Modern Wisdom #1053 - Richard Shotton - 11 Psychology Tricks From the World’s Best Brands
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Jan 31, 2026 
Richard Shotton, behavioural scientist, founder of Astroten and author, explains how brands use psychology to stick in memory. Short takes cover concrete language, packaging and price signals, scarcity and habituation, humour and distinctiveness, messenger credibility, and the illusion of effort. Quick, punchy examples show why some marketing feels inevitable and memorable.
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Focus Beats Feature Overload
- The gold-dilution effect makes additional claimed benefits reduce believability in the core claim.
- Richard Shotton warns brands to focus on one clear strength rather than listing many reasons to believe.
Make Benefits Visual And Concrete
- People remember concrete, visualizable claims far better than abstract ones.
- Use vivid imagery (e.g., "Red Bull gives you wings") to make benefits sticky.
Shift The Price Comparison Frame
- Change consumers' comparison set to increase willingness to pay.
- Design product form (e.g., Red Bull's slim can) to escape low-price benchmarks.
