Nudge

Sharing secrets shouldn’t be frowned upon. Being open, transparent, and candid can work in your favour. Today I’m speaking to someone who doesn’t hide much, John Lee Dumas, host of Entrepreneurs on Fire, one of the world’s most popular business podcasts. John shares almost everything, from his exact monthly income, his tax saving schemes and intimate tours of his house. Today, I explain the psycho...

In the middle ages hundreds of thousands of Europeans danced themselves to exhaustion. Some danced for weeks on end, many ended up dying of heart attacks and heat stroke. But why? What strange illness was causing this oddity? Turns out, it was all psychological. The dancing epidemic of the middle ages was one of the first noted examples of mass hysteria, a phenomenon where these individuals experi...

On today’s episode of Nudge, I learnt something that genuinely surprised me.  Persuasive people aren’t born persuasive.  They’re not persuasive because of their looks, their character, or their position.  No, according to today’s guest, Dr Jonah Berger, their persuasiveness actually comes from the words they use.  Tune in to learn how the likes of Donald Trump and Barack Obama use simple tactics t...

Adobe increased retention by 8% simply by changing the way they asked a question. Sainsbury’s added a behavioural science principle to their ad and boosted mobile downloads by 13%. And one nudge-inspired Ramadan project reduced food waste amongst families by 67%. All three of these projects are interventions by Rory Sutherland’s behavioural science practice at Ogilvy. In today’s Nudge, we’ll go be...

I’ve spent over 50 hours this year talking to psychology experts in 2023. In today’s show, I share the 6 best bits of advice I’ve heard all year. Sign up for the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

I sat down with fellow chart-topping marketing podcaster Jon Evans to record 10 lessons marketing lessons every marketer should know.  Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Jon’s podcast: https://uncensoredcmo.com/

This campaign was praised by Piers Morgan, yet lamented by Jordan Peterson. It was championed by Caitlin Moran, yet condemned by the Guardian. It’s a campaign that’s split opinion, not by typical ideological lines, but within the echo chamber. Today, I spoke with Mike Hughes, one of the people behind the campaign, to figure out why it was so polarising, and whether or not the campaign was successf...

In 2021, the NHS sent a text message to every single Brit. This wasn’t a normal text. It was jam-packed with six world-famous persuasion techniques designed to shift behaviour. In today’s episode of Nudge, famed behavioural scientist Patrick Fagan walks through the six techniques, and explains that everyone, from the NHS to a 6-year old selling lemonade can apply them.  Can you spot the gorilla? h...

There’s an incredibly simple way to make your message more persuasive. In fact, it’s as simple as changing a letter. In today’s episode, Professor Christopher Bryan shares his studies on messaging. He’s convinced people to vote, persuaded children to tidy up, and students to stop cheating. How? By using nouns, over verbs.  Sign up for the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list...

Nudge has 1,231,705 plays. I haven’t mentioned this before, and that’s a mistake. Not sharing how many have listened has hindered my growth. At least according to today’s guest. Thomas McKinlay is the founder of Ariyh, a newsletter that shares the latest marketing research. And in today’s Nudge he shares 5 tips that are proven to boost sales, improve satisfaction and (hopefully) encourage more of...

If I tell you to "listen to this podcast!", you'll be less likely to listen. We only act if we feel a sense of autonomy. So demands like this tends to backfire. Today, my guest Bri Williams explains why this happens. Listen to learn, why offering one choice backfires, why we pick the middle choice, and the FBI's guide to negotiations. Access the bonus episode: https://tinyurl.com/nudgebonus Bri’s...

Ever wondered why the houses are so thin in Amsterdam? Or why there are boarded up windows in London? Or why most daycare centres don't charge a late pick up fee? Well it's all to do with (bad) incentives. Hear the world's incentive expert Uri Gneezy explain all in the latest episode of Nudge.  Uri’s book Mixed Signals: https://tinyurl.com/28mh4kke Follow the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepod...

Today’s guest shares how to make people 50% more likely to agree to your request. How to make children 33% more likely to tidy up. Plus, how to make your team more creative, your pitches more believable and your suggestions sound more confident.  You don’t have to take some magic pill, or get face-altering surgery. You just need to change the words you use. Tune in to hear Dr Jonah Berger, best se...

In the early 2000s Head and Shoulders, the anti-dandruff shampoo product, sold 26 variations of their shampoo. The thinking was, the more choice, the more sales. This made sense to almost everyone, except today’s guest. See, today’s guest, the world leading expert on choice told Proctor and Gamble, the company behind Head and Shoulders, to reduce the number of variations from 26 to 15.  And when t...

Can governments manipulate their citizens? Can everyday people be convinced to munch on insects? Are humans akin to wild hogs? And can we learn how to resist manipulation? In today’s episode, ex-Cambridge Analytica employee Patrick Fagan attempts to answer these questions, and more. Sign up for the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Patrick’s book Free Your Mind: https://t...

Your accountant (probably) doesn’t have a tattoo. This isn’t because they’re scared of needles or because they’re uncool losers. It’s because tattoos are essentially costly signals that change the perception of others. These costly signals have been proven to increase sales of MP3 players, to boost blood donations, and to get diners to pay more for their meal. Hear how on today’s episode with worl...

In this bonus episode of Nudge, I've feed swapped with Louis Grenier and his brilliant podcast Everyone Hates Marketers. Today, you’ll hear one of my favourite episodes of EHM—his discussion with the best selling author and marketing legend, Seth Godin. If you liked the show, do go and check out Louis’ podcast using the link below (you’ll spot a Nudge episode over there as well).  Louis’ podcast:...

My guest today has read over 1,200 pages of marketing research papers and summarised this knowledge into 3 practical marketing insights every marketer should know. He promises that these insights contain no opinions, no sketchy data, and definitely no fluff. The insights he’ll share are from papers recently published, so it won’t be the same old wisdom you’ve heard before. Plus, he’s fairly certai...

In 2010, Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef cuts at the Video Music Awards. Why? Well, it turns out it has less to do with differentiation, and more to do with status. In today’s episode of Nudge, the final with my wonderful long standing guest Richard Shotton, we explain why powerful people dress differently.  Access the bonus episode: https://tinyurl.com/5xzu6uv3 Harvard Fake Data Scandal E...

Today’s guest is HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar. He’s helped HubSpot grow from a $10 million company to a $1.7 billion company. Kipp reveals how in today’s Nudge. Tune in to hear the 7 marketing lessons he used to grow Hubspot.  Access the bonus episode with Kipp: https://tinyurl.com/4pfrj637 Listen to Marketing Against The Grain: https://link.chtbl.com/VRVPL0rs Follow the Nudge Newsletter (it’s free): h...

Today I interviewed one of the world’s leading social psychologists, Professor Sheena Iyengar, to ask her … am I the only one who hates brainstorms?  Sheena’s book Think Better: https://tinyurl.com/55atv59w Sign up for the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

There’s an ad that’s stuck in my mind for over a decade. It’s annoying, poorly written, and nonsensical, yet millions of Brits like me can’t forget it. In today’s episode, the bestselling author Richard Shotton explains why.  Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list The infamous Frosties ad: https://youtu.be/4S6N_gQPYIM Steve Jobs reveals the MacBook air: https://youtu.b...

I didn’t want to make this episode. But I felt I had to. Listen to Nina Mazar teach me why nudges don’t always work in the way I tell you they do.  Bonus episode: https://bit.ly/3JPXp9a Nina’s website: https://ninamazar.com/ Nina’s book: https://bit.ly/3JhzsWx Try HubSpot for free: https://hubspot.sjv.io/jWq4k6 Sign up for the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Take the Sc...

WARNING: It has come to my attention that this program may contain subliminal advertising which could potentially impact the decision-making of certain individuals. We urge all listeners to exercise CAUTION before choosing to listen to this episode. We advise that only those possessing a strong will and UNWAVERING RATIONALITY should consider listening to this show. Sign up to my newsletter to be s...

There's a winning formula that turns any trailer into a blockbuster smash hit. Today, I reveal what it is.  I’ve spent way too long watching trailers, and way too much money creating my own faux-trailer for my imaginary Hollywood hit. Tune in to hear it.  Blindsight book https://www.popneuro.com/book How to make a blockbuster movie trailer: https://youtu.be/KAOdjqyG37A Auralnauts backing music: ht...