1min snip

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

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

notes

NOTE

Embrace Randomness and Chaos

In facing threats or challenges, it is important to embrace randomness and chaos as a survival strategy. Drawing inspiration from the behavior of a hare being chased by a dog, which exhibits unpredictable movements, one can learn that introducing randomness can be a strategic advantage in evading danger. This instinctual response to threats reflects the presence of a 'kind random number generator' in human makeup, as observed by evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers. By adopting unpredictable actions like a 'crazy Ivan' maneuver used by Russian submarines, individuals can navigate through adversity with agility and unexpected tactics.

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Transcript

Episode notes

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