Behavioral Science For Brands: Leveraging behavioral science in brand marketing.
Episodes
122 episodes
How AI is influencing marketing and why human judgment still matters
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and behavioral science. They discuss why AI amplifies good and bad thinking alike, how overreliance can weaken judgment, why creativity risks becoming...
How e-commerce brands use behavioral science to increase perceived value
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how behavioral science can improve e-commerce performance. From why perfect reviews reduce trust to how scarcity boosts value perception, they unpack practical ways brands can increase conversio...
Interview: Michael Hallsworth, creator of the EAST framework, on what really changes behavior
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard sit down with behavioral scientist Michael Hallsworth, co-creator of the EAST framework and author of The Hypocrisy Trap. They explore behavior change, social influence, hypocrisy, and why relatable mes...
Behavioral Science for Agencies: Strategy
In this episode, MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton explore how agencies can use behavioral science to build stronger brand strategies. From the mere-exposure effect to the halo effect and goal dilution, they unpack why consistency, focus...
The 4 P's of Marketing: Place
In this episode, the fourth and final installment in a miniseries on the 4 Ps of Marketing, MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton explore how behavioral science shapes “place.” From making products easier to access to using scarcity and prem...
Interview: Robert West, creator of the COM-B model, on the three forces behind every human behavior
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard sit down with behavioral scientist Robert West, creator of the COM-B model, to explore the three forces behind every human behavior: capability, opportunity, and motivation. They discuss why behavior ch...
The 4 P's of Marketing: Product
In this episode, part three of a miniseries on the 4 Ps of Marketing, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how behavioral science shapes product design. From optimal newness to visible social proof and sensory cues, they show how small design choic...
Awarded Campaigns: How Specsavers used humor and consistency to become one of the UK’s most effective brands
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard unpack how Specsavers turned a simple joke into one of the UK’s most effective campaigns. By combining humor, consistency, and behavioral science, they show how the brand captured attention, avoided fea...
The 4 P's of Marketing: Pricing
In part two of our miniseries on the 4 Ps of Marketing, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how behavioral science can improve pricing decisions. They discuss how price signals quality, why delaying costs boosts uptake, how fairness shapes willing...
Interview: Nick Chater on the illusion of stable preferences and how decisions are shaped in the moment
In this episode, MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton speak with Nick Chater about the “flat mind” theory and what it means for marketers. They discuss why people improvise decisions in the moment, how context shapes behavior, and why simpl...
The 4 P's of Marketing: Promotion
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how behavioral science can strengthen the promotion pillar of the four Ps. They cover the power of language framing, why admitting the right flaw can increase credibility, and how the “but you a...
Interview: Karen Nelson-Field, author of The Attention Economy, on why not all reach is equal
In this episode, MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton speak with Karen Nelson-Field about why attention has become one of the most important metrics in modern advertising. They explore how attention differs from reach, what drives it across...
Awarded Campaigns: How DP World changed global shipping by questioning a hidden assumption
MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton unpack how DP World helped shift a global shipping standard that no one had questioned for nearly a century. By challenging status quo bias and rallying competitors around a shared change from −18°C to −...
Interview: Bri Williams, behavioral scientist and founder of People Patterns, on designing customer journeys that change behavior
In this episode, we chat with Bri Williams, author of The Williams Behaviour Book and managing director at People Patterns. We explore how to change behaviour inside companies, and cover a range of principles, such as the Zorro technique, the “...
Awarded Campaigns: How Procell reframed the true cost of cheap batteries to win B2B buyers
MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton analyze Procell’s award-winning B2B campaign that reframed the “cheap battery” decision by highlighting the hidden labor cost of replacing them. Using humor and behavioral science, the campaign shifted p...
Interview: Thomas McKinlay, founder of Science Says, on cutting through marketing “snake oil” with evidence
In this episode, we interview Thomas McKinlay, founder of the Science Says newsletter, about what biases can be applied in ecommerce decisions. Thomas walks us through lots of evidence-based insights, like where to place prices, how charging a ...
Awarded Campaigns: Lucky Yatra, on how a ticket-lottery turned fare dodgers into paying passengers
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard launch a new series by unpacking Lucky Yatra, an award-winning Indian Railways campaign that turned tickets into lottery entries. They explore how uncertain rewards, positive framing, and smart incentiv...
How small behavioral shifts can help make you happier
In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how small behavioral shifts can boost happiness. Drawing on research into the hedonic treadmill, pro-social spending, experiences over possessions, and the power of anticipation, they unpack pra...
Interview: Mark Ritson on consistency, pricing power, and the myths holding marketers back
In this episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mark Ritson - marketing professor, columnist and founder of the MiniMBA in Marketing. We talk about the underestimated power of consistency in marketing, his “Bothism” approach to strategy and why ...
How to use behavioral science to create positive social impact
In this episode, we start our mini-series on behavioral science for social good. This time, we’re discussing how to encourage people to stop smoking. We explore three principles – social proof, the importance of starting small, as well as why f...
Interview: Kevin Chesters, co-author of The Creative Nudge, on why great creativity requires discomfort, not consensus
In this episode, we speak with Kevin Chesters, author of The Creative Nudge and ex-CSO at Ogilvy UK, about the behavioral science of creativity. Kevin explains how small tactics can boost creativity, why time pressure kills it, and how organiza...
Inside Hacking the Human Mind: lessons from the world’s most effective brands
In this episode, we celebrate our new book Hacking the Human Mind. We share our favorite chapters, unpack the behavioral science behind the brands featured, and reflect on what we’d add if we were w...
MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton on 100 episodes of behavioral science, brands, and ideas that actually work
In this 100th episode, MichaelAaron and Richard look back on their favorite moments from the podcast so far, including standout brand case studies like Guinness and Aperol, and key behavioral science principles like the generation effect and re...
Interview: Tim den Heijer, author of The Housefly Effect, on how friction, incentives, and context shape behavior
In this episode, we chat with Tim den Heijer, co-author of the best-selling book, The Housefly Effect, about how small and often overlooked details can have a large impact on behaviour. Tim unpacks some key ideas from his book, including how to...
Interview: Tara Austin, behavioral strategist at Ogilvy, on how small behavioral cues drive large-scale change
In this episode, we sit down with Tara Austin, Partner at Ogilvy. Tara shares the behavioral science principles for creating effective communications. We discuss a broad range of campaigns, from using scarcity to drive demand for KFC's $1 chips...
