Introducing FADS Marketing.

FADS Marketing is an inside look at how brands use fads to change your behavior, permanently.

This isn’t just another book about advertising or marketing.

FADS Marketing is an inside look at how companies count on your obsession with food, alcohol, drugs and sex to drive behavior modification—permanently. By the time you finish the book, you’ll have new insights about:

Food: What marketers know about food-related trigger points; the five senses and stuffing our faces; specialty foods for special consumers.

Alcohol: Why booze and the law is a match made in hell; mainstream alcohol marketing featuring weirdos; everyone’s doing it (selling alcohol).

Drugs: Marketers know we love a quick fix; yes, you are depressed; the Cannabis revolution.

Sex: Marketers know everyone fears rejection; you’re gross, no sex for you; who needs ‘live nude girls’ when you’ve got sex robots?

Each chapter features expert interviews and wraps with Harris’ predictions for what’s coming next. Anyone who’s worked with him won’t be surprised to see that some of them are already happening.

Buy the Book

Rabbit Holes

In FADS Marketing, we talk about cool brands, notable advertising campaigns, and disturbing marketing trends. It’s captivating, isn’t it? It’s the kind of stuff that sends you down a rabbit hole.

tryna find me a water spout fr Images via @dunkin

Meme culture meets marketing and why Gen Z loves it

Discover why Dunkin’s cheeky Spider Donut’s flirty takeover is more than just a seasonal treat—it’s a marketing masterclass.

The Smell of Shame

Explore how shame-based marketing has fueled all-over body deodorant sales for decades, and discover the growing movement encouraging body acceptance, natural scents, and conscious consumer choices in the fight against insecurity-driven ads.

The Hidden Power of the Middle

Learn how marketers leverage the middle to drive consumer choices, strategically positioning balanced options to maximize profits and appeal to our desire for moderation.

Bye bye Botox?

From Botox to botanical bliss, the pendulum swings, blending natural charm with high-tech magic, and marketers are the masters making sure we buy every step of the way.

The Quick Fix: Shaping Modern Consumer Behavior

Learn how marketers exploit our desire for instant gratification by leveraging our data, shaping consumer behavior and driving habits through personalized recommendations, limited-time offers, and instant rewards.

The Creepy Crawly Food Trends of 2024

Edible insects are poised to transition from a novelty to a mainstream sustainable food source in the American diet, driven by cultural shifts, innovative marketing, and technological advancements.

Generation Alpha’s Skincare Obsession: Behind the Sephora Kids trend

Authenticity is a savvy marketing trend, as popular as fancy coffee, balancing real appeal with technological flair. Brands embracing genuine engagement, especially for tweens, resonate more amid fleeting fads.

A convoy of eco friendly delivery vans and bicycle delivery drivers fill the streets of a busy city

The Magic Behind the Marketing: Selling Green Dreams

Green subscription boxes are sprouting eco-habits and wallets, mixing savvy marketing with sustainability to keep both the planet and profits growing.

How Crocs and Stanley Captured Our Hearts and Redefined Essentials

Ever wondered how Crocs and Stanley went from cool to can't-live-without? It's all about making us feel part of something big, yet ourselves. Dive into the story that's got everyone talking—and joining the fan club.

Caffeine and Capsules: Study Aids on College Campuses

Amid the stacks of textbooks and glow of screens, students are turning to a controversial duo of allies in their academic endeavors: energy drinks and pharmaceutical study aids.

Cozy at home, the hermit consumer doesn't need to go out to go shopping

The Hermit Consumer: A 2024 Trend to Watch

The Hermit Consumer is set to reshape marketing strategies in 2024, prompting marketers to capitalize on this transformative shift in consumer behavior.

The Viral Appeal of Tinned Fish

Once relegated to emergency rations or a quick-fix for busy weeknight dinners, tinned fish has undergone a culinary renaissance, gaining popularity among chefs and home cooks alike.

a micro influencer does a cooking show in her kitchen with a large bright ring light illuminating the space

The Rise of Micro-Influencers

Exploring the rise of micro-influencers in various industries, from food to cannabis, and their impact on culture, authenticity, and brand connections.

a waitress serves a beer to a man in a bar seated with his friend who is in a wheelchair with assistive devices

Craft Beer: From Boom to Brew-hoo?

Grab a pint and join us as we raise our glasses to the craft beer scene. We're about to embark on a journey that'll take us from its spirited rise to the intriguing crossroads it faces today.

Woman in a pink shopping cart surrounded by pink products

Painting the Town Pink with Barbie

The Barbie movie marketing campaign is officially a global phenomenon, tempting even the most skeptical into becoming Barbie curious. Did they get you?

Go home ChatGPT – you’re drunk

The future is here and we're taking a look at getting our drink on with AI-generated cocktails and beer.

Psilocybin mushrooms can be used to treat PTSD and depression.

Tripping Towards the Middle Path

Psychedelics are back baby and like we said in the book, everyone is taking medicinal plants much more seriously now than we did in the past. Are you ready?

Woman sits in the dark enthralled by her companion, an AI chat bot

AI Unleashed: The erotic frontier of chatbots and sex

We're diving into a spicy rabbit hole to explore AI chatbots and sex where ethical concerns about privacy, consent, and data handling are front and center.

Get ’em while they’re young

Generation Alpha is approaching 13 now, and marketers are already targeting this generation to create life-long, brand-loyal consumers.

abstract representation of a robot connecting dots for effective drug development & marketing

AI in Drug Development: Revolutionizing the Pharmaceutical Industry

It seems like AI is always in the news lately doesn't it? Jump down the rabbit hole with us and explore how Artificial Intelligence is being used in drug development.

a woman is immersed in technology, knowing ai is everywhere

Artificial Intelligence – the disease and the cure

In the Epilogue for the FADS book, I predicted “AI will be the disease and the cure.” What have we learned since then?

Go ahead – it’s healthy!

If you watch the news as much as we do, you might have heard the FDA is considering a new definition of the word “healthy” in marketing processed foods. This got us thinking, so down the rabbit hole we went.

a screen shot from a super bowl commercial

FADS during the Super Bowl

Jump down the rabbit hole with us and uncover the FADS we noticed this year in Super Bowl 2023 ads.

a couple of marketing influencers showing their products online

The Art and Science of Marketing Influence

Learn more about the techniques influencing each and every one of us every day and just how easy it can be to influence behavior.

Meat the Future: Meeting in the Middle

So are “plant-based meat trends” over now that sales have fallen flat? Will lab-grown meats take their place?

FADS Marketing in 2023

It's been a wild few years. What are the marketing trends we should watch for in 2023, and are the FADS still relevant?

Beans are Bringing Sexy Back

This isn’t the first attempt to show off the bold sexiness that beans, that musical fruit, bring to the table. Jump down the rabbit hole with us to discover sexy beans ads from all over the world.

The devil stands with a beautiful woman and says marijuana is a vicious racket with its arms around your children, the smoke of hell, sin, degradation, vice, insanity

Hemp, another prohibition tale

While it’s true that synthetic fibers began to increase in popularity and that hemp was a victim of the war on drugs propaganda, that’s not exactly the whole story. As with most history, the real story is even more incredible than that, buckle up and dive in.

two women talk about depression during a therapy session

Yes, you are depressed

What if we all had access to the mental healthcare we need? Great news—private investors, app developers, and big pharma to the rescue!

Hooked on Social Media: Keep that data flowing

The children are addicted, teens are addicted, even grandparents are addicted to that rush of notifications and likes - and they just can’t quit. But the rush doesn't last forever. Why are we so into these apps that make us miserable?

group of gen z teens hold signs saying they are who they are and that they care about nature

Good Value vs. Good Values

Are the days when a business could get by on providing a good value alone gone now that Gen Z is demanding good values from the brands they do business with?

Body Positivity – can they still shame us if we love ourselves?

Body positivity - the rise of feelin yourself and ignoring the haters - how will marketers get you if you don't think you're gross? Spoiler - in the same way.

An update at what’s happening in #FADS news

We thought it would be fun to bring back #FADSFriday and gather the most interesting bits of recent #FADS news in this special round up.

A new twist on the oldest profession

Before there were endless dating apps, sex robots, and little blue pills, marketing and sex have been linked for centuries. And of course, selling sexual acts has long been referred to as “the world’s oldest profession” for good reason.

Does modern culture glamorize drug use?

Euphoria, Breaking Bad, Trainspotting, Requiem for a Dream - all pop culture touchstones accused of glamorizing drugs. But do they?

a computer screen shows the breakdown of a successful ad spend

FADS Marketing: Influencing trends and changing behavior

Making smart choices, considering the dangers before handing off your data on silly internet quizzes, and using privacy-focused search engines can help. But you can’t stop it. It’s far too late for that.

The middle path for meat producers

We have all been programed as consumers, with a sense of fear driving our behaviors over time. We live in a world of extremes, and it's not sustainable. The middle path is the only way forward.

man and woman on a virtual date over a computer

Sex – what’s changed during the pandemic?

So what are the latest dating trends in the time of the pandemic? Let's find out and explore how FADS are influencing our dating behavior now.

woman holds glass of whiskey, staring at it sadly

Need a drink?

In FADS, we talk about how the alcohol industry has used gender, nostalgia, insecurity and other vulnerabilities to get us drunk - where are we at in 2022?

The Cannabis Revolution in 2022

In just a short period of time we've gone from "Reefer Madness" to political candidates smoking weed in campaign commercials. Why the 180 on 420?

Campaign of Note: Mayo Tackles Food Waste

Addressing food waste, and highlighting sustainability are noble causes, but make no mistake. Hellman's is not spending millions and millions of dollars to make people feel good.

Behavior modification in pharmaceuticals marketing?

We all love a quick fix but many treatment plans require longer-term behavior changes for real results and the pharmaceutical companies are eager to use everything in their toolkit to help. Aren't they the best?

The Future of Personalization and FADS

The powers that be will always be looking to their marketing departments to help shape our preferences, and they’ll continue to hone in on their targets (us) with more precision.

Watch Porn Tonight - FADS Marketing looks at the influence of sex

Pornhub as a lifestyle brand?

Following in the footsteps of the original porn-based lifestyle brand, Playboy, Pornhub is hoping to make their brand more accessible, more approachable, and find that FADS Book Middle Path towards profits from a broader market.

How’s Your Dry January Going?

Drinking habits, attitudes, and behaviors for each generation are closely monitored by marketers, because they need to craft just the right messages and campaigns to keep their steady customers coming and reach the next generation of drinkers.

The Future of Sensory Marketing

Without the ability to physically stimulate our senses with Smell-O-Vision, scent bubbles, or lickable screens, brands that rely on sensory marketing are getting a crash course in some of the ways to reach audiences online with tactics they may not have had to try before.

FADS Marketing Book Xiaflex Carrot Commercial

Ew – What’s Wrong With Your Carrot?

If you haven't read the book yet, buy it now, and learn more about how companies like Endo study our data, form messaging, and convince us to buy their products.

Special Food: The Great Organic Food Fraud

When I recently read this New Yorker article about a regional sales manager from Missouri, who ended up committing serious fraud in the organic grain industry, I couldn’t help but think of the organic food market over the years.

SNL Tim Meadows urges men to get vaccinated against COVID.

Do it for the Boners

Quality Meats, a creative agency, teamed up with a group of urologists to highlight a fact about COVID-19 that they thought might influence some of the vaccine-hesitant American men to get the vaccine.

Booze News with The Late Show

As a "fan of both trends and alcohol," Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert brings us an update he's calling Booze Newz, to keep us informed about the latest in alcohol advertising.

Bright blue non-alcoholic drink being served in a martini glass

Sober October 2021

Sure looks like this trend continues to grow. And while this trend is predictably being blamed on the Millennials, we should get ready to start blaming Gen Z, because it seems they aren't as into drinking as their Boomer grandparents or Gen X parents either.

#FADSFriday Roundup: January 19, 2019

We gather the most interesting bits of #FADS news in this Friday news round up.

The middle path includes more blended meat and plant protiens.

In the News: The Impossible Burger

Impossible Foods released a more nutritious version of its plant-based burger to address concerns that the original formula was no more healthy than a regular ground beef burger. The new version has less sodium, and saturated fat, and is gluten-free.

Campaign of Note: “Save the Food”

As we point out in this campaign case study from the FADS Book, data shows…

Get your bug protein on.

Insect-based feed is emerging as a sustainable solution to meet the growing global demand for animal protein, with companies like Enterra Feed leading the way by converting food waste into nutrient-rich feed for livestock.

a man gives a thumbs up next to a glass of beer

Alcohol Marketing, before and after prohibition

We love this find! Fortune shared an article from 1933 looking at the effect of prohibition on alcohol marketing. Dig in.

Testimonials

Tony Harris is a “voice in the wilderness” of the world of marketing revealing important things hidden from the vast majority of us… An important read for anyone who wants to live wisely in a rapidly evolving consumer culture.

Whoa. Buy it for the title, stay for Harris’ x-ray vision and synthesis of what’s next. Middle path thinking and a look under the covers of how marketers manipulate – and what easy marks we are!

In-your-face insights about how marketers get us and keep us coming back for more. Lifts the veil on how we’re sold. Read it and be more aware… and wary!

A “must read” for CEO’s, marketing professionals, consumers. I’ve been a marketing professional for decades and this book was an eye opener and a game changer for me!

News and Events

Take a Peek – Free Excerpts

December 26, 2021

Curious about what's in FADS Marketing? Check out these free excerpts from the FADS Book chapters on Food, Alcohol, Drugs and Sex.

Thank you, Warwicks!

August 8, 2019

Thanks to everyone who came out to Weekends with Locals at Warwick's in La Jolla -- what a great time…

SAVE THE DATE! July 28: Tony Harris at Warwick’s

June 13, 2019

We're excited to announce that Warwick's -- the country’s oldest continuously family-owned and operated bookstore -- is hosting Tony Harris…

FADS Marketing now available in print.

December 18, 2018

YES! FADS is now available in print. Order it today, and you'll have it in time to read during the…

FADS Marketing debuts in top 20 of its category

November 9, 2018

FADS Marketing is now available, and I'm excited to share that it debuted at #16 in the top 50 of…

About the Author

Tony Harris CEO of Think B 2 B and Author of Fads Marketing

As the Founder of THINC B2B, a transformational management advisory firm, Tony Harris is close to the brands that define our digital lifestyles. He travels extensively worldwide providing executive business counsel to the companies that sell things you never think about. Circuit boards that make your phone work. Parts that make cars run. Components behind the screens of deluxe movie theaters.

In FADS Marketing, Harris holds nothing back while explaining how FADS have become so relevant in a technology-enabled world. With straight-faced candor, he explains that humans are easily manipulated and marketers know it. That’s why the FADS that drive us wild say we’re fat, we’re no fun, we need to relax, and we’ll probably die alone.

Based on his unique yet low-profile role in the future of global digital marketing, Harris shares insights about the FADS that influence our relationships with food, alcohol, drugs, and sex. And then, he pinpoints trends so influential you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.

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The FADS Marketing team is happy to answer your questions and reply to inquiries regarding:

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FADS Marketing was written and created in the USA.
La Jolla, California, United States