Buying In: What We Buy and Who We Are Paperback – January 5, 2010

."Buying In" is a thought-provoking look at America's consumer culture.Rob Walker tells us there is a strong disconnect between theories about contemporary immunity to advertising and the consumer culture he has actually observed.His conclusion is that in a world of many "pretty good choices," modern Americans and others do not buy things based on price and quality issues as much as they buy into ideas about the products, the manufacturers, and themselves.Psychologists recognize that familiarity with a brand helps people make sense of the world; that people will instinctively buy more expensive goods if they are first asked to contribute to a good cause, that many are willing to help market new products and create a buzz about things they like (--hmmm--doesn't mention that is exactly what reviewers do on Amazon), and that dopamine, a chemical in the brain associated with pleasure, is released when we buy something.Walker believes that the interconnection between any product and the consumer is more subtle than simply figuring out a need and filling that need. Brands and logos and products of all kinds are symbolic tools used in telling personal stories.Walkers' final chapter focuses on purchases as visible statement to ourselves and others about who we are. Problems arise, he says, "when people use material goods and experiences not to reflect who they are but to construct who they are.""Buying In" is a fascinating look at consumer culture.Kim BurdickStanton, Delaware

The challenge with people writing marketing books these days is that readers want some snappy concept or bullet-point list (Gladwell's influencers, Godin's purple cow, etc.) that they can immediately plug into their work, trot out to show thought leadership to clients, and so forth. So if that's what you're looking for, you will probably be disappointed with Buying In.What this book does provide, however, is an exhaustively-researched, well-illustrated compilation of consumer trends, chiefly over the last 5-10 years, but in many instances, showing the historical roots of current-day market phenomena. What's refreshing about Walker's book--especially for those of us who often get our news and analysis from sites and blogs--is the number of fascinating, oft-obscure academic studies, psychological journal articles, and vintage treatises that he cites in context of making his observations. The "source notes" section at the end of the book is 8.5 pages single-spaced, and reading all of the works he mentions that caught my eye would take months. In that sense, one of the chief merits of Buying In is being such an excellent bibliography for finding the guy who did the definitive study on X or who wrote that influential book on Y.Perhaps because of being built on such a meticulously-assembled ziggurat of research, Walker doesn't advance any radical theses; if you've been involved in the "commercial persuasion industry" for any length of time many of the thoughts will be familiar. In summary, however, I would not disagree with any of his substantive conclusions, and am convinced that this is a guy who gets it. Buying In convinced me that anything he writes is worth reading--a statement you can't make about many of these johnny-come-lately so-called gurus.

I hardly ever rate a book five stars. The book must have really rocked my world in some way. This was a “PrettyGood” book, a concept he discusses. It was written in 2007, so no doubt much has changed, but many of the people and methods of consumerism are still alive and working. If you are interested in why people buy the things they do and what kind of force consumerism is in the world, this is a good read and rather more optimistic than might be the norm.

I enjoyed the agency that Walker granted to consumers in understanding the influence of advertising and marketing in our purchasing decisions. Though the myriad of non-conscious factors may make us as consumers feel out of control, the modern-day marketing shift allots more authority to the citizen. I am especially fascinated by those who are active in recommending or reviewing products without any expectation of reward or monetary compensation. The desire and fulfillment in sharing one's own opinion with others has the potential to tie communities, create social bonds; though, as Walker brings up, how are these conversations undermined when they are prompted by commercial means?We may be blinded by murky efforts to persuade us, but books like this aid in shining the light to something that for many is untold. Sometimes the examples in each chapter felt repetitive and I would grow tireless with the details, though I found the overall themes to be invaluable in understanding our roles in the ever-looming, ever-changing, (optimistically) increasingly innovative marketplace.

An excellent book. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed the way Rob Walker takes us deep under the skin of what a brand really means rather than what a marketing manager thinks that their brand is in the book Buying In. Walker decodes one of marketings great mysteries: what is it about Red Bull's marketing that makes it so successful.Probably the most interesting part of the book however is the amount of time that Walker spends on the concept of authenticity. Authenticity partly comes from the attributes of the business, rather than just the marketing of the business and part of it comes from the way that the consumer interacts with the brand: what values and attributes that they put on it. It is this complex brew that gives a brand authenticity and engenders trust.

Walker provides his views on consumerism, and why we buy what we buy. He discusses how the consumer has an effect on a brand/product's meaning, and gives many examples throughout the text to clarify his points. It is NOT difficult to read, and is also entertaining.

I had to read it for a class project. It was really insightful and provided some novel approaches to conventional marketing approaches. An easy read.

Might be a bit dated by now but some of the examples in there are very nice. The "murketing" concept is also nice, however these concepts seem to wear out and reappear in different guises as time goes by. So all in all the core idea sustains itself, the packaging of the idea might be subject to upgrading. Think of it as an FMCI (a fast moving consumer idea).

This was the book that first engaged me in the whole arena of retail branding and the potential power of the marketer to create something magical that a consumer couldn't refuse.Walker's concept of `magical thinking' describes that transformative power of brands that can be quite intangible and yet enormously powerful.He leads us through countless engaging case studies of businesses and brands (fashion retail and otherwise) who have harnessed the knowledge of their market and how they create their own identities through purchasing power.It's fascinating. Think you're immune to marketing and brand loyalty? Prepare to think again.

Excellent livre sur notre relations aux marques. La mise en lumière du besoin d'individualité et d'appartenance à un groupe est particulièrement fascinante. Ce livre invite à la réflexion et fait prendre du recul sur l'environnement des marques aujourd'hui.