Seducing the Subconscious

Reviews / Votes

"Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division andgraduate students of advertising and psychology, faculty, andpractitioners." (Choice, 1 October 2012) "Heath's book is far more persuasive than anyadvertisement, no matter how top-loaded the latter may be withaccurate information. His thesis depends on a lengthy journeythrough cognitive science and evolutionary psychology, and a firmgrasp on how - so far as we know - the human mindactually does work (rather than how we would like it to work).Heath demonstrates quite clearly - at least to mysatisfaction - that it is precisely when we pay no consciousattention to advertising that advertisers get to work on oursubconscious with complete effectiveness." WILLSELF, Prospect, June 2012 "(Heath) avoids academic obscurantism and fills the book withclever dissections of well-known ads... The case studies add up toan intriguing, down-to-earth introduction to the mysteries of thesubconscious..." Financial Times, March 2012 "Dr Robert Heath, who teaches at the University of Bath, haspopularised the theory of 'low attention processing',which argues that ads make a stronger emotional and behaviouralimpact when we are paying less conscious attention to them. In hisnew book, Seducing the Subconscious, he further developsthis thinking, providing a detailed and scholarly explanation ofthe psychological processes involved, and illustrating these withadvertising examples, many based on his own long experience in adagencies." Paul Feldwick, Credos, March 2012An articulate, compelling and, at times, disturbing explanation ofhow advertising works. The theory and examples in Seducing theSubconscious offer new insight into how advertising works andare a must read for any advertiser, consumer, and policy maker. --Jerry Wind, Lauder Professor and Professorof Marketing at the Wharton School, Director of the Wharton Futureof Advertising Program Dr. Heath writes with great insight into the workings ofadvertising and communication. He draws on theory to frame thequestion and guides the reader through how the subconscious is atthe forefront of our behaviour. His book is a 'must read' foranyone with the slightest involvement or interest inmarketing. --Judy Zaichkowsky, Professor of Marketingand Communications, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Advertising works at both a conscious and subconscious level.Anyone who wants to understand how should read this well-researchedand generally balanced book. --Patrick Barwise, Emeritus Professor, LondonBusiness School