Nudge is the UK's #1 marketing podcast, breaking down the hidden psychology behind what we do and why we do it. No BS, just smart, science-backed insights that actually work.
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My guest on today’s episode of Nudge has spent decades studying leaders. I asked Prof. Adam Galinsky to share his top five (evidence-backed) leadership tips. Want to become a better leader? This is the episode for you. --- Watch the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/a53ff22931 Read Adam’s book: https://amzn.to/4htZCGc Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.y...
In 1989, The Simpsons released Itchy & Scratchy & Marge. It’s a classic Simpson’s episode filled with slapstick humour, dry jokes, and smart gags. And yet, behind all the humour, there’s an important lesson about leadership. Today, Chief Behavioural Scientist Micheal Hallsworth explains what Marge Simpson can teach you about leadership. --- Read the Hypocrisy Trap: https://amzn.to/47vhxbj Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://w...
Are inspiring leaders born or are they made? That’s what Adam Galinsky, the Columbia Business School professor, has spent the past two decades studying inspiring leaders. On today’s episode of Nudge, he shares his groundbreaking research into inspiration, reciprocity, repetition and visionary statements that reshaped how I saw leadership. --- Read Adam’s book: https://amzn.to/4htZCGc Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.c...
Guinness's success as Britain's top pint, despite its famously slow pour, is attributed to brilliant consumer psychology. Behavioral scientist Richard Shotton explains the "Pratfall Effect," where a controlled revelation of a flaw can actually increase appeal and credibility. The episode also delves into the "Effort Heuristic," exemplified by James Dyson, showing how transparency about the immense effort behind a product can elevate its perceived quality and value. These strategies demonstrate how brands can strategically leverage perceived negatives to achieve significant success.
Five Guys was the fastest-growing fast food chain in the world. And that’s partly due to one clever bit of menu psychology. Today on Nudge, Richard Shotton explains: - The psychology behind the Five Guys menu - How Kraft made a healthier Mac & Cheese (without losing customers) - Why 99% of marketers would have ruined Pumpkin Spice Latte --- Read Hacking The Human Mind: https://amzn.to/47lpcbT Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://ww...
In 2020, the UK government told its citizens not to meet in groups of more than two. Despite this rule, the UK government were caught holding lockdown-breaking parties, which involved the Prime Minister. This ultimately led to Boris Johnson’s resignation in July 2022, but why? Why did this specific scandal make voters so angry? Today, with the Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team, Michael Hallsworth, we uncover the psychology behind hypocrisy. --- Read the Hypocrisy Trap:...
Kipp Bodnar is HubSpot’s CMO. He’s also an AI expert. Today, I interview him about how he uses AI, how he expects marketing teams to change, and his four tips to help you adopt AI in your business. --- The Loop Marketing Playbook: https://clickhubspot.com/45054c Kipp’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MATGpod Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/...
In 2011, Coca-Cola introduced a white version of their Coca-Cola can. The drink inside was identical to original Coca-Cola, but customers drinking from this white can hated the taste. The white can made buyers think the Cola tasted worse. To explain why, I need to delve into the science of sensehacking. With Professor Adrian North, I’ll explain why tennis players grunt loudly, why cars smell different when new, how a tablecloth alters our taste, and that music changes what you buy. --- Join the ...
Is the classic forming, storming, norming, performing model wrong? In this episode of Nudge, Professor Colin Fisher challenges one of the most famous team-building frameworks and reveals what really drives teams to succeed. --- Read Colin’s book: https://amzn.to/4oaY9Yc Reading the Mind In the Eyes: https://embrace-autism.com/reading-the-mind-in-the-eyes-test/#test Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22...
Ever felt like your team isn’t pulling its weight or sat through a meeting where nothing gets done? In this episode of Nudge, Professor Colin Fisher reveals why sometimes it’s actually better to work alone than in a group. --- Read Colin’s book: https://amzn.to/4oaY9Yc Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ --- Today’s sources: Almaa...
Most people prefer AI art until they know it’s AI-generated. Today on Nudge, Professor of Consumer Psychology Matt Johnson explains why. --- Watch the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/5fa3398dfb More on Matt's books, work and newsletters: https://www.neuroscienceof.com/ Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ --- Sources: Bellaiche...
What determines who you vote for? You probably think it's due to rational reasons. Economy. Sustainability. Immigration. Growth. But research shows that your choice of vote isn’t as logical as you might expect. In fact, all of our votes can be swayed by a largely irrelevant factor. And this factor can be used to change what we eat, wear, drink and buy. Hear how, on today’s episode of Nudge with Phil Graves. --- Phil’s book: https://shorturl.at/kzAta Phil’s consultancy: https://www.philipgraves.n...
Have businesses become less accountable? If something goes wrong with your flight, train, or takeaway, you’ll probably struggle to get a helpful response from someone. Today’s guest on Nudge , economist Dan Davies, says this is by design. He calls them Unaccountability Machines , and they’re taking over. He explains that they’ve caused the world’s largest defamation settlement against Fox News, almost destroyed Boeing, and even massacred 400 Chinese squirrels. --- Dan’s book: https://profilebook...
I joined The Hustle Daily Show to chat about NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's and how his campaign cracked the code of modern political psychology by embracing vulnerability, leading with policy over aesthetics, and masterfully triggering psychological reactance against establishment dismissal. I chatted with The Hustle Daily Show's Jon Weigell about attention economy, authenticity and psychological factors that made the Mamdani campaign win out. Plus: Superman soars at the box office and ...
A few weeks back I debunked five studies on priming. But did I get it wrong? Today’s guest on Nudge thinks I missed something. Tune in to hear consumer behaviour expert Philip Graves explain his view on priming. --- Phil’s book: https://shorturl.at/kzAta Phil’s consultancy: https://www.philipgraves.net/consultancy/ Subscribe to the (free) Nudge Newsletter: https://nudge.ck.page/profile Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.yout...
In 1985, Coca-Cola changed its flavour. You probably know that this was a complete failure. ‘New Coke’ was discontinued after just 79 days. But you probably don’t know the true reason why New Coke failed. Many claim it was due to poor market research, but today’s guest on Nudge, leading consumer behaviour expert Philip Graves, disagrees. Philip says New Coke failed not because the research was poor, but because market research is inherently flawed. Want to understand the biggest marketing blunde...
Paul Zak can predict what customers buy without speaking to them. He’s even able to boost charitable donations by spraying a donor with hormones. Find out how in today’s episode of Nudge. --- Read Paul’s book Immersion: https://shorturl.at/YcYxu Subscribe to the (free) Nudge Newsletter: https://nudge.ck.page/profile Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ --- Today’s sources: Nisbett, R. E., & Wilso...
97% of independent films fail. Boiling Point did not. Today, I chat with executive producer Paul Mellor to learn how this movie applied psychological principles to outperform its peers and compete against blockbusters like James Bond. --- Join the Nudge Vaults waiting list: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Paul’s 13.5 ways to grow an underdog: https://www.mellorandsmith.com/13-ways-to-grow-your-underdog-brand Paul’s agency: https://www.mellorandsmith.com/ Subscribe to the (free) Nudge Newslet...
How would you encourage sustainable behaviour? You might assume logical messages work best. Stuff like “ the average three-hour flight creates ~250–400 kg of CO₂”. But today’s guest on Nudge has tested logical messages. And they don’t work. Today on Nudge, Toby Park from the Behavioural Insights Team explains how renaming a meat-free dish doubled its sales. Why targeting home-movers made Americans 400% more likely to cycle. How social norms can increase sales by 20%. And the reframing led the ma...
Super Mario Bros is 40 years old. It’s an incredibly simple game (it takes up the same memory as a smartphone wallpaper), yet it’s incredibly popular. Over 40 million people have played it. Why? Because it’s packed with psychological tips that hook players in and keep them playing. Today, Ramli John explains the subtle behavioural science tricks Super Mario games use to keep us playing. --- Ramli’s book EUREKA: https://www.delightpath.com/book/eureka Ramli’s website: https://www.delightpath.com/...
Can one text message save 100s of girls from cervical cancer? Today on Nudge, Niall Daly and Dr Giulia Tagliaferri discuss their county-wide study involving 55,000 girls. Their experiment had some eye-opening results, so I decided to copy it. I ran my own study on my listeners to see if I could increase my sales. Did it work? Listen to find out. My study emails: https://ibb.co/HTdMDHxT My study results: https://ibb.co/PGRp2d1y Niall and Guilia’s paper: https://shorturl.at/3nlyH Behavioural Insig...
It’s a psychological principle that helped end South African apartheid. It reversed the Pope’s declining popularity. It reduced university students’ binge drinking by 30%. And can predict romantic breakups with 60% accuracy. Today, bestselling author Will Storr reveals the surprisingly effective way to persuade (almost) anyone. --- Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/0d88279296 Read Will’s book: https://shorturl.at/yUGRC Visit Will’s website: https://www.thescienceofstorytelling.com/...
I interviewed 60 Brits to debunk one of psychology’s greatest myths. Priming is one of the best-known biases in behavioural science. Kahneman mentions it 35 times in his best-selling book Thinking Fast and Slow. And yet, I’m not convinced it really works. In five separate experiments, I tested it. Does priming work, or is it a myth? The studies: Authenticity study: https://ibb.co/5W14DM2N Creativity study: https://ibb.co/FbxxNMDf Guilty study: https://ibb.co/XrTLXrY4 Anchoring + priming study: h...
Most marketers will remember Apple’s 1984 ad. Many consider it the “greatest ad of all time”. But you probably don’t know that just 12 months earlier, Apple released a similar ad that failed. Why? Today on Nudge, bestselling author and storytelling expert Will Storr explains why. --- Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/0d88279296 Read Will’s book: https://shorturl.at/yUGRC Visit Will’s website: https://www.thescienceofstorytelling.com/ Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodc...
Instagram wasn’t always a runaway success. The first version of the app flopped. However, the Instagram founders were taught a behavioural science model that transformed their work. Today on Nudge, Bas Wouters, an expert behavioural science practitioner, explains Instagram's changes and how you can follow their model to improve your online marketing. You’ll learn: How a simple question can increase reviews by 400% Why “The World’s Deepest Trash Can” decreased littering by 81% How I increased ema...
I gave this marketing expert one hour to create an unforgettable ad. I showed his ad to 30 Brits and measured exactly how memorable it was. Does his marketing advice work? Or is it a waste of time? Listen to find out. --- Learn more about Voxpopme: https://www.voxpopme.com/ Kopi Luwak control ad: https://ibb.co/NgXY0HZ0 Kopi Luwak ad Louis’s variant version: https://ibb.co/ymQG433V Buy Louis's book: https://link.stfo.io/amazon Sign up for STFO: https://www.stfo.io/newsletter Sign up for my newsl...
This behavioural scientist spent one year doing a new thing every week. He tried acupuncture, gambling, day-trading and dancing. He visited Just Stop Oil meetups, cuddle workshops, and psychic readings. He killed a chicken, drank breastmilk, and bungee jumped. Did it make him happy? (And is there science to back up his ideas? --- Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/64d1602e73 Follow Patrick’s newsletter: https://www.justdostuff.co.uk/ Read Patrick’s book: https://shorturl.at/pAy2h Vi...
This episode explores seven scientifically-backed marketing tips with persuasion expert Bass Walters. Discover how personalized social proof increased email open rates, how uncertain rewards led to thousands of 5-star reviews, and why breaking down tasks into smaller steps boosted job applications. Additionally, learn to leverage loss aversion, the power of providing even irrelevant reasons, how reducing choices can increase conversions, and why offering "Hobson Plus One" options is crucial for online engagement.
Oatly, Tony’s, Ecosia and more all use behavioural science to persuade you. Today, author and founder Chris Baker explains how. You’ll learn about: Tony’s viral advent calendar. Oatly’s tiny change that transformed the coffee industry. Ecosia's smart nudge to keep users hooked. And one behavioural science principle Chris used to launch his brand. --- Use code Obsolete25 for 25% off Chris’s book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/obsolete-9781399416658/ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin....
Why did Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf, and Henri Poincaré all follow the same four-hour rule? In this episode, bestselling author Oliver Burkeman returns to explain why three to four hours of focused work might be the secret to productivity and peace. Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d You’ll learn: The 3–4 hour rule: why it worked for Darwin, Trollope, and Dickens and still works today. How to tackle overwhelming tasks with a simple mental trick called “just go to the s...
