Stop Chasing the "Why": Here's How Real People Actually Buy

For years, marketers have been told to "find the why"...which drives Sarah absolutely nuts. 😅

In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah argues with Nate that this idea of the "one true why" is what broke modern marketing.

People don't buy for one reason. They buy for many reasons—depending on mood, timing, environment, identity, stress level, and context. The real driver isn't why someone buys. It's when.

Using real-world examples (from whiskey splurges to Starbucks rituals to Rolex buyers at different life stages) this conversation breaks down why over-optimizing for a single "why" leads to brittle brands, shallow segmentation, and wasted creative effort. Instead, Sarah and Nate explore how brands should think in terms of emotional "whens," behavioral states, and consistency over persuasion.

If you've ever felt stuck hunting for the perfect insight, this episode reframes the problem entirely…and gives you a more realistic way to build brands, messaging, and creative that actually scale

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CoHost: Nate Lagos

Twitter: https://x.com/natelagosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

CoHost: Sarah Levinger

Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevingerLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg