It's a scenario that could have been pulled from the pages of a sci-fi novel. But this type of brandwashing is no fiction.

During her pregnancy, a mother-to-be watches her favourite TV shows. She listens to catchy jingles for well-known brands. Then her child is born, bearing an inexplicable preference for these things.

Remarkably, that newborn's preference has little to do with chance, according to brand expert Martin Lindstrom.

"We know today when pregnant women are eating stuff and hearing sounds it actually affects their unborn babies," Lindstrom said, appearing on CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.

"Now we see brands in Asia are targeting pregnant woman and targeting their unborn babies. It's a very scary, very futuristic scenario. But it's no longer the future," he said.

In his new book, "Brandwashed," Lindstrom reveals all the cunning, sneaky and underhanded ploys that advertisers use to manipulate consumers and make them buy.

Lindstrom knows these tricks all too well.

For more than two decades, Lindstrom travelled the world as a highly paid brand expert, using many of these techniques to help clients push the right buttons with consumers and get them to buy more of their goods.

But Lindstrom has had a change of heart about his profession over the last few years.

That revelation came when Lindstrom found himself stranded on the island of Cyprus with no luggage. With no clothes to wear and just hours to spare before one of his presentations, Lindstrom rushed into a kiosk. His first purchase was a "brand" T-shirt that said, "I love Cyprus."

"I was addicted to brands. I think everyone is," said Lindstrom.

"I was developing brands every day. I couldn't stay away from it," he said.

Lindstrom continues to count multinationals such as McDonald's and Lego as his clients. But he doesn't mind biting the hands the feed him.

That was evident in his 2008 book, "Buyology: Truth and Lies About What Buy." In it, Lindstrom explored the burgeoning practice of neuromarketing, where people's brains are scanned in order to scientifically understand what stimuli they respond to and can be persuaded by.

That no-nonsense approach continues in "Brandwashed," which outlines countless tactics that companies use to persuade consumers to buy their brands.

For example, Lindstrom describes how the scent of baby powder will often waft from the women's clothing section of a department store. The scent makes shoppers feel comfortable and more likely to buy.

Lindstrom describes how lip balm companies around the world use a certain chemical in their products to make consumers buy more.

"There are manufacturers right now who use salicylic acid in these lip balms," said Lindstrom.

The chemical was originally used to combat acne and remove pimples. But the more consumers used, the more their chapped lips needed it to feel moist.

"Salicylic acid eats up living tissues. You put it on and you have this addictive feeling. You want to add more and more," said Lindstrom.

"Brandwashed" puts forth evidence that a particular buzz made by a ringing iPhone is calibrated a certain way so that it will tap into consumers' brains and make them feel love.

The book even reveals how the pull of seduction and nostalgia can persuade consumers to buy everything from fresh flowers in a supermarket to a teen pop phenom like Justin Bieber.

The Bieber effect may actually have more to do with mothers rather than teenaged girls, according to Lindstrom.

"Mothers have a crush on him," said Lindstrom.

After setting up focus groups across North America, Lindstrom asked mothers if they had a crush on Bieber, but not from a sexual point of view. Nine out of ten focus group participants said yes.

We all remember a time in our lives when we adored teen superstars.

"Think about Donny Osmond," said Lindstrom.

"He sang, ‘Hey, There Lonely Girl.' Justin Bieber says, ‘One Less Lonely Girl.' It's almost the same thing," said Lindstrom.

Team Bieber has also made good use of the fact mothers, not daughters, are financial decision makers.

"Girls don't have money. The mothers are the wallet carriers. They get that," said Lindstrom.