Author: Martin Howard

ISBN: 1932857052

The marketers and public relations firms of this world are constantly improving
the myriad of ways they have to get inside your head and manipulate you to their
way of thinking. This book looks at some of them.

Today's supermarkets intentionally place popular items, like milk and bread, as
far from the entrance as possible. That way, the shopper must pass all those
impulse items at the end of each aisle. Also, they are subjected to muzak tracks
that will cause them to ignore their shopping lists and stay longer. Have you
ever heard of the Gruen Transfer? It describes the moment when a shopper loses
control of the decision-making process, characterized by suggestibility and
glazed eyes. It is at this time that a shopper is most likely to make an
unplanned purchase.

At the local sports stadium, is there any surface, except for the player's
uniforms and the field itself, that doesn't have a corporate logo? You have
probably seen Video News Releases, slick corporate promotions and government
messages designed to look like news, even if you have never heard of them. The
book also looks at how to engineer public opinion, through front groups, paid
experts and targeted messages.

Ebay has said that it will ignore their own privacy policy if law enforcement is
looking for information on a specific person, and hand over that information
without a court order. Everyone is familiar with cookies, spam and spyware on
your computer. Not everyone knows that Kazaa software embeds extra,
hard-to-find, programs on your computer. They send information on your viewing
habits to third-party servers. Advertising and subliminal messages are among the
newest trends in computer games. This book also includes a list of actual
patents for inventions that involve "regulated subconscious behavioral control
by invisible means."

This is a first-rate gem of a book. It is really easy to read. While some might
consider the information in this book common knowledge, it is still a rather
spooky look at how well They have gotten inside our heads. It is very much
recommended.

The above review was contributed by Paul Lappen: CLICK TO VIEW Paul Lappen's Reviews