Inside Hacking the Human Mind: lessons from the world’s most effective brands

In this episode, we interview Thomas McKinlay, founder of the Science Says newsletter, about what biases can be applied in ecommerce decisions. Thomas walks us through lots of evidence-based insights, like where to place prices, how charging a small fee is better than giving something for free, and why online retailers should handwrite thank you notes. 

In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard launch a new series by unpacking Lucky Yatra, an award-winning Indian Railways campaign that turned tickets into lottery entries. They explore how uncertain rewards, positive framing, and smart incentives drove a 34% rise in ticket sales

In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore how small behavioral shifts can boost happiness. Drawing on research into the hedonic treadmill, pro-social spending, experiences over possessions, and the power of anticipation, they unpack practical, science-backed ways to increase joy in everyday life.

In this episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mark Ritson - marketing professor, columnist and founder of the MiniMBA in Marketing. We talk about the underestimated power of consistency in marketing, his “Bothism” approach to strategy and why insights from B2C marketing also work in B2B. 

In this episode, we start our mini-series on behavioral science for social good. This time, we’re discussing how to encourage people to stop smoking. We explore three principles – social proof, the importance of starting small, as well as why fear-mongering can backfire. 

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Chesters, author of The Creative Nudge and ex-CSO at Ogilvy UK, about the behavioral science of creativity. Kevin explains how small tactics can boost creativity, why time pressure kills it, and how organizations can build a culture of lateral problem solving. 

In this episode, we celebrate our new book Hacking the Human Mind. We share our favorite chapters, unpack the behavioral science behind the brands featured, and reflect on what we’d add if we were writing it again.

In this 100th episode, MichaelAaron and Richard look back on their favorite moments from the podcast so far, including standout brand case studies like Guinness and Aperol, and key behavioral science principles like the generation effect and reverse benchmarking. They also share a preview of what’s ahead.

In this episode, we chat with Tim den Heijer, co-author of the best-selling book, The Housefly Effect, about how small and often overlooked details can have a large impact on behaviour. Tim unpacks some key ideas from his book, including how to apply loss aversion, how to prevent incentives from backfiring and the importance of product naming. 

In this episode, we sit down with Tara Austin, Partner at Ogilvy. Tara shares the behavioral science principles for creating effective communications. We discuss a broad range of campaigns, from using scarcity to drive demand for KFC's $1 chips to stopping vandalism by painting baby’s faces on shop shutters.