The one-sentence summary
There is a gap between what people say in surveys and what they really think, so you need to work out what their answers actually mean.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS 
- The Big Lie is the gap between social norms and private reality, between expressed opinions and inner emotions, between what people say in surveys and what their answer actually means.
- There is a juxtaposition between how people live inside their heads and the generalised assumptions made by those people and the companies that market to them.
- Businesses need to create products and communications campaigns that tap into consumers’ realities as well as their projected personas.
- Consumers need to feel good on two levels – a duality that needs recognising. This duplexity means consumers are capable of ‘living in two apartments at the same time.’
- Four main areas are dealt with:
- Ever smarter consumers, endlessly irrational choices
- Behavioural economics has exposed flawed decision making despite people having more information.
- Power of Me, Value of We
- Despite what individuals claim, groupthink and social copying dictate many decisions and opinions.
- Comfortable Lives, Uncomfortable Truths
- People will only go so far to live a truly co-friendly and green life.
- The Call of Yesterday, The Scream of the New
- Everyone claims things were better in the past, whilst craving everything that’s new.
- Ever smarter consumers, endlessly irrational choices
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
- People now have effective knowledge – a good understanding of how everything works and how they should be seen to be behaving, so they can easily claim one thing and do another.
- They also have a new ruthlessness, and do not want to let go of their living standards.
- For consumers, perfect is often not worth the price.
- Research is pretty much incapable of replicating the living process that affects most purchasing decisions. No matter what people say in surveys, it’s never that simple.
- The Big Lie can = The Big Lazy. People may think responsibly, but then fail to act accordingly, creating a disconnect between opinion and action.
- More caring, positive, virtuous responses are offered in face-to-face interviews as opposed to online. People want to seem good in person.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
- The book would benefit from a decent index.
- It is produced by the trends and forecasting agency The Future Foundation, and often strays into becoming a brochure for the company.
- The first half of the book is written in an over flowery style. A more balanced approach would have provided some academic calmness.