There are people who control the message. When they control the message, they control your reaction — and everyone else’s too.

“Crowds have always undergone the influence of illusions,” he wrote, “Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master. Whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.” — Charles-Marie Gustave Le Bon

How does a great political message change an entire nation?

How can advertising be so effective that it creates new sayings — like Mastercard’s “priceless” or L'Oréal’s “Because I’m Worth It?”

How does a poet make words that stick in your head (even if you don’t know what they mean)? How do top showrunners make hit after hit after hit? How does the subtle wording of a master comedian make you laugh — and what separates them from the ones that leave you staring?

Messages can make you laugh or they can sway an election.

At their most powerful, the people who create messages can change how you think. That might mean hitting you with something thought-provoking and memorable — but it can also mean exploiting human psychology to make people act for selfish interests.

Masters of the Message is a study in communication.

In it, I break down great messages — from media to politics to advertising to comedy and everything in between — to understand what people are really saying.

Who am I? My name is Benyamin. I love books, lifting, ultimate frisbee, writing, psychology, and learning way too much about that one niche topic that no one will ever ask about (oh boy but if they do…). I have a degree in psychology, and by day I use it in my job as Director of Content Marketing at ActiveCampaign. By night…I do this! And tear through books.

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