Alchemy
by Rory Sutherland · first published 2019
87% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Advertising executive's case that human behavior is irrational, so ideas that look illogical on paper often work. Full of marketing, branding and signaling anecdotes; suits founders and product people.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2015–2025Ghettoside
Jill Leovy
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 129 recommend · 12 mention9 recommend · 129 recommend
2018–2024Billion dollar whale
Wright, Tom (Wall Street Journal reporter), Bradley Hope, Tom Wright, Wright, Tom, Hope, Bradley
Recommended by 18 · mentioned by 2218 recommend · 22 mention18 recommend · 2218 recommend
2008–2026No Logo
Naomi Klein
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 3011 recommend · 30 mention11 recommend · 3011 recommend
2015–2026Incerto
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 4132 recommend · 41 mention32 recommend · 4132 recommend
Countdown to Zero Day
Kim Zetter
Recommended by 44 · mentioned by 5544 recommend · 55 mention44 recommend · 5544 recommend
2009–2026Kitchen Confidential
Anthony Bourdain
Recommended by 47 · mentioned by 8447 recommend · 84 mention47 recommend · 8447 recommend
2018–2026Bad Blood
John Carreyrou
Recommended by 119 · mentioned by 207119 recommend · 207 mention119 recommend · 207119 recommend
2010–2026Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Eliezer Yudkowsky
Recommended by 170 · mentioned by 301170 recommend · 301 mention170 recommend · 301170 recommend
Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. "Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can)…
on “Ask HN: Read any good books lately?” ↗"Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life" by Rory Sutherland Explains why we choose brands over cheaper alternatives, why we're willing to pay a lot more to lock…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…[0] 2. Reduce as much onboarding friction as possible. Prefer passwordless login i.e Phone, OAuth as compared to "username" & "password" combinations. People have enough passwords to remember. Read "Alchemy" by Rory Sutherland. 3. Promote the app via Fitness oriented localities, Gyms, Fitness YouTubers, Running Clubs, Athletes (people serious about playing sports both professional & amateur). Read "The…
on “Ask HN: I've spent $1M+ building a fitness app. Now what?” ↗I agree. But slightly isn't working. So perhaps it's time to revisit the possible solutions? fwiw, last year I read Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life He makes the case, numerous time for rethinking the approach to problem like this. https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Busi...
on “Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet” ↗…elevator to shorten the perceived wait; there might be other opportunities to solve this problem. If you're interested in such things, this book from a year or so ago was intriguing. Rory Sutherland Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life 4.6 out of 5 stars https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Busi...
on “How We reduced our Google Maps API cost” ↗Branding is an emergent phenomenon in nature as well, e.g. flowers of particular shapes to attract bees. The book "Alchemy" by Rory Sutherland goes into this.
on “Amazon still hasn’t fixed its problem with bait-and-switch reviews” ↗- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Never Out of Season by Robb Dunn - The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick - Alchemy by Rory Sutherland - Test-Driven Development in Swift by Gio Lodi
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗There is a really interesting book called Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. In one chapter he describes his frustration with GPS based navigation apps. I thought it was similar to what you describe. > If I am commuting home, I may prefer a slower route that…
on “AI agents: Less capability, more reliability, please” ↗I recommend "Alchemy" by Roy Sutherland. [0] It deals with human and behavior that drive economics and highlights ideas that would fail on paper and actually work. Example, turns out you can use Disney like characters painted…
on “A bug saved the company” ↗This was a great read. It reminds me slightly of the book Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. I used to play Warhammer (Fantasy, not 40k) so it was really nice to reminisce.
on “The Year of the 3D Printed Miniature (and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)” ↗I recommend _Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense_ by Rory Sutherland [0]. It will help improve the understanding of marketing and hows business operate. This is an over simplified summary. There…
on “Judge Orders Government to Begin Refunding More Than $130B in Tariffs” ↗…dynamic island for example is nothing more of a gimmick. It has no real technological value. But it's cute and fashionable to have a phone with a dynamic island. I recommend you read Rory Sutherlands "Alchemy" if you want to understand more about branding. [3] [1]: https://tryapl.org/ [2]: https://youtu.be/BuaKzm7Kq9Q?si=kd7FT6yeGwFUUumU [3]: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Surprising-Power-Ideas-Sense/...
on “Ask HN: Why did the iPhone win over Windows phones?” ↗Annie Duke's "Thinking in bets" was pretty good as was Rory Sutherland's "Alchemy". "Thinking in bets" got me thinking about playing more imperfect information games. The obvious choice would be poker, but I've been wondering which modern video games are fun to play and are imperfect…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?” ↗I've been thinking more and more that when it comes to advertising, trying to squeeze irrational behaviour into a logical system just isnt going to work long term. Rory Sutherland's "Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life" convinced me that advertising has not changed at all, no matter how much Silicon Valley wants it to. Their delusions…
on “The new dot com bubble is here: it’s called online advertising (2019)” ↗Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland. He's in lots of videos, TED talks, etc. if you want to get the cut of his jib for free, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iueVZJVEmEs
on “Guietta – Python module to create simple GUIs” ↗