Scan barcode
jeff_finley's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome discussion about why people buy what they do. Very current.
jasoncomely's review against another edition
5.0
Although "Buying In" is a non-fiction book, the writing is so good I was completely transported into the settings and situations Rob was describing.
Buying In is a memorable, fascinating journey in "murketing". Several years after reading the book I still ruminate over it.
Buying In is a memorable, fascinating journey in "murketing". Several years after reading the book I still ruminate over it.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
Even as a designer who needs to (begrudgingly) keep up on business trends, books like these usually bore me to death, let alone tell me anything new or interesting. But Walker, who writes the "Consumed" column in the New York Times magazine, is more insightful than most authors in this vein. His candid, intelligent commentary on "murketing" should interest anyone remotely interested in why we buy the things we do, and the ends (and unintentional forces) companies engage to snag our hard-earned cash.
ewg109's review against another edition
4.0
This is an EXCELLENT book about the nature of advertising and marketing in the Web 2.0 age.
I was especially fascinated by the last section "Invisible Badges" which is about ethics in advertising and consumption.
I was especially fascinated by the last section "Invisible Badges" which is about ethics in advertising and consumption.
epersonae's review against another edition
3.0
Had to take it back before entirely done, and that was a while ago, so this review is going to be pretty thin. Interesting take on the back-and-forth between products, advertising and personal identity. Lots of examples. Alas, I think I stopped before the practical recommendations; was in the middle of reading about the DIY scene.
cinnachick's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a small biz owner I am often looking for ideas on how to advertise or spread the word about what I do without being unauthentic to who I am and what I do and what my overarching biz and cultural goals are. This book didn't provide me with ideas on how to advertise better, but it did offer insight into how advertising works, doesn't work, and sometimes isn't needed. Sometimes, having the best product is all that matters in the end. He does have a chapter on the indie-biz DIY movement and mentions an event I attended and has some insight that matched my own opinion. Since this book was written several years ago, the info is a bit outdated and I would love a revision/update that examines the history that has happened since then. But I would recommend this to any person who either loves advertising, or to any person who says that advertising doesn't affect them. It does, you just have to be aware of when it does.
shawnwhy's review against another edition
4.0
fun books about brands and image associated with it, and how consumers inturn effect the brand. murkerting is the act of marketing towards a less specific market, due to the fact that the consumers make their own interpretation, the history of PBR is super interesting seen as how it has set up to fail slowly.
kristennd's review against another edition
4.0
The focus here is on the specific brands we choose when we buy things, rather than on just how much stuff we're buying in general. Although there is some of the latter too, especially in the context of creating new markets. Some nicely-balanced examples of how our choices are more complex and less shallow than popularly assumed and how brand communities are real communities. The line between using stuff to reflect your self vs using it to build a self. His arguments for the virtues and artistic value of the indie producers, however, were less convincing. And a compare/contrast of the t-shirt boys vs the crafty girls (or at least his portrayals of them) could be an interesting article.
I'm reading a lot more about consumerism than I'd realized -- I'd already read many of the books/articles cited in here.
I'm reading a lot more about consumerism than I'd realized -- I'd already read many of the books/articles cited in here.
emilylandry's review against another edition
4.0
I decided to read this book after seeing it on a booklist on a craft blog. There is only a very small section - not even a full chapter - on marketing, consumerism, etc in the diy/craft world, but it was a great section. This book was great for thinking about how marketing pervades our lives, and how we participate in that. Walker is both suspicious of the marketing techniques of companies, and aware of the pleasure that we get from consuming and having marketed to us products that we use to help shape our identities. Some of the language he makes up to describe modern marketing techniques (murketing, the interpreter) is a little clunky, but the book is a quick, straightforward, and even fun read.