Did you actually click on that? What's wrong with you? What have you ever learned from clickbait? But now that I've caught you, here are some books that might actually show you how marketers trick your brain into wanting all the things they have for sale.
Nothing screams good marketing like classic American flimflam. John R. Brinkley made his fortune implanting goat glands into underperforming men and women to increase their virility, and if you've properly translated all the euphemisms, you are horrified right now. In the course of building his empire, he became one of the pioneers of radio advertising. Charlatan follows both Brinkley and his nemesis, Morris Fishbein, a man who legitimized the American Medical Association in his valiant war against quackery.
Terry O'Reilly, a long-time ad man, explores the inner workings of his industry in his Under the Influence radio series. His discussions have been so popular he spun them off into a book. The Age of Persuasion retells the history of modern marketing. It's full of fun trivia and explores some of the ethical and creative dilemmas inherent in being a successful and reputable advertiser.
But who wants to be reputable? Ryan Holiday made his name manipulating the dregs of the Internet to promote the likes of Tucker Max and American Apparel. Once he became disgusted with himself, he wrote Trust Me, I'm Lying to expose his own and everyone else's shenanigans. I don't always trust a book by a jerk who talks about how great a jerk he was, but at least it's a decent look at the underbelly of online marketing.
Read these books, and the next time you click on a pointless link, you'll have no one to blame but yourself.
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