Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

What most people miss about marketing | Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, author)

Jul 21, 2024

01:24:36

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Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, discusses why good products may fail and bad ones succeed, emphasizing the importance of timing and psychology in marketing. He talks about less functionality being valuable, the concept of 'most advanced, yet acceptable,' and why metrics-driven workplaces can demotivate. Real-world case studies and the significance of fame in building brands are also covered.

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Quick takeaways

Marketing is vital; overshadowing product brilliance. Timing crucial for success of innovative yet misunderstood products.

Human resistance to change and societal norms hinder adoption of seemingly superior products. Market readiness is essential.

Understanding consumer psychology, habits, biases crucial for success. Incorporating diverse perspectives and two-stage decision-making fosters creativity.

Deep dives

Marketing's Influence on Product Success

Marketing plays a significant role in the success of products, often overshadowed by the product's brilliance. Steve Jobs exemplifies the power of marketing over pure technological innovation. Innovation alone doesn't guarantee success, as seen with past failed but excellent products like Google Glass and the Wine Box that had noteworthy features but missed the mark due to timing and marketing missteps.

Balancing Innovation and Consumer Acceptance

01:07

Habit and Social Copying in Decision Making

01:02

MAYA: Minimally Advanced Yet Acceptable - Danish, Not-too-quiet razors

01:47

Small teams of 10 with autonomy - Kraken, Shopify service

02:22

Intro

4min

Exploring the Essence of Effective Marketing and Consumer Acceptance

5min

Embracing Distinctiveness in Marketing Strategies

30min

Exploring the Value of Marketing and Thinking Differently

3min

The History and Impact of Marketing

28min

Building a Famous Brand

11min

The intersection of psychology, technology, and economics in product development

3min

Rory Sutherland is widely regarded as one of the most influential (and most entertaining) thinkers in marketing and behavioral science. He’s the vice chairman of Ogilvy UK, the author of Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, and the founder of Nudgestock, the world’s biggest festival of behavioral science and creativity. He champions thinking from first principles and using human psychology—what he calls “thinking psycho-logically”—over mere logic. In our conversation, we cover:

• Why good products don’t always succeed, and bad ones don’t necessarily fail

• Why less functionality can sometimes be more valuable

• The importance of fame in building successful brands

• The importance of timing in product success

• The concept of “most advanced, yet acceptable”

• Why metrics-driven workplaces can be demotivating

• Lots of real-world case studies

• Much more

Note: We encountered some technical difficulties that led to less than ideal video quality for this episode, but the lessons from this conversation made it impossible for me to not publish it anyway. Thanks for your understanding and for bearing with the less-than-ideal video quality.

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-most-people-miss-about-marketing

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Where to find Rory Sutherland:

• X: https://x.com/rorysutherland

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland

• Book: Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Business/dp/006238841X