Customer Reviews
Feed your head and provoke your thoughts - By: Merry Baskin, 26 Jan 2008 
Loved it! I bought this book a while ago & hoped that somehow osmoticallly its contents would seep into my brain from the table beside my desk (along with a few others). I finallly started dipping into it over the Christmas break & found it a compelling, chapter at a time, take a few notes here & there, read. It has given a good fillip to my new year client conversations, lots to chat with them in a constructive & challlenging way about how people behave & how they respond to the communications we set before them. I shalll be going back to it.
You're not an individual - By: F. J. Yakob, 23 Nov 2007 Classical economics is founded on the myth of rational man - homo economicus - who makes rational decisions based on a logical cost benefit analysis of every situation.
This is CLEARLY complete rubbish & Mark delights in demonstrating the fact.
What we do is hugely influenced by the actions of others - the Herd - & Mark gives loads of delightful examples of this - as well a compelling account of the anthropological, psychological & neurological foundation of this behaviour.
Hmm - that makes it sound very serious - it is in a way but it's also fun & funny.
Read, enjoy, & never use a urinal without thinking of Mark again.
Patchy - By: Lovborg, 18 Oct 2007 
There is some interesting stuff in here, but the whole is hamstrung by a lack of clarity in the argument & in the style. It is mainly observation, rather than implication - & I, for one, feel that we need books that are tasked with applying their theories rather than collating examples that suggest a hypothesis.
That said, the central idea is pretty indisputable - but then, has it EVER been seriously disputed & the writing on the Dove brand is interesting stuff.
Get this book NOW ! - By: Elinor Barbier, 21 Sep 2007 I read about HERD a few months ago ... & I immediately went out & and bought it. I must admit, I almost gave up after the first chapter or so ( a bit long & dry), but thank God I hung in there for WOW does it become fascinating after that !
If you are interested in marketing, business & publicity, get this book !
Elinor Barbier
www.labondgirl.com / www.iridologiefrance.com
An intellectual treasure hunt... - By: Will Humphrey, 17 Jul 2007 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) & that naturallly 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, & why seemingly spot on techniques have failed.
I rarely read books emotionallly, 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 & examples to get to that point was extraordinary. Being interesting & 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.
Finallly, 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 & out, like a good meal. Reading it alll at once would mean you'd miss out on many of the ancedotes & examples.
So buy it. And savour it.
