Instant Appeal provides interesting thoughts about how human beings may process information through inherently natural and primal cultural, anthropological, and biological channels. Such processing could be connected to product, individual, or corporate marketplace success versus failure. Kunkel states:
… much of our response to things in our environment is the product of anthropological conditioning and is rooted deep in our DNA (p. 6). … the biological and anthropological triggers that make us stick to products are the same ones that make us stick to ideologies … (p. 8).
The book has nine chapters, notes, an index, and a listing of companies cited within the work. Reading the book is thought provoking; however one uses what Kunkel would likely identify as the human condition of trying to prove her wrong when reading the work. The reader is often taken down paths that originate in research streams but end in uncertain lagoons. Her somewhat popular documentation of research is very interesting and thought provoking. Examples used in supporting the theoretical are often conjectural and anecdotal, and they require employing her or her firm to prove that her approaches are valid.
That said, if one is able to successfully ignore the sales pitches for her consulting services, the presentation of anthropological and neurological theories is fascinating. Whether these have the kind of applications for business and individual success as the author proposes is unclear. It does, though, cause one to wonder if the connections between people's consumption preferences are developed on the biological and natural levels. Moreover, skeptics are likely to ask if successful people and brands more likely to be connected to these so‐called primal factors.
Let me give you an outline of the book, a summary of the main concepts, and then some of the areas I found interesting. And even though this is a linear presentation of the material, the author argues for presentation of materials that are story based, with multiple story lines – five to be exact – in order to overwhelm the consumer into submission. She argues quite rightly that we sit through, read through, or expose ourselves to too many presentations, books, and programs that are linear and repetitious in design. In fact, although these are so extremely boring, rarely will one speak up and state this. Similarly, you cannot see me, but reading my name gives you a clue as to the associations you make of my intelligence, and hence, the credibility of this book review! Apparently too, you prefer that I use those short little sentences to get a point across. And, if you assume my physical appearance is not so attractive, you will give me the benefit of the doubt and rate my review higher than if you saw me as a very beautiful person! Your assessment of my physicality has to do with the degree of trust you will have in what I say. But, if you think I am just a plain almost ugly old home town girl, you will have loyalty toward me because you will see yourself in me.
That said, when I received the book, I first flipped through the text, read some of the main points and thought it was interesting. Most times when I receive a book to review my first reaction is different – on first read I always wonder why I agreed to review it. In this case, rather than reading it right away, I set the book aside thinking it would be better to review it closer to the time when I knew I would need to prepare for a presentation. I also thought, since Instant Appeal promises to make your books sell better, it would be good to read it when I was closer to publishing a book.
The book follows a typical structure, with an introduction, followed by eight chapters, then notes and an index. The chapters are:
Chapter 2 – Ducklings, defects and devotion: the conspicuous flaw factor.
Chapter 3 – Does it look like a duck? The visual programming factor.
Chapter 4 – Small dogs, big SUVs, and the failure of Epcot: the reptilian comfort factor in consumer choices.
Chapter 5 – Gaining power and loyalty through attraction and repulsion: the sacred cow and the jackass factors.
Chapter 6 – Words, names, and story lines with addictive appeal … the biology of language factor.
Chapter 7 – Good vibrations: the biotuning factor for career success.
Chapter 8 – What our minds really see: the mental real estate factor.
Chapter 9 – The lessons of instant appeal: how moral entrepreneurs use the eight primal factors to engineer a crisis.
Eight primal factors associated with consumption are presented in chapters 2 through 8, and are applied in chapter 9. Simultaneously, examples of how companies and individuals have applied the factors through the author's consultancy are given. Moreover, suggestions are made to the reader as to the importance of implementation of the eight primal factors for success. As I already mentioned, the actual ability to do what the author suggests, with assurance that it is being done correctly, is not included in the text.
I read the first couple of chapters in the book and I was enthused. All those mistakes I made and agonized over in my past will be viewed by my readers as just plain human! So if I write the review of her book, should I try to make a few mistakes so that empathy will accrue to me and this will actually gain me more invitations to review books? I am not so sure of that. However, there is a part of me that is very forgiving of people who make mistakes, because I have become more human and empathetic in my life. This may be good for certain types of products, services, speeches, books, etc. But surely, we can all think of those services, such as medical, legal, or accountancy, where there is no wiggle room. And high service quality and low error rates yield flawlessness that actually contributes to brand loyalty.
One thing Kunkel touches on that would make some breathe a sigh of relief is that in seeking the primal factor of reptilian comfort – we want to find the easier, softer way to do just about everything. I am glad that cat's out of the bag. This explains why we humans like short cuts, online banking, navigation systems, and remote controls – among other things. In seeking the easy way, we also search for kinship in our work environments. Companies aspire to attract and retain the “right” people. Employees aspire to work for the “right” firm. Along these lines, consumers are drawn to companies that somehow provide them with the “right” feeling of kinship. It not only “takes a village” but rather formation and sustainment of tribal membership in order for companies to be successful at attracting and retaining brand loyal employees and customers. “Kinship relevancy is how a group helps us to connect with how we see ourselves in the world at large” (p. 85). This type of kinship, she argues, is the source of how “groups are now formed less on shared activities and more on shared ideologies” (p. 91), forming the basis for mass marketing and loyalty, online and off. Along with seeking the easy path and being in search of relevant kinships, Kunkel avers that we are also anthropologically programmed for the “here and now,” which is why goal achievement is so difficult. Interestingly, primal factors explain why it is difficult to change our social view of women from caretakers to high‐powered, highly paid leaders. “Because men in our culture have historically held the top positions of power, and because women are socialized to be caretakers, both sexes – on a deep, reptilian brain level – find it almost impossible to support a woman in a high‐powered position” (p. 96). On some level I agreed with this. Afraid to admit it though, I put the book down and went on to complete some other projects that had more pressing deadlines.
When the deadline for getting the book review done began to approach, I felt it as a “here‐and‐now project” to complete, as my other projects that I had associated with completing the book review neared. I went back to the review instructions, and was reminded that if I did not think the book was worthy of a review, I could decline to review it. How could anyone do that? I would not want that to happen to me! And after all, I thought, nobody is perfect, and some of the research in this book is worth reviewing and utilizing, even if the theories Kunkel sets forth need proofs and implementation directions are lacking.
In my own work, I have wondered to what degree people are drawn to commercials because of the extent to which they see themselves in the commercials. In chapter 8, Kunkel documents neurological and biological research that could be used to support such notions, arguing that there is a human desire to physically mimic what we see in certain commercials. And just before this in chapter 7, she suggests that language factors are also cadence oriented and will, if used with the correct meter, draw people in biologically and neurologically. I will continue to use some ideas Kunkel presented, and theories she notes, in my presentations and writings.
This book is definitely a worthwhile read because of the contribution it makes in reminding us of our need for love, meaning, and humanity – flaws and all. In marketing to consumers, we are marketing to human beings, with long standing biological reactions, cultural conditioning, and anthropological practices and rituals. I believe that Instant Appeal has information that all of us can use in differentiating as well as understanding ourselves, our products, and our companies in the ever‐evolving, digitized, socially networked marketplace comprised of the species of human beings.
