Behavioural science is still marketing's secret weapon

In 'The Choice Factory', Richard Shotton delves into the world of behavioural economics, presenting 25 cognitive biases that shape consumer decisions. The book is written in an entertaining and highly-accessible format, with each chapter addressing a different bias and providing simple ways to apply it to marketing challenges. Shotton draws on evidence from academia, real-life ad campaigns, and his own original research, and includes insights from interviews with prominent thinkers in advertising. The book covers a range of biases, from priming and the pratfall effect to charm pricing and the curse of knowledge, making the science of behavioural economics accessible for marketing applications.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell examines the phenomenon of social epidemics and how ideas, products, and behaviors spread rapidly. He introduces three key principles: the law of the few (the role of connectors, mavens, and salespeople in spreading ideas), the stickiness factor (how messages or trends must be memorable to spread), and the power of context (how environment and circumstances influence human behavior). Gladwell uses various examples, such as the rise in popularity of Hush Puppies shoes, the decline in New York City's crime rate, and the success of children's TV programs like Sesame Street, to illustrate these concepts. The book provides insights into how small changes can lead to large-scale social and behavioral transformations.