: he would advertise! He promptly persuaded the local newspaper to run an ad, and sure enough, the following week 131 people streamed through the garden gate. Including two lawyers from LEGO, who very politely informed Martin that if he persisted in using the name LEGOLAND he would be guilty of trademark infringement. That’s when he first realized the seductive power of marketing and advertising.
So Martin decided to open his own advertising agency, which he did a couple of months later, at the ripe age of 12. And thus began a lifelong relationship with marketing and brands.
After selling his agency in 1988, Lindstrom attended the Academy of Advertising before joining international giant BBDO. By age 30, Lindstrom had become one of the most respected names in the industry.
He has since spent 300 days on the road annually sharing his wisdom and pioneering methodologies through his role as a speaker and trusted adviser to countless CEOs, celebrities, and royal families.
In 2009, amid the rubble of the economic meltdown, Lindstrom opened a new chapter. Disheartened by much that he had observed on the front lines of the branding wars for the past two decades, he decided to turn the spotlight inward and reveal all the tricks and traps he’d seen along his journey from 11-year-old LEGO enthusiast to one of the globe’s foremost marketing experts. His goal? By opening our eyes to all the ways in which we, as consumers, are being manipulated and deceived, he would help us resist the siren song of advertising and make smarter, more informed decisions about how we spend our money. Thus, Brandwashed was born.
Lindstrom has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, The Economist, New York Times, BusinessWeek, Washington Post, USA Today, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, New York Post, Vogue, and People. He also frequently appears on ABC News, CNN Money, CBS, Bloomberg, Fox & Friends, Discovery Channel, and NBC’s Today show, as an expert on consumer awareness and advocacy. He also pens a weekly column for Fast Company.
His previous book Buyology (February 2010 paperback by Crown Publishing) was voted “Pick of the Year” by USA Today and reached top-10 bestseller lists in the U.S. and worldwide. His 5 books have been translated into more than 40 languages and published in more than 60 countries.
In 2009, Time magazine named Lindstrom one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People for his groundbreaking work on neuroscience and branding.
Brandwashed Page 36