Recommended listening this week.
Behavioral Science for Brands – Phil Graves
Psychological insight: Phil Graves, author of Consumer.ology, talks about research methods. The basic point of everything he says is that observing real behaviour provides far more accurate data than asking people’s views. As others, such as Kahneman, have demonstrated, many human behaviours are driven by unconscious or automatic processes. People often don’t therefore know why they have behaved a certain way. Worth thinking about the next time you’re about to book a focus group or distribute a questionnaire!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4yAhpdKXHzoJyZHQhe3qht?si=MwaV-f5gR7yU026LiR4D6A
Nudge – Super Mario
Psychological insight: This episode is not really about marketing, but about how computer games designers consider psychology when they design new games. Super Mario Brothers is a good example of how the designers entice gamers in with simple tasks at first, learning through doing, and a distinct lack of options in the gameplay.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0FPptBmm9oYDeXEcDJskgP?si=LR8zCchSS5an-MS9_PPXdQ
Think Fast Talk Smart – Wired for Words
Psychological insight: This is a fascinating chat with Emily Falk from the Communication Neuroscience Lab. She explains how the brain is wired to respond to certain types of messages. For example, the brain considers whether information received is ‘self-relevant’. If you want to ensure a message is considered, ensure the recipient thinks the message relates to them in some way. She also explains the value of stories in adding reason to information.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5HdQnZqaBz2AGM844bExCW?si=76BgX-p6S3y0wZwz_JwVlQ
Photo by C D-X on Unsplash
