Product Description

"...fascinating. Like Malcolm Gladwell on speed."
—THE GUARDIAN

"HERD is a rare thing: a book that transforms the reader′s perception of how the world works".
—Matthew D′Ancona, THE SPECTATOR

"This book is a must. Once you have read it you will understand why Mark Earls is regarded as a marketing guru."
—Daniel Finkelstein, THE TIMES

This paperback version of Mark Earls′ groundbreaking and award winning book comes updated with new stats and figures and provides two completely revised chapters that deal with the rise of social networking.

Since the Enlightenment there has been a very simple but widely held assumption that we are a species of thinking individuals and human behaviour is best understood by examining the psychology of individuals. It appears, however, that this insight is plain wrong. The evidence from a number of leading behavioural and neuroscientists suggests that our species is designed as a herd or group animal. Mark Earls applies this evidence to the traditional mechanisms of marketing and consumer behaviour, with a result that necessitates a complete rethink about these subjects.

HERD provides a host of unusual examples and anecdotes to open the mind of the business reader, from Peter Kay to Desmond Tutu, Apple to UK Sexual Health programmes, George Bush to Castle Lager, from autism to depression to the real explanation for the placebo effect in pharmaceutical testing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11326 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Review
"Earls has a beguiling and an irrepressible intellectual curiosity, so the book becomes a very enjoyable and allusive compendium…” (The Guardian, March 2007)

"Bold in its conception and engaging in execution, offers the most radical new theory of consumer behaviour in a generation" (Gulf Business, March 2007)

"…brain–stretching stuff, looking at economic patterns, investment history and behavioural psychology to help the reader become a shrewder investigator." (Securities and Investment Review, March 2007)

"It will change the way you think about marketing.  It will also change the way you think about yourself."  (Marketing Direct, November 2007) 

Review
"Earls has a beguiling and an irrepressible intellectual curiosity, so the book becomes a very enjoyable and allusive compendium…” (The Guardian, March 2007)

"Bold in its conception and engaging in execution, offers the most radical new theory of consumer behaviour in a generation" (Gulf Business, March 2007)

"…brain–stretching stuff, looking at economic patterns, investment history and behavioural psychology to help the reader become a shrewder investigator." (Securities and Investment Review, March 2007)

"It will change the way you think about marketing.  It will also change the way you think about yourself."  (Marketing Direct, November 2007) 

“…entertaining and thought–provoking” Brand Strategy June 2008

Marketing Direct, November 2007
"It will change the way you think about marketing. It will also change the way you think about yourself."

Customer Reviews

Totally compelling book on the psychology of human behaviour
This book was totally compelling - my copy is now completely covered in crib notes - having devoured it at some speed I now want to go back and read the whole thing again. Not just interesting for people working in marketing, but also for those, like myself, working in small businesses, or, frankly, anyone interested in social psychology. Put simply (although there's nothing much simple about this book) Mark investigates how we are less driven by independent thought than we would like to believe, and more by peer influence; more than simply recapitulating that word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing (something we already knew) he gets right down to the roots of how it occurs, who perpetuates it and what it actually consists of, throwing up some fascinating insights into human behaviour in the process. He then strips back many existing marketing assumptions and presents some compelling new ideas as to how these theories should affect marketing in the modern world. Marketing tips aside, the book leads you to re-examine your choices, decisions, preferences, taste and even identity. It's immaculately researched and a totally absorbing read. Steven Poole in the Guardian compares him to Malcolm Gladwell on speed; I'm thinking more Robert M Pirsig with a point.

A vitally important read for anyone who needs to change behaviour
I've just finished reading Herd. Actually, I devoured it in two sittings. And I urge you to go and read it if you want to think about how to better trigger changes in mass behaviour.
Unlike most business or marketing books it's not a set of case studies or a 'how to' process guide to mechanistic thinking.
Rather, it's an excellently written analysis of the new thinking (and the forgotten old thinking) about how people think, act and behave. It doesn't give you answers or tell you what to do, but rather raises questions in your mind about the principles on which most communications thinking is built.
Already, it's made me question a lot of the assumptions I have been taking for granted, made me think differently about some of the problems I'm trying to solve and helped me ground some of the different thinking I've been doing over the last couple of years.

The new paperback version adds fresh content and argument to further strengthen a strong argument and make it a worthwhile purchase for existing readers.
Whether you agree with all the conclusions or not, we need more stuff like this that brings fresh, challenging, provocative thinking into the far too conservative world of marketing and communications.

An intellectual treasure hunt...
Before I begin to write this review, I must confess two things; firstly, that I work in advertising (and this book has been highly touted by that community) and that naturally I'm a bit distrustful of books that are recommended to me by the wider audience - I tend to like less populist works.

Disclaimer out of the way, I think I can say, without hesitation, that it doesn't matter which industry you work in; this book is relevatory. Everyone should read it.

At the heart of the debate is Mark's belief that we are, at heart (in his words) 'a super-social ape'. We exist to converse, to chat, to gossip. Whole social movements can be explained by utilising this core theory.

Take his thinking on depression - it is when the individual isolates himself from the herd that this condition is most evident, a social malfunction which is also present in apes.

Having defined the 'I' vs 'Us' debate, Mark moves on to discuss the implications of Herd Marketing - how marketeers have sometimes framed their thinking wrongly, and why seemingly spot on techniques have failed.

I rarely read books emotionally, but Mark's chapter on 'Just Believing' had me punching the air. On the surface, it sounds like a straightforward concept, but the amount of thinking and examples to get to that point was extraordinary. Being interesting and standing for something is someone anyone could say, but such was the thinking already written that you can't help agreeing, regardless of any skepticism you may have beforehand.

Finally, if this review says anything, it's to note that the quality of this book is such that I've been very slowly reading it, dipping in and out, like a good meal. Reading it all at once would mean you'd miss out on many of the ancedotes and examples.

So buy it. And savour it.