If only virality was possible. In 2012, Yahoo researchers studying the spread of millions of online messages found that more than 90 percent of the messages didn’t diffuse at all. A tiny percentage was shared more than seven times, but nothing really went fully viral. The hard truth is that to reach lots of people, you have to actually reach them all at once (think Superbowl).
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If you look at an election results map of Germany (in 2025), you can still see the iron curtain that divided communist East Germany from the west. The populist AFD party is dominant in the east, where living standards remain low after decades of communist rule, while it fails to cut through in the more prosperous west.
Art historians have come up with several explanations for the painting’s meaning, all of which may be misguided. According to Picasso himself, “this bull is a bull and this horse is a horse. If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. I paint the objects for what they are.”
While our age increases linearly, the way we age doesn’t. Research suggests that rather than being a slow and steady process, ageing occurs in at least two accelerated bursts at around ages 44 and again at 60 – where we see disproportionate changes in molecules linked to cardiovascular disease, immune regulation, and metabolism.
How do you prove that these regimes are inflating their GDP figures? Use satellite data. By tracking changes in nighttime lighting – a measure of consumption and activity that is hard to fake – researchers found a clear link between lack of freedom and inflated figures.
Advertisers sometimes leave out well known brand assets from their work, assuming that consumers will still recognise the brand. But research shows this couldn’t be more wrong – for example, only 5% recognised a recent Heinz ad which had shunned its logo and packaging. A timely reminder that marketers don’t think like their audience.
In 2024, sales of plastic bags increased for the first time since 2015. Why? The cumulative effect of the online shopping boom, which uses plastic bags by default. Ocado, perhaps most synonymous with the practice, sold 221 million plastic bags in 2024 – the equivalent of 51 per cent of the total sold in the UK.
80% idea, 80% execution
An idea is only as good as the way it's expressed.
Advertising DOES work on me
Ads can stay in our heads forever, even if we never buy the brand.
Bad market research
Lazy thinking makes it hard to gauge public opinion.
Bothism
In a world of binary thinking, we forget that opposites co-exist.
Clever innovation
Creative ideas for growing a brand.
Comparative advertising gone wrong
Showing another brand can prove superiority, but only if it's clear who is advertising.
Consumer first thinking
Catering to the needs and behaviours of real people - not marketers.
Creativity copies
Forget true originality. Creativity requires external inspiration.
Culture shaped by marketing
Brands largely fail to tap into culture - but a rare few shape it forever.
Cursed success
Awards aren't always beneficial.
Do things that don't scale
To get big you first need to think small.
Easy preferred to best
We like decisions that require little effort.
Familiarity bias
We like what we know, regardless of merit.
Framing effects
Value is a matter of perspective.
Friction as a force for good
In a world of seamlessness, brands can stand out by making life hard for consumers.
Goodhart's law
When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
Great expectations
Beliefs have the power to shape reality.
Humans behind the data
Numbers are objective, but the people who make them are not.
Inferring meaning where none exists
We use complex theories to explain events, but the truth is more straightforward.
Innovating by saying no
Brands often win by limiting their options instead of expanding them.
Intelligent naivety
It's easy to break category norms when you don't know they exist.
IRL will never die
The internet provides unparalleled freedom, but nothing beats the in-person experience.
Joy of constraints
Forget creative freedom. The best ideas come from restrictions.
Knowledge ≠ power
Information isn't enough to spark action.
Magical language
Words don't just describe our thinking - they shape it too.
Making data concrete
Numbers need context to be meaningful.
Marginal gains
Small changes make a big difference.
Misleading metrics
Don't take statistics at face value.
Myths that aren't true
Our understanding of the world is often based on fiction.
New normal that never was
Covid-19 changed our behaviour forever...or did it?
Old school Behavioural Science
The field was created in the 2000s, but its principles are centuries old.
Penetration led growth
Brands grow by expanding their usage occasions.
Perverse incentives
Be careful what you wish for.
Power laws in the wild
A lot do a little and a little do a lot - and a reminder that averages are often meaningless.
Power of brands
Brands - both people and products - are the ultimate trendsetters.
Power of distribution
Less celebrated than ads, but vital for brand growth.
Products of our environment
Our behaviour is shaped by forces outside our control.
Random legacy
Our rules and frameworks have strange origins.
Redefining the category
Categories are artificial - they can be re-shaped for success.
Revenge marketing
Examples of brands built out of spite.
Say doesn't equal do
Our actions reveal our true intentions.
Selfish innovation
The best source of inspiration is our own frustrations.
Shifting status symbols
The way we show off has evolved over time.
Slowly then suddenly
Not all behaviour is linear: some moments count more than others.
Social desirability bias
We care deeply about what others think.
Tech is neutral, but we are not
Human subjectivity still dictates how technology is used.
The (not so) golden rule
We don't treat others as we treat ourselves.
To speak to many, speak to one
Reaching a mass audience first requires sharp focus.
Topsy turvy behaviours
Products are used in unexpected ways, by unexpected people.
Topsy turvy business models
Businesses have surprising revenue streams.
Veblen goods
The more expensive they are, the more we like them.
When fiction becomes reality
Stories have the power to shape society.
When history rhymes
Nothing is ever as new as we think.
You are not the consumer
The more experienced you become, the more detached you become from the people you serve.
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