Martin Lindstrom's Buy•ology is described as containing "findings from his ground-breaking three year multi-million-dollar neuromarketing study," and answers questions about "what truly influences our decisions" about what we buy.

Lindstrom sticks primarily (and rightly) to what he knows: branding and marketing. Those reading this book for insight into the world of neuromarketing will be disappointed.

The book's neuromarketing research backs up what is likely already obvious to most marketers. The research itself should make up for the lack of novel findings, enabling a reader to defend what they already know using Lindstrom's research, but the research results are not discussed in enough detail to be usable. Cases and examples are discussed at the most length, and the brain-imaging data is relatively general and acts more as a summary than a focal point.

Lindstrom's style is casual, which makes for an easy and fun read, though this also leaves some topics lacking adequate explaining. For example, Lindstrom tells a unattributed anecdote about the development of the Nike logo that seems to contradict the accepted history of Carolyn Davidson's design and development of the logo. It left this reader questioning whether Lindstrom mis-communicated his point or did not verify his research. Either calls the rest of the findings in the book into question.

I would suggest this book to novices who want some quick thoughts on marketing principles and neuromarketing research. If you are looking for a more comprehensive view of neuroimaging and how it can be used for marketing applications, I would look elsewhere.