Until now, the act of fascinating others has been an unpredictable occurrence, a product of luck or timing or mysticism, rather than an ability to be directed at will. (Location 429)
He realized something: the chandeliers took an equal number of heartbeats to complete each arc, every single time, whether that arc was big or small. This boy wasn’t merely “interested” in the swaying chandeliers. He wasn’t just “paying attention” to them. (Location 452)
even when two people speak the same words, they’re not necessarily saying the same thing. (Location 510)
Psyching yourself up and bracing yourself at the same time, like an extreme skier dropping down the face of a double-black-diamond run. The shot was cold, but not cold enough to kill the pain. (Location 548)
They were buying a flirtation with forbidden ingredients. If their hard-won Jäger bottle tasted delicious, it wouldn’t be nearly as compelling. (Location 582)
Customers can dislike your product but still love its message, if they love what your brand says about them. (Location 597)
An Orwellian voice announced that it was not too late to exit the orange ride. (Location 649)
Yet the green version doesn’t just lack intensity—it lacks emotion. It lacks energy and engagement. (Location 678)
How about your brand? How could you turn your green-ticket experiences into orange tickets? How could you turn your customer service into an orange ticket? How about your talent recruitment, or your company celebrations? The rewards are huge. My research shows that with a few strategic changes, people will wait in line for your services, post online about your products, refer prospects to your website, and compete to show you off to their friends. (Location 689)
The answer lies in your brand’s main Advantage. Once you identify your brand’s key mode of communication, you can heighten these points of difference, and turn them into something unforgettable. (Location 701)
For instance, when you communicate passionately, people tend to see you as approachable and human. When you communicate powerfully, they perceive you as confident. (Location 724)
Your influence is determined by your ability to get people to take action. (Location 935)
Today, every piece of your communication faces three enemies: distraction, competition, and commoditization. (Location 940)
Just as Jägermeister’s importer, Sidney Frank, turned negative PR into a bonus for the brand, so did the Last Resort pivot from damage control to media gold mine.* (Location 1037)
I’m not asking if you’re charismatic, sexy, extroverted, or any of the other qualities that have become associated with the notion of being fascinating. (Location 1053)
To become more fascinating, you don’t have to change who you are. You have to become more of who you are. (Location 1056)
In my book How the World Sees You, I identify exactly which traits are most likely to be your most fascinating. (Location 1061)
From Miley Cyrus to Kim Kardashian to all six degrees of Kevin Bacon, we’re fascinated by famous people—sometimes merely because they’re famous. (Location 1080)
blindly following a charismatic alpha leader, mimicking behavior, conforming to a certain way of dressing, talking, and living. (Location 1086)
When people become fascinated by celebrities, they are literally spellbound, hypnotized, which often leads them to irrational behavior that closely resembles that of a cult member. (Location 1090)
They narrowly target and recruit a specific type of person and mind-set, even to the point of polarizing outsiders. (Location 1098)
A female begins fascinating a male by smiling at him, raising her brows to make her eyes appear wider and more childlike, then quickly lowering her lids while tucking her chin slightly down, in an effort to bring him closer. (Location 1119)
A man will puff out his chest, jut his chin, arch his back, gesture with his hands and arms, and swagger in dominant motions to draw attention to his power (not unlike the way (Location 1124)
Fascination takes many forms, but all tap into instinctive triggers, such as the need to hunt, to control, to feel secure, to nurture, and to be nurtured. (Location 1137)
When something is forbidden, it becomes fascinating. Even if that something is illegal. (Location 1176)
Instead of trying to outdo your competition, focus on what makes you different. The goal is to find where you and your product diverge from standard expectations. (Location 1220)
When you speak the language of creativity, you can transform a dull commodity into something magical. Rather than charging just for the generic value of the product, you can charge for the experience. (Location 1291)
As a marketer, I was awed. I’d just witnessed my daughter’s customer experience switch from anxiety to anticipation in less than ten seconds. (Location 1424)
Passion comes from the heart and from the gut. As a result, this form of communication is especially useful in heightening connection and desire. (Location 1435)
all the seven Advantages, Passion is the fastest way to build an emotional connection. (Location 1455)
Welcome to High Point University, the brainchild of business master Nido Quebein. (Location 1685)
It applied Prestige to fascinate applicants, parents, teachers, and donors. Here, average is out. Extraordinary is in. (Location 1692)
After all, the school believes, how can students reach their highest and best if they have to worry about security? (Location 1699)
Prestigious people evoke admiration, competition, and envy. In corporate circles, fascination might be triggered by a framed Princeton diploma or an invitation to speak at a TED conference. (Location 1711)
Under the spell of fascination, people don’t always act rationally. That’s how fascination is different from marketing. It creates such an intense desire that price can cease to be an issue. (Location 1757)
Could the House of Winston reclaim its Prestige Advantage? As part of the team charged with updating the brand, I focused on the emotional experience of wearing gemstones of excellence. (Location 1793)
In ancient times, coveted badges included coats of arms, specific colors, modes of wearing hair, wreaths, shoes, lineage, burial practices, certain seats, and insignia of office. (Location 1813)
Prestige emblems can cost a few billion dollars (a private island on the Palms of Dubai), or a few cents (a nifty new stamp), but they usually have little or no intrinsic value. (Location 1818)
By developing symbols of value, your brand can strengthen consumers’ participation and commitment, and make people eagerly work to acquire and show off emblems. Once companies develop emblems of value, they should protect those emblems at all costs. (Location 1826)
Limiting availability isn’t just confined to Persian Gulf emirates and chic boutiques. In many cities, Prestige can be described in five digits: the zip code. (Location 1841)
By making something rare, you can elevate its perceived value. For instance, doctors who steadily have a six-month wait for an appointment are perceived as more exclusive than those who can fit you in before 3:00 p.m. today. (Location 1848)
Prestige is more about actions than purchases. Like respect, some of the most desirable status symbols must be earned. (Location 1853)
Of all seven Advantages, Mystique is the rarest. Unlike the thrilling creativity of Innovation, or the charismatic charm of Passion, it fascinates with intellectual curiosity. (Location 2047)
They listen first, take the time to think things through, then speak when ready. Only a select few are allowed inside. By sharing information in small doses, these brands control what the public knows (and doesn’t know), in order to maintain control. (Location 2050)
At the highest level of play, poker is an intimate understanding of human nature, and the secrets of Mystique. (Location 2074)
For those who know how to read such cues, we’re essentially handing over a dictionary of our body language. To an expert eye, it can be easy to predict our thoughts, fears, and actions. (Location 2082)
“If you know what the other player is going to do, it’s easier to defend against it,” (Location 2088)
They selectively reveal strengths and rarely reveal weaknesses. (Location 2096)
You might use Mystique if you don’t want the competition to be sorting through which patents you’ve filed, or what proprietary intellectual property you keep hidden in the vault. (Location 2100)
Intriguing people and products make us curious to learn more. When a brand spellbinds us with Mystique, we might ask friends about it to hear their experiences, research it online, read product manuals, spend time learning about its history and process, and spend time in the store. (Location 2118)
To your left, you spot a face in the shadowy tables that may (or may not) be an A-list celebrity. All around you, the atmosphere is thick with Mystique. (Location 2125)
No one but blood relatives of the family are allowed to enter. You can’t beg or buy your way inside this kitchen (even if you marry into the family). (Location 2131)
Confidentiality is rare. We’re living in a time of kiss-and-tell and tell-alls. (Location 2150)
Successfully mysterious people and groups limit access. They maintain control by making people feel special to be “on the inside.” When people feel that they’re part of a select few, they’re more committed. (Location 2152)
True & Co. took the bra-fitting experience online by asking questions. Lots of questions. The company identified six thousand different body types and designed a questionnaire that pinpointed the ideal (Location 2181)
Too often, marketers rush in and smother consumers. Instead of a high-pressure pitch, what if you used a low-pressure (or anti-pressure) approach? Consider backing off a little. Pull customers in, rather than pushing them to buy. Build an anticipation gap. (Location 2191)
Instead of spelling everything out in your marketing, what if you let people draw their own conclusions, and draw on your stories? Mythology is bewitching. (Location 2195)
Instead, it spellbinds customers by turning an ordinary experience into a forbidden, thrilling game. (Location 2203)
In order to learn about the product, prospective buyers had to sign an NDA. I didn’t realize it at the time, but signing that NDA made the experience far more desirable for the invitees. (Location 2205)
Prestige: Spectacular special effects and celebrity appearances can elevate a brand in the eyes of viewers. (Location 2452)
Mystique: With the growth of social media, advertisers can use teasers and cliff-hangers to provoke curiosity, pulling viewers from the family living room to the Internet to continue their involvement long after the game is over. (Location 2455)
When you can effectively articulate how you’re most likely to add value, you’ll attract ideal customers. This is because you’ll be making it very easy for them to see why they should choose you over your competition. (Location 3465)
So while Lexus primarily speaks Prestige, the brand also adjusts its communication in order to get a specific outcome. (Location 3507)