Rory Sutherland makes the case that psychology—not logic—is the real driver of progress. He explains why Steve Jobs wasn’t a genius engineer, why “dry toilet paper” is madness, and why marketers should be in charge of airport security. You’ll laugh, learn, and never look at a jam shelf the same way again.
Listen and Learn: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript
Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Group, one of the largest and most renowned advertising agencies in the world.
Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
- Why advertising agencies are being asked to solve airport security problems
- How to reframe problems to synthesize happiness for customers even in the lousiest conditions
- How great storytelling can do everything from increase sales to make beer taste better
- Why companies are more willing to throw money at infrastructure than they are to invest in behavioral change (and why it backfires)
- What doormen, London’s black cab service, and ancient medieval guilds can teach Silicon Valley about business
- One of the most interesting studies ever done that shows how irrational humans are
- “Transaction utility” and how context and expectations wildly influence how much we are willing to pay for goods and services
And that just scratches the surface. We tackle how to mess with self-driving cars, Rory’s reading habits, the intersection of advertising and psychology, why dry toilet paper is a Western abomination, and so much more.
Don’t miss this episode. Rory will forget more about advertising and behavioral psychology than most of us will learn during our lifetime. This is truly a masterclass from a persuasion technician that has few equals.
Enjoy this amazing conversation.
