Brand Hacks: How to Build Brands by Fulfilling the Consumer Quest for Meaning

People see so many advertisements that brands are easily forgotten, posits Probst, UCLA professor of consumer market research, in his highly designed, memorable debut. Making products stand out is an increasingly difficult job, he suggests, as customers tend to ignore ads or use ad-blocking software to cut them out entirely. And while sales numbers and click rates may tell marketers what people do, they don’t speak to why they do it. Brands that succeed, Probst argues, help resolve the tension between who people are and who they want to be. To that end, Probst discusses the ways customers look for social and cultural meaning in their purchases, and examines the psychology of purchase-driving emotions such as happiness, loneliness, and nostalgia, breaking down how brands can successfully target those emotions (creating collectible souvenirs, for example, can tap into nostalgia, and by putting a face to a brand, companies can counter feelings of isolation and loneliness). Though he doesn’t quite break new ground, the quippy writing, cheery design, and takeaway boxes at the end of each chapter make this easy and inspiring to dip in and out of. Those interested in the psychology of advertising will find this a good place to start. (Oct.)