Alchemy by Rory Sutherland – Quote
I went yesterday evening to hear Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chairman of ad agency Ogilvy in the UK, speak in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square about his new book Alchemy. I have had the good fortune to meet&chat with Rory on a number of occasions and it is never less than fascinating. He kindly contributed to the (finished) chapter on Paul Arden in my (unfinished, as yet) book When Sparks Fly.
Rory grabbing the Bull by the horns
In view of the fact I’ve recently started working at Red Bull Media House (as a Commissioning Editor), I loved that he used Red Bull as a striking case study in this talk (as well as in the foreword of his book which I started reading today).
I liked this quotation on the value of Big Data from today’s reading:
It’s important to remember that big data all comes from the same place – the past.
Rory is a big advocate of evolutionary psychology and behavioural science (with all the irrationality those expose) as opposed to economics and other data-driven activities. He’s not against logic and hard facts, just in favour of suspending rationality from time to time in favour of creative magic or alchemy.
Simple Pleasures part 4 
[…] An email pings in as I open the book. It is from Rory about the Red Bull example which opens the tome. See Alchemy post. […]