I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.
Names matter (especially at theme parks) | Nudge Newsletter 🧠
Brave enough to ride Nemesis Inferno?According to Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz from the University of Michigan hard to pronounce names affect people's evaluation of risk. Therefore, hard to pronounce theme park rides are seen as more dangerous (and for most people, more fun) 👇 |
If you want to make something scary (like a new drug, or airplane) seem safe, give it an easy to pronounce name. If you want to make something exhilarating (like an energy drink, or club night) sound more exciting give it a hard to pronounce name. Any Thorpe Park lovers out there? I liked Nemesis, but had a soft spot for Loggers Leap. Cheers, Phill |
Nudge Newsletter
Phill Agnew
I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.
"Could you be a helper?" In 2014 researchers at Bing school ran an experiment with the kids. Half were asked "can you help tidy?". The other half were asked "can you be a helper?". When children were asked to "be a helper" rather than just to "help," assistance increased by nearly a third. This was tested in situations where kids were particularly uninterested, like tidying up while engaged in another activity. Why does this happen? Well this request forces us to think about our identity,...
Praising a competitor won't harm your brand. After viewing a tweet where Kit Kat praised Twix: "Competitor or not, congrats on your 54 years in business! Even we can admit—Twix are delicious.” Participants were more inclined to purchase Kit Kat, while their preference for Twix remained steady. Commending competitors can elevate your brand's likability. Which is why I'll shout out my three favourite newsletters: Stand the F*ck Out Ariyh Why We Buy Subscribe to them all—they're wonderful....
Don't say "it's free"—say it's $0. Two Korean researchers ran 10 different experiments in retail stores, online and in the lab. They tested the effectiveness of a buy on get one free promotion. However, they tweaked the language: Half saw "buy one get one free" Others saw "buy one get one for $0" Why does this happen? Well $0 feels more concrete and tangible than "free" plus it feels more trustworthy. So, add this to your marketing: ❌ Chips included for free | ✅ Chips included for $0 ❌ Seat...