2min snip

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

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

notes

NOTE

MAYA: Minimally Advanced Yet Acceptable - Danish, Not-too-quiet razors

Scandinavian culture strikes a balance between familiarity and uniqueness, which contributes to the appeal of Scandi noir and crime genres. This unique blend of characteristics fosters relatability while still providing intrigue. Similarly, in product design, functionality and user perception are critical. For instance, an exceedingly quiet razor may lead consumers to doubt its effectiveness, as the sound and sensation of use reinforce the perception of performance. Over-optimization in design can result in products that fail to meet user expectations, highlighting the importance of maintaining a sensory feedback loop in consumer products.

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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