

Interview: Adam Ferrier author of The Advertising Effect on why you should stop listening to your customer
May 15, 2025
In this session, Adam Ferrier, founder of the Australian agency Thinkerbell and author of The Advertising Effect, shares his insights into consumer psychology. He argues that blindly listening to customers can lead to uninspired advertising. Ferrier emphasizes how embracing imperfection can increase a brand's likability and explains the power of unexpected strategies in creating memorable campaigns. He also discusses the impact of brand status and nostalgia on marketing, illustrated with examples from iconic brands like IKEA and Apple.
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Adam Ferrier's Career Journey
- Adam Ferrier's journey to consumer psychology involved trading shares at school and a tutor's suggestion.
- He tested various paths including forensic psychology before fully embracing consumer psychology and marketing.
Make Branding Front and Center
- Effective marketing requires placing the brand front and center and telling evocative stories.
- Creative application of psychology principles like cognitive disfluency can help brands stand out.
Leverage Embodied Cognition
- Use embodied cognition insights to subtly influence consumer preferences.
- Simple design tweaks like spoon placement can increase product appeal by about 20%.