Brain Driven Brands

On this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dig into what actually helps most during BFCM week: simplifying your work, limiting decisions, touching grass (literally), planning something fun, rewarding yourself for non-revenue wins, and keeping alcohol out of the mix until the storm passes.

It's the conversation everyone in DTC needs during the wildest season of the year and the reminder that none of us are doing this alone. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

This week on Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate crack open 25 Core Identity Maps (CIMs) collected across nearly every category — supplements, apparel, home goods, tech, sleep, skincare — and uncover the five global consumer behaviors defining 2026.

These aren't the usual "people want convenience and trust" surface takes. They're weird, psychologically sideways, deeply human patterns emerging across thousands of responses… the kind of stuff your attribution dashboard will never show you.

Inside the episode, they break down:

• Why customers want the feeling of improvement, not the reality of change

• Why up to 70% of buyers choose identity alignment over product performance

• Why emotional safety now beats price, logic, or urgency

• How shoppers are making decisions through emotional math, not rational math

• And the wildest finding: customers are humanizing objects that reduce stress—naming them, personifying them, treating them like sidekicks

Along the way, Nate confesses the uncomfortable self-truth the research exposed in his buying habits, Sarah explains why most marketing overestimates aspiration and underestimates avoidance, and both of them dig into why belonging is quietly becoming the dominant motivator in nearly every market.

If you want to understand how real people actually think before they buy — not how marketers wish they thought — this episode is a masterclass in modern consumer psychology wrapped in friendly self-roasting.

Perfect for founders, operators, and anyone who suspects their customers are running way deeper scripts under the surface than their spreadsheet can explain.

Plus: A live breakdown of how brands should adapt their messaging sequencing to match these psychological shifts — and why one wrong emotional signal can kick you out of a buyer's world instantly.

👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Some myths haunt the ad industry like immortal raccoons rifling through the garbage. In this episode, Sarah and Nate crack open a tweet that asked a simple question: "What's the dumbest take you've heard about running ads?"

Turns out…people had thoughts.

They wade through the greatest hits — "never turn off an ad," "you gotta season the pixel," "ads hurt organic," "just follow Andromeda best practices," "DR can't build brand," "scale winners 15% a day," — and then get into the deeper psychology behind why these ideas still survive in 2026.

Along the way, they break down:

• Why founders often accidentally sabotage good ads

• Why Meta's "best practices" contradict themselves weekly

• The dark truth about greedy scaling

• Why employee-led ads outperform founder-led mythmaking

• The sneaky identity traps that make bad takes so seductive

It's equal parts catharsis, strategy, and industry group therapy. By the end, you'll understand not just what the worst takes are… but why people cling to them — and what smart operators are doing instead.

Perfect for anyone who loves ads, hates nonsense, and wants their marketing to be grounded in actual sanity.

👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

When a PepsiCo-trained behavioral scientist crashes the studio, things get weird…and wildly useful. In this episode, Will Leach walks us through the emotional math behind why customers buy, why brands plateau, and why most marketers have their goals entirely backward.

We dig into why value ≠ "saving money," how DiGiorno tricked America by anchoring against delivery pizza, why buyers change personalities between Monday and Friday, and the surprising reason your brand matters way less than you think.

Come for the spicy takes on Coke vs Pepsi, stay for the "Batman vs Utility Belt" analogy that will permanently change how you write ads.

If you've ever wondered why your logical pitches flop, why people buy cowboy hats during burnout, or how to outmaneuver giants without outspending them — this episode is a masterclass in real human behavior, not the stuff your personas pretend.

👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Most marketers are using AI to replace their thinking instead of sharpen it—and it's showing. In this episode, Sarah and Chase break down why lazy prompting is the reason your creative feels stale, your tests flop, and your "winners" die in two weeks.

They'll walk you through 50 wild "what if" experiments that flip marketing psychology upside down and show you how to use AI as a thinking partner, not a content mill.

Here's a taste:

• 🤯 What if checkout pages showed how long you've wanted that product—and how long you'll regret not buying it?

• 💡 What if loyalty programs rewarded you for not buying something outside your goals?

• 🧠 What if your product photos had to include one realistic flaw—on purpose?

• 🧍‍♀️ What if brands made you "prove" you're worthy of a discount?

It's a crash course in using AI to break your own biases, surface hidden insights, and create ideas that actually stick.

Listen if: you're tired of cookie-cutter AI advice and want to see how behavior science meets chaos in the best possible way.

(By the end, you'll never ask ChatGPT to "write me 10 headlines" again.)

What If List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Do2K506-V6TrXBK43gLrLGGunjeYL3uicNZXJ0Jh7Wg/edit?usp=sharing

👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Sarah and Nate dive into one of marketing's strangest scientific findings: launching [secret product] can make your brand 20% cooler. So which product is it? No hints on this one…you'll just have to listen and find out!

Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/crazy-mini-products-make-your-brand-cool

👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

2025 was a weird year for marketers..an avalanche of AI hype, output obsession, and soulless creative cycles. In this episode, Sarah and Nate dissect the biggest missteps brands made this year and what needs to change before 2026 hits.

From mistaking outputs for outcomes to realizing AI isn't ready to think for us, they break down why "volume" culture is killing creativity and how to rebuild your strategy around clarity, authenticity, and actual human intelligence. Expect hard truths, some laughter about naming cows "Ribeye," and a challenge to run your own "What Could Go Wrong?" meeting before the new year.

It's a roadmap for smarter, saner marketing in 2026…no AI attitude required. 👉 Join the community: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Ever seen an ad so bizarre you couldn't look away? A woman eating a boiled egg for 90 seconds. A cigarette brand that never showed the cigarette. A $40M Burger King campaign about a guy named Herb who'd never eaten there.

In this episode, Nate and Sarah play Two Truths and a Lie: 1980s Ad Edition and then break down why the strangest, most nonsensical ads of the decade actually worked.

We'll talk about:

• 🧠 Semantic Closure — why your brain can't stand an open loop.

• 🧩 Processing Fluency — how confusion turns into curiosity.

• 💀 Fear vs. Wonder — and why one still sells better than the other.

• 🎭 The Burger King campaign that cost $40M (and flopped for all the right reasons).

It's a crash course in how to make people think about you later — even if your ad makes zero logical sense in the moment.

If you've ever wondered why your "clever" creative underperforms, 👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

In this Brain Driven Brands episode, Nate and I unpack a wild little study that found ads can be 30% more effective depending on where your model's eyes are looking.

Turns out, the difference between "I trust this brand with my organs" and "why is she looking at me like that?" comes down to whether your product is utilitarian or hedonic (fancy words for "practical" vs "fun"). We break down why eye contact builds trust for supplements and skincare—but looking away sells fashion and for-funsies products.

TL;DR: Your model's gaze might be the cheapest conversion hack you've never tested.

👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

On this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah's bad haircut spirals into a four-week behavioral case study—and an accidental masterclass in consumer psychology. From identity triggers ("am I that kind of person?") to timing misfires and disqualifying sales moments, this story exposes how every brand loses money by misunderstanding when a buyer is ready—not why.

In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dissect: → Why "when" your customer feels safe matters more than "why" they buy. → How bias, timing, and trust signals silently make or break conversions. → The $2,000 mistake one salon made that every brand repeats online.

If you've ever wondered why great products don't convert—or how to fix the sequence that kills your sales—this is your wake-up call.

🧠 Listen in and rethink every "why aren't they buying?" meeting you've ever had.

👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab

CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg