Feel free to ignore this podcast episode - Richard Shotton

A return for podcast guest number 1, Richard Shotton, following the launch of his brand new book "The Illusion of Choice: 16½ psychological biases that influence what we buy"."Every day, people make hundreds of choices.Many of these are commercial: What shampoo to pick? How much to spend on a bottle of wine? Whether to renew a subscription?These choices might appear to be freely made, but psychologists have shown that subtle changes in the way products are positioned, promoted and marketed can radically alter how customers behave.The Illusion of Choice identifies the 16½ most important psychological biases that everyone in business needs to be aware of today – and shows how any business can take advantage of these to win customers, retain customers and sell more.Richard Shotton, author of the acclaimed The Choice Factory, draws on academic research, previous ad campaigns and his own original field studies to create a fascinating and highly practical guide that focuses on the point where marketing meets the mind of the customer.You’ll learn to take advantage of the peak end rule, the power of precision, the wisdom of wit – and much, much more."What we covered in this episode:Why the podcast 4.9 star rating is the best oneThe meanest tweet Uncensored CMO ever hadSocial proof gives you wingsWhy the new book has 16 ½ chaptersFeel free to ignore this chapter in the bookWhy biases affect professionals as well as consumersThe Russian tank effect and how AI can be misledHow AI design a better pair of Nike TrainersRecency, primacy and the peak end ruleHow behavioural science supports the laws of marketingJon ranks the biasesThe Zuckerberg t-shirt principle (red sneaker effect)Why breaking convention is associated with higher statusAlways use concrete phrases not fluffy marketing nonsenseThe more visual the phrase the easier to rememberRelatable stories beat cold hard statisticsTelling one persons story well is better than trying to represent a groupHow well can experts predict a successful Super Bowl AdExperts are trained to see novelty rather than broad appealWe are all rewarded based on sophistication and complexity rather than simplicityHow thicker paper led to more charity donationsWhy marketer can’t predict how well their own advertising will doProfessional forecasters are no better at predicting than the average personWhy freedom of choice leads to much greater perceived valueWhy we would rather suffer a loss if we now someone else has done betterAdverts aren’t trying to be funny anymore even though the funny ones workWhy making a joke would increase your tipsMaking it easy is the best way to make someone do somethingWe radically underestimate the impact of removing frictionRemoving friction beats customer benefits every timeHow to frame your pricing so people buy your preferred productWhat colonoscopies can tell us about the peak end ruleWhy ads with a peak end perform better overallLinksFollow JonFollow RichardWatch UCMO on YouTube