Aesthetic Intelligence

How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond

By: Pauline Brown

Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny

Longtime leader in the luxury goods sector and former Chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton North America reinvents the art and science of brand-building under the rubric of Aesthetic Intelligence.

In a world in which people have cheap and easy access to most goods and services, yet crave richer and more meaningful experiences, aesthetics has become a key differentiator for most companies and a critical factor of their success and even their survival. In this groundbreaking audiobook, Pauline Brown, a former leader of the world’s top luxury goods company and a pioneer in identifying the role of aesthetics in business, shows executives, entrepreneurs, and other professionals how to harness the power of the senses to create products, services, and experiences that stand out, resonate with their customers, and create long-term value for their businesses. The power is rooted in Aesthetic Intelligence - or "the other AI", as Brown refers to it.

Aesthetic Intelligence can be learned. Indeed, people are born with far more capacity than they use, but even those that are naturally gifted must continue to refine their skills, lest their aesthetic advantage atrophy. Through a combination of storytelling and practical advice, the author shows how aesthetic intelligence creates business value and how executives, entrepreneurs and others can boost their own AI and successfully apply it to business. Brown offers research, strategies and practical exercises focused on four essential AI skills.

Aesthetic Intelligence provides a crucial roadmap to help business leaders build their businesses in their own authentic and distinctive way. Aesthetic Intelligence is about creating delight, lifting the human spirit, and rousing the imagination through sensorial experiences.

©2019 Pauline Brown (P)2019 HarperAudio

Boot scoot boogie

Amazing for understanding the value of branding and marketing……. I don’t know why I need to have 15 words when I said what I meant in less but okay audible 🙃🥲

Couldn’t finish

I couldn’t finish listening to this audiobook. The narrator’s voice is quite grating, which made it hard to stay engaged. I definitely won’t be choosing another book narrated by her. As for the content, the author doesn’t provide many examples and tends to repeat the same point—‘aesthetics are important’—over and over. If this is the foundation of her university lectures, I wouldn’t be interested in taking her class. I regret spending a credit on this book.

Simply. Brilliant.

Simply brilliant! Pauline Brown introduces and beautifully articulates the concept of aesthetic intelligence and touches on how to identify, understand, appreciate, and nurture your own sense of taste and aesthetic signature. The book DOES leave you wanting more! However, NOTHING was left out. She introduces the concept and perspective of “taste” and aesthetic acumen as both a deeply human and highly valuable business trait. Makes me want to get my MBA at Harvard, just to be close to this person who, albeit far more successfully, thinks like me.

If you are aesthetically intelligent and attuned, this book WILL help you understand and better articulate your own unique skill set and inspire you to elevate your aesthetic self, professionally and privately.

If you’re a CEO and want to improve or keep your job, read this book! If you’re a brilliant aesthete or creator and want to take a CEO’s job, then read this book!

If you need more explanation than this book on how to be creative and have taste, take an art class and go luxury goods shopping. You aren’t ready for this book.

Great perspective

This book really helps outline and paint a picture of just how vital aesthetics are to whatever business you may be in. Loved the information in here, didn’t care for the voice reading… sounded too much like a Waze voice giving directions.

Not bad...

The business examples were nice and helpful. Past that, it seemed like there was one whole chapter (or more...) that made it feel like I was being told to eat fancier food and put more effort into what I wear in order to "increase my aesthetic IQ". Whatever.

Voice of the reader lacked vocal range. Sounded like I was being read to by Apple's Siri.

This book perfectly fills in the holes.

Pauline Brown’s expertise and experience (in Aesthetic Intelligence) fills in a huge hole in perception many companies rarely grasp. Her insight(s) brings critical pieces together in a greater understanding of marketing and what leads to deeper, more meaningful, customer brand (and design) engagement. The ideas and concepts in this book can be applied to Advertising, Branding, Communications, Design and improvement of the self. You may find a sober, crystal clear perspective begins to expand and cultivate a more full phenomenal (multi-sensory) experiences to benefit you, your employees, and patrons as well.

Of the 35 books I’ve listened to since the pandemic of 2020, this one tops the list. I can also see this book becoming one of the greatest business book contributions for the remaining decade. I think it is just that good.

Sincerely,
Breuk Iversen
8grape.com

Good from time to time

Some interesting thoughts on modern aesthetics (mass consumption and production) and a change to contemporary aesthetics (experience and substance). Would love some more substantial backing to these ideas than anecdotal evidence, but still interesting concept. I will admit that I was hoping this was more of a historical discussion of aesthetics and their evolution. Still has interesting topics on aesthetics in business development. If advertising is your thing this would be a good book, but if you're looking for a in-depth look into aesthetics and it's use, I don't know how much you're going to gain from this.

expected more

Very selfish book. Hoped for more insights and examples from luxury goods industry but author has turned herself into a central character of the book. Easy skip.

Good but too surface level.

the author has insider knowledge about the development of lots of brands but so few real world examples given. I mean, everyone knows the warby Parker story. why rehash? talk about the brands you actually worked with and the thinking that went on. there were a few examples but not enough meat on this bone.

Rudimentary but still had a few good points.

From the outset, I recognize that this book a narrative building on simple principles with regards to aesthetic intelligence derived from Pauline’s immense experience in luxury retail. However, it isn’t clear who her target audience is (seems so be a broad stroke), but perhaps those who haven’t been in some sort of branding/retail experience or something of the sort.

As a person who has an extensive background in retail, I was anticipating a fresh perspective or thought process around the concept of aesthetic intelligence. And, although Pauline’s experience is extensive it’s also one-sided (high end, luxury) making her insights, although highly valid, lack luster and not much new to gather.