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23rd out of 60 books
—
149 voters
Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour by Harnessing Our True Nature
by
Mark Earls
Can you explain the explosion of social activities like text messaging with little or no promotion of the behaviour? How a Mexican wave happens? The emergence of online communities? Or - more sensitively - the steady rise of floral roadside tributes to traffic accident victims from complete strangers? Unless you have a good explanation of mass behaviour, you'll have little...more
Hardcover, 348 pages
Published
March 1st 2007
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published February 6th 2007)
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These are thoughts that many of us who grew up in more collectivist cultures have ruminated upon, and so I must thank Mark Earls for bringing them together so brilliantly in Herd. Earls' thesis is that human behavior is primarily governed by social rather than individual forces; we gain meaning and significance through our relationship with the herd. Earls gives us the four principles that guide behavior, and gives us methods and tools to take advantage of these principles.
The book did not recei...more
The book did not recei...more
So far this is a great read that really challenges things I never even thought of as assumptions. I tend more toward a very independent, Ayn Rand view of life and some of the concepts in this book run up against my precepts of individualism. It comes down to this though. We are humans, thus animals and we are innately group animals.
This book is about marketing, consumers, selling and general business strategy. It's also about Neuro science, behavioral conditioning, placebo effects and social sc...more
This book is about marketing, consumers, selling and general business strategy. It's also about Neuro science, behavioral conditioning, placebo effects and social sc...more
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I'm halfway through this book, written by a marketing exec, and much to my astonishment, I find his perspective on human behaviour both utterly fascinating and resonating really strongly with my experience and thoughts about the nature of online communities, how and why they arise, the value of reputation in a flat economy (such as the fannish community, although he never references it -- I would love to know what he would think of it).
I was recommended this book by a colleague who I'd been disc...more
I was recommended this book by a colleague who I'd been disc...more
When I checked "Currently reading" I meant as in "right this minute". Maybe Goodreads should add some functionality for that or integrate Twitter or something.
Anyway... he is writing well.
Is man as "super social animal" the contemporary opposite of free will?
And does Earls' exhortation at the end of the Introduction to "think for myself" about his argument undermine it in the act of exhorting me? Or maybe I just think that because one of my "herds" prides itself on skepticism and so in writing t...more
Anyway... he is writing well.
Is man as "super social animal" the contemporary opposite of free will?
And does Earls' exhortation at the end of the Introduction to "think for myself" about his argument undermine it in the act of exhorting me? Or maybe I just think that because one of my "herds" prides itself on skepticism and so in writing t...more
"I really liked this book - Earls makes clear some things I have long felt in my gut:
1. Illusions over our own importance and impact and the 'I' view of the world in general undermine the validity of market research - people over estimate the importance of their conscious decision making and therefore can't be relied on to explain why they did or bought things.
2. The key to marketing is to get people talking about your product/service
3. Which you can do by being interesting, genuine and passiona...more
1. Illusions over our own importance and impact and the 'I' view of the world in general undermine the validity of market research - people over estimate the importance of their conscious decision making and therefore can't be relied on to explain why they did or bought things.
2. The key to marketing is to get people talking about your product/service
3. Which you can do by being interesting, genuine and passiona...more
Fantastic! It's a book about 'we' thinking that we're an 'I' when all the time we're behaving like a 'we'...very useful for marketers or all those in the 'changing behaviour' jobs like advertising.
Not the clues on changing mass behaviour that the cover suggests, just some more marketing babble and redundant pop psychology
This book is a tad disappointing. The author seemed to have spent the first three chapters talking about all of the things he planned to cover later in the book, thus lending the impression of having a REALLY long introduction. Additionally, nothing he says is especially groundbreaking or even especially nuanced. Here it is, in a nutshell: We act like herd animals, even though we fancy ourselves ultimate individuals. Maybe the book will improve in later chapters. It's not poorly written, even th...more
i did like this book. though perhaps some charlatanism involved. #markearls
Read the Amazon excerpt. Got the book. Thought provoking and only early on
My mind is blown several times over, and I'm not even 100 pages in! Apart from the frustrating typos and grammatical errors that I've come across too-often for a 2nd edition book, this really is a fantastic read.
Update: the second half wasn't nearly as good as the first. It's still worth reading, because I wasn't lying about my mind being blown. But, don't expect it to be that good all the way through.
Update: the second half wasn't nearly as good as the first. It's still worth reading, because I wasn't lying about my mind being blown. But, don't expect it to be that good all the way through.
Sep 02, 2010
Derek
marked it as to-read-biz
recommended by CLeece
Excellent book. It does touch on crowd sourcing but really it attempts to clarify the massive shift of like groups able to easily communicate and collaborate on interest. This is a must read for all marketing professionals and strategic business leaders.
This book has a fascinating introduction.
It also has a disappointing middle, followed by a tiny conclusion.
Worth reading, but I only give it three stars.
It also has a disappointing middle, followed by a tiny conclusion.
Worth reading, but I only give it three stars.
nikdo z nás není individualista, ačkoliv si to možná myslí.
May 21, 2013
Angie Dagenhart
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Chenoa
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May 19, 2013
Charlia
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May 17, 2013
Sarah Croissant
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May 06, 2013
Natalie Nzeyimana
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May 06, 2013
Nguyenhunghai
is currently reading it
May 06, 2013
Paul
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Diana Chisis
marked it as to-read
May 01, 2013
Alina Stan
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Apr 24, 2013
Megan Gouws
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Apr 21, 2013
Alexandra
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Apr 17, 2013
Tianhao Zhi
marked it as to-read
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