Back in 1923, Claude Hopkins wrote the definitive book on advertising. David Ogilvy said the book “changed his life,” and over eight million copies of the book have been sold. But are the 102-year-old tips still accurate today? In this episode of Nudge, I find out. 

You’ll learn:

----

Download the Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/readinglist

Sign up to 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:

BBC. (2016). Corsodyl: How an unnerving ad campaign works. BBC News.

Behavioural Insights Team. (2013). Applying behavioural insights to charitable giving. Government & Society.

Berger, J., Moe, W. W., & Schweidel, D. A. (2023). What holds attention? Linguistic drivers of engagement. Journal of Marketing, 87(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429231152880

Berger, J., Sorensen, A. T., & Rasmussen, S. J. (2010). Positive effects of negative publicity: When negative reviews increase sales. Marketing Science, 29(5). https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1090.0557

Harris, K. [Kamala Harris]. (2024, March 1). Enemy Within | Harris-Walz 2024 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQnugO8SEx0

Hopkins, C. (1923). Scientific advertising. Printers’ Ink Publishing Company.

Hüttel, B. A., Schumann, J. H., & Wagner, C. J. (2018). How consumers assess free e-services: The role of benefit-inflation and cost-deflation effects. Journal Name, 21(3).

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Monnier, A., & Thomas, M. (2022). Experiential and analytical price evaluations: How experiential product description affects prices. Journal of Consumer Research, forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4046802

Pick, D. F., Sweeney, J., & Clay, J. A. (1991). Creative advertising and the von Restorff effect. Psychological Reports, 69(3, Pt 1), 923–926. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.69.7.923-926

Rogers, T., & Lasky-Fink, J. (2023). Writing for busy readers: Communicate more effectively in the real world.

Schindler, R. M., & Yalch, R. (2006). It seems factual, but is it? Effects of using sharp versus round numbers in advertising claims. Advances in Consumer Research, 33, 586-590. Association for Consumer Research.

Sutherland, S. (1992). Irrationality. Pinter Publishers.

Trump, D. J. [Donald J Trump]. (2023, September 12). Wolves [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/pxz9sxUqgsE

Weiner, M. (Writer), & Draper, M. (Director). (2008). Mad Men (Season 1, Episode 11) [TV series episode]. In M. Weiner (Producer), Mad Men. Lions Gate Television.

In 1980, Michelle Smith published a book that triggered the Satanic Panic, a worldwide fear that Satan worshippers were recruiting millions to embrace satanism. 

Today, I explore the surprising science of false memories with Dr. Charan Ranganath, author of Why We Remember. Dr. Ranganath reveals how memory is more imagination than recollection, why some people vividly remember things that never happened, and why the Satanic Panic was based on fiction not fact. 

You’ll learn:

How Michelle Remembers sparked the Satanic Panic and shaped public fear.

Why memories “recovered” in therapy can feel real but be completely false.

How a memory expert misremembered her own mother’s death.

The shocking study where 40% of participants believed they committed a crime they never did.

----

Download the Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/readinglist

Sign up to 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/

Charan’s book Why We Remember: https://charanranganath.com/

----

Sources:

60 Minutes Australia. (1989). Teens cruel ‘sacrificial’ offering to Satan in quiet country town [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/yiN27M0akuY

Bartlett, F. C. (1928b). Types of imagination. Philosophy, 3(9), 78–85.

Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social psychology. Cambridge University Press.

KABC News. (1988). Devil worship: Satanic panic circa 1988 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/RGxf7G3Xpj4

Kassin, S. M. (2008). False confessions: Causes, consequences, and implications for reform. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(4), 249–253.

Loftus, E. F. (2005). Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory. Learning & Memory, 12(4), 361–366.

Loftus, E. F., & Pickrell, J. E. (1995). The formation of false memories. Psychiatric Annals, 25(12), 720–725.

Loftus, E. F., Miller, D. G., & Burns, H. J. (1978). Semantic integration of verbal information into a visual memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 4(1), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.4.1.19

Magnetic Memory Museum. (1994). Law enforcement guide to Satanic cults [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/VTJ0_BABexo

Ranganath, C. (2024). Why we remember: Unlocking memory’s power to hold on to what matters. Doubleday.

Roever, D. (1989). Exposing the Satanic web [Video]. Rcom Productions. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Hgymy7VlhT8

Shaw, J., & Porter, S. (2015). Constructing rich false memories of committing crime. Psychological Science, 26(3), 291–301.

Unknown Author. (1990). Satanic cults & ritual crime [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/byUvJDXqxa4

Winfrey, O. (1989). Oprah Winfrey Show 1989: Ritual sacrifice of babies [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BRninYpnlzM

Elon Musk’s hiring strategy goes against conventional wisdom—he asks just two questions and relies on gut instinct. But does it actually work? Today, Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer reveals why Musk’s method might be smarter than traditional hiring processes and explores the psychology behind better decision-making.

You’ll learn:

Why Musk’s hiring heuristic could outperform complex selection methods (feat. insights from Gerd Gigerenzer).

How experienced managers naturally use heuristics to make better hiring decisions.

The surprising downside of having multiple interviewers (feat. findings from a 2014 hiring study).

A smarter way to assess job candidates (that goes beyond endless questions).

----

Download the Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/readinglist

Sign up to 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/

Gerd’s book Smart Management: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548014/smart-management/

----

Sources: 

Reb, J., Luan, S., & Gigerenzer, G. (2024). Smart management: How simple heuristics help leaders make good decisions in an uncertain world. The MIT Press.

Luan, S., Reb, J., & Gigerenzer, G. (2019). Ecological rationality: Fast-and-frugal heuristics for managerial decision making under uncertainty. Academy of Management Journal, 62(6). 

Fific, M., & Gigerenzer, G. (2014). Are two interviewers better than one? Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1771–1779.

I explore the surprising science of memory with Dr. Charan Ranganath, author of Why We Remember. Today, Dr. Ranganath reveals why forgetting isn’t a flaw but a feature of our brains and how simple strategies can dramatically improve recall.

You’ll learn:

Why forgetting is normal (feat. Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve).

How multitasking physically changes your brain and worsens memory.

Why filming concerts on your phone makes the experience less memorable.

Proven techniques from memory athletes to help you remember more. 

----

Sign up to 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/

Charan’s book Why We Remember: https://charanranganath.com/

 ----

Sources:

Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Über das Gedächtnis: Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot.

ESPN. (2018). LeBron James recalling play with photographic memory [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkHAsh-i6WQ

Miller, G. A. (1956). The magic number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81–97.

Ranganath, C. (2024). Why we remember: Unlocking memory’s power to hold on to what matters. Doubleday.

Tulving, E., & Schacter, D. L. (1990). Priming and human memory systems. Science, 247(4940), 301–306. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.2296719

White, R. (2018). How to memorize a deck of cards (fastest way taught by memory champion) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/yevxvTbUa4s?si=x447uhmpm9-z--SD

Golf players, investors and CEOs perform better if they take their time. Or do they? 

Today, Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer reveals why intuition often outperforms complex analysis and how shortcuts can lead to smarter decisions in business, sports, and investing.

You’ll learn:

Why gut instinct can beat data-driven decisions (feat. insights from Gerd Gigerenzer).

How firefighters, CEOs, and handball players make better choices under pressure.

The dangers of overthinking—why too much time can worsen decisions (feat. 2004 golf study).

Why simple rules predict outcomes better than complex models (feat. Wimbledon & NFL studies).

--- 

Sign up to 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/

Gerd’s book Smart Management: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548014/smart-management/

--- 

Sources: 

Baum, J. R., & Wally, S. (2003). Strategic decision speed and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 24(11), 1107–1129.

Beilock, S. L., Bertenthal, B. I., McCoy, A. M., & Carr, T. H. (2004). Haste does not always make waste: Expertise, direction of attention, and speed versus accuracy in performing sensorimotor skills. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11(2), 373–379.

DeMiguel, V., Garlappi, L., & Uppal, R. (2009). Optimal versus naive diversification: How inefficient is the 1/N portfolio strategy? The Review of Financial Studies, 22(5), 1915–1953.

Dörfler, V., & Eden, C. (2017). Becoming a Nobel Laureate: Patterns of a journey to the highest level of expertise. AoM 2017: 77th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA, August 4-8.

Easterbrook, G. (2010). TMQ’s annual bad predictions review. ESPN.

Eslam sdt Henry. (2018). Best football trick world cup 2006 Jens Lehmann [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/LRAOEWAbO00

Johnson, J., & Raab, M. (2003). Take the first: Option-generation and resulting choices. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 91(2), 215–229.

Klein, G. A. (1999). Sources of power: How people make decisions. MIT Press.

Reb, J., Luan, S., & Gigerenzer, G. (2024). Smart management: How simple heuristics help leaders make good decisions in an uncertain world. The MIT Press.

Serwe, S., & Frings, C. (2006). Who will win Wimbledon? The recognition heuristic in predicting sports events. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 19(4), 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.530

West, D. C., Acar, O. A., & Caruana, A. (2020). Choosing among alternative new product development projects: The role of heuristics. Psychology & Marketing, 37(12), 1719–1736. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21397

Learn why so many ads today are ineffective and what marketers are getting wrong. Today, Tom Goodwin reveals the four simple truths about advertising, the surprising power of “wasted” marketing, and why aesthetics alone can make an ad more persuasive.

You’ll learn:

Why most digital ads fail and how short-term thinking is to blame.

The hidden power of repeated exposure (feat. Moreland & Beach’s 1992 study).

How slow-motion, jingles, and branding signals can make products feel more premium.

Why targeting is overrated.

The one thing marketers should focus on to create better campaigns without breaking the bank.

This episode contains strong language. 

----

Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/07a850cbb7

Sign up to 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/

Tom’s book: https://www.koganpage.com/digital-technology/digital-darwinism-9781398601925 

Follow Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfgoodwin/

Follow Tom on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/tomfgoodwin

----

Sources: 

Cialdini, R. B. (2021). Influence: The psychology of persuasion (New and expanded ed.). Harper Business.

Goodwin, T. (2018). Digital Darwinism: Survival of the fittest in the age of business disruption. Kogan Page.

Innes, M. (2023, May 5). CMO tenure falls to lowest level in more than a decade. MarketingWeek. https://www.marketingweek.com/cmo-tenure-falls/

Moreland, R. L., & Beach, S. R. (1992). Exposure effects in the classroom: The development of affinity among students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 28(3), 255–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(92)90055-O

SungJin, J. & Dubois, D. (2022). When and how slow motion makes products more luxurious. Journal of Marketing Research.

Join the Nudge Unit: https://maven.com/nudge-unit/course-cohort

Why does a $5 Uber voucher turn angry customers into loyal fans? In this episode, Eva van den Broek and Tim den Heijer share actionable insights from their book The Housefly Effect, revealing seven marketing psychology tips you can use to grow your business. 

You’ll learn:

How scarcity drives demand, from pineapple rentals to volume-limited products.

Why a $5 apology voucher boosted Uber’s revenue (feat. reciprocity principle).

How Tropicana’s rebrand taught marketers a costly lesson about habits.

Why "95% fat-free" yoghurt sells better than "5% fat" (feat. framing effect).

The clever way airlines manage flight-time expectations to keep customers happy.

----

Get the book: https://bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/book/the-housefly-effect

Sign up to 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:

van den Broek, E., & den Heijer, T. (2024). The Housefly Effect. Bedford Square Publishers.

Bundesliga study | Brandes, L., & Franck, E. (2012). Social preferences or personal career concerns? Field evidence on positive and negative reciprocity in the workplace. Journal of Economic Psychology, 33(5), 925–939

McFlurry sales boosted by 55% | Walsh, N. (2024). Tune in: How to make smarter decisions in a noisy world. Bedford Square Publishers.

Uber $5 apology | Halperin, B., Ho, B., List, J. A., & Muir, I. (2019). Toward an understanding of the economics of apologies: Evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment (No. w25676). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25676

Berger, J. (2013). Contagious: Why things catch on. Simon & Schuster.

Gu, Y., Botti, S., & Faro, D. (2013). Turning the page: The impact of choice closure on satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), 268–283. 

Martin, S. J. (2024). Influence at work: Capture attention, connect with others, convince people to act. [Paperback]. Economist Edge.

Yuan, Y., Liu, T. X., Tan, C., Chen, Q., Pentland, A., & Tang, J. (2020). Gift contagion in online groups: Evidence from WeChat red packets.

Join the Nudge Unit: https://maven.com/nudge-unit/course-cohort

Can tiny nudges dramatically change our behaviour? In this episode, Eva van den Broek and Tim den Heijer explore the subtle yet powerful psychological tools that influence daily decisions, often without us realising it. 

You’ll learn:

Why doubling the size of a plate made kids eat 41% more (feat. the Delboeuf illusion).

Why Schiphol Airport painted a fly in the urinals (“The Housefly Effect”).

The role of defaults in organ donation, student loans, and fast food orders.

How loss aversion turned teachers into top performers, improving student grades by 10%.

Why IKEA sell cheap ice cream (feat. the peak-end rule).

----

Get the book: https://bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/book/the-housefly-effect

Sign up to 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:

Carmon, Z., & Kahneman, D. (1996). The experienced utility of queuing: Experience profiles and retrospective evaluations of simulated queues.

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., Hofmann, D. A., & Staats, B. R. (2015). The impact of time at work and time off from work on rule compliance: The case of hand hygiene in health care. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3).

Holden, S. S., Zlatevska, N., & Dubelaar, C. (2016). Whether smaller plates reduce consumption depends on who’s serving and who’s looking: A meta-analysis. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 1(1), 134.

Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B. L., Schreiber, C. A., & Redelmeier, D. A. (1993). When more pain is preferred to less: Adding a better end. Psychological Science, 4(6), 401–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1993.tb00589.x

Kaur, S., Kremer, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2015). Self-control at work. Journal of Political Economy, 123(6), 1227–1277.

Levitt, S. D., List, J. A., Neckermann, S., & Sadoff, S. (2016). The behavioralist goes to school: Leveraging behavioral economics to improve educational performance. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 8(4), 183–219.

van den Broek, E., & den Heijer, T. (2024). The Housefly Effect. Bedford Square Publishers.

Join the Nudge Unit: https://maven.com/nudge-unit/course-cohort

Business books are everywhere, offering seemingly simple solutions to complex problems—but are they truly helpful? In this episode, Alex Edmans explores the biases that make us fall for oversimplified advice and why many popular business books fail to deliver.

You’ll learn:

How black-and-white thinking fuels the success of books like Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution and Start With Why.

Why confirmation bias leads us to believe unproven claims (feat. Simon Sinek’s “Why” theory).

The dangers of ignoring nuance, such as in Angela Duckworth’s Grit and Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule.

Real-world examples of flawed reasoning, from the London Marathon tragedy to corporate missteps.

How to critically evaluate the advice offered in bestsellers and avoid falling for universal “truths.”

----

Download the Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/readinglist

Sign up to 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/

Alex’s book May Contain Lies: https://maycontainlies.com/

----

Sources: 

Edmans, A. (2024). May contain lies: How stories, statistics, and studies exploit our biases—and what we can do about it. University of California Press.

Atkins, R. C. (1972). Dr. Atkins' diet revolution: The high calorie way to stay thin forever. New York: Bantam Books.

Seidelmann, Sara B. et al. (2018): ‘Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis’, Lancet Public Health 3, E419–E428

DeLosh, Edward L., Jerome R. Busemeyer and Mark A. McDaniel (1997): ‘Extrapolation: the sine qua non for abstraction in function learning’, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 23, 968–86.

Fisher, Matthew and Frank Kiel (2018): ‘The binary bias: a systematic distortion in the integration of information’. Psychological Science 29, 1846–58

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Portfolio.

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Little, Brown and Company.

Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.