Brooks on Books: "What Americans Really Want...Really" by Frank Luntz

What do I want...really? I want my mortgage paid off, I want a rocker recliner, I want an official complete series DVD set of "Sgt. Bilko," and I want the Pittsburgh Pirates to make the playoffs. Does Luntz address THESE wants? No.

Still, this is an entertaining book with valuable findings based on years of solid research, but I'm not sure it's 100% practical in everyday life for the average Joe. Luntz takes pains at the onset to explain why it IS, but after reading the thing, it seems much more valuable as a series of lessons for marketers, businesses, and politicians. Of course, if you are in one of those groups, then, hey, you're the kind of Joe this book targets.

For the rest of us, though, reading it is still a worthwhile experience. It's loaded with buzzwords and such, but with a no-BS approach. In other words, Luntz isn't trying to hoodwink us into following a given agenda, but is sharing what is important to Americans, why it is important, and what kind of language to use to convince them you agree. Through his years conducting polling and focus group sessions, Luntz has studied communication and words in great detail, and the emphasis of this work is on how to reach people by constructing messages that resonate with them.

And if you're worried that because Luntz works for the GOP, the book is gonna be some kind of conservative talking points recital, fear not. Luntz is up front about his beliefs, but he gives credit and assigns blame to both parties when he feels it's applicable. He is far from a far-right puppet, at least in this book, as his chapter on religion shows. He offers interesting thoughts on the subject, claiming that Americans should discuss it more because while they feel comfortable being spiritual and hearing people discuss that, they don't want to hear about other religions than their own. Luntz presents some data that indicate people with strong faith are happier and more productive, but he also offers his own experience at an early age that soured him on organized religion.

Nor is this veteran pollster a slave to Madison Avenue, as is evident in his response to a marketing guy who told him after reading an early version of this book that it was a waste time to devote a chapter to what old people really want because they have already made up their minds and are worthless to advertisers. Luntz calls him an idiot and details why advertisers should pay attention to this demographic. As someone who long ago soured on the notion of programming for "youth demographics," I thoroughly enjoyed that.

In the earliest portions of the book, I thought I was in for a slog of ad-guy-speak and shallow cliches. Fortunately, "What Americans Want" becomes more focused as it progresses, turning into a quality read with compelling insight into what people want and how they respond to messages.