Nudge

• Will tips from a 102-year-old marketing book work in 2025?

  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: Why the phrase “Food Shot Through Guns” helped sell more cereal.  How a sewing machine manufacturer increased his sales 9-fold.  The four predictions Hopkins got wrong.  And evidence-backed studies that reveal what he got right.  ---- 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.

  --------  

  21:42
• Can you implant fake memories?

  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

  --------  

  28:06
• Elon Musk’s Controversial Interview Question

  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.

  --------  

  19:51
• Surprising truths about memory with Dr. Ranganath

  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

  --------  

  31:43
• Should you trust your gut?

  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

  --------  

  28:12

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Nudge