Real Science or Total Scam? A Game for Marketing Nerds

Summary

Podcast Summary: Brain Driven Brands Episode Title: Real Science or Total Scam? A Game for Marketing Nerds
Host: Sarah Levinger
Release Date: April 29, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Real Science or Total Scam? A Game for Marketing Nerds," Sarah Levinger engages her co-host, Nate, in an insightful and entertaining exploration of psychological biases that influence consumer behavior. The episode revolves around a game where Sarah presents various behavioral claims, and Nate determines whether each is a legitimate psychological bias or a fabricated concept. This interactive format not only educates listeners about key neuromarketing principles but also showcases the dynamic chemistry between the hosts.

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The "Bias or Bullshit" Game

Bias 1: Remembering the First and Last Items in a Sequence

• Statement: "People are more likely to remember the first and last things in a sequence."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: Known as the Primacy-Recency Effect or the Peak-End Rule, this bias highlights how individuals tend to better recall the initial and concluding elements of a series. Sarah emphasizes its importance in advertising, noting, "People are more likely to remember the first and the last things in a sequence of information" (00:06).

Bias 2: French-Sounding Product Names Enhance Perceived Intelligence of Shoppers

• Statement: "Shoppers feel smarter when they buy something with a French sounding name."
• Verdict: Bullshit
• Explanation: While certain studies, such as those examining alcohol sales influenced by music genres, touch upon cultural perceptions affecting purchasing behavior, the specific bias regarding French-sounding product names is not widely recognized. Sarah clarifies, "There is no recognized bias" but acknowledges related studies on environmental influences on consumer choices (06:51).

Bias 3: Overvaluing Self-Expended Effort (IKEA Effect)

• Statement: "We overvalue things we put effort into, even if the result sucks."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: Referred to as the IKEA Effect, this bias illustrates how consumers assign higher value to products they have partially created or assembled themselves. Sarah provides a relatable example: "I put that one together and it's amazing" (08:36), highlighting how personal investment can skew product perception.

Bias 4: Serif Fonts Increase Trust in Websites

• Statement: "Consumers trust websites more when they use serif fonts."
• Verdict: Bullshit
• Explanation: Font psychology is a debated topic, but there is no consensus that serif fonts universally enhance trustworthiness. Sarah points out the lack of universal applicability, stating, "Font psychology is highly debated, but it's not a core bias" (10:39).

Bias 5: Emotional Memories are More Vivid Than Neutral Ones

• Statement: "We remember emotionally intense experiences more vividly than neutral ones."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: This bias underscores the Emotional Memory phenomenon, where emotionally charged events are more easily recalled. Sarah uses Disney's long lines as an example: "The only thing you really remember is the ride you went on" (11:41).

Bias 6: Hunger Enhances Financial Decision-Making

• Statement: "When people are hungry, they believe they're better at making financial decisions."
• Verdict: Bullshit
• Explanation: Contrary to the statement, hunger actually impairs decision-making abilities. Sarah debunks the claim by saying, "Hunger actually impairs decision making" (12:56), emphasizing the negative impact of hunger on cognitive functions.

Bias 7: Preference for Middle Options When Unsure

• Statement: "People are more likely to choose the middle option when they're unsure."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: Known as the Decoy Effect or Center Stage Effect, this bias influences consumer choices based on the positioning of options. Nate explains the variability depending on context: "It depends on what's in the set" (14:19).

Bias 8: Premium Labeling Enhances Perceived Effectiveness

• Statement: "Once something is labeled premium, our brain processes whatever that item is as more effective."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: This bias ties into the Placebo Effect and Expectation Effect, where premium labeling leads to higher perceived value and effectiveness. Sarah cites examples from the alcohol industry: "People will believe it tastes better if the pricing on it is increased" (16:45).

Bias 9: Left-to-Right Scrolling Increases Spending

• Statement: "If a website scrolls left to right instead of up and down, users spend more money."
• Verdict: Bullshit
• Explanation: There is no substantial data supporting the notion that horizontal scrolling universally increases spending. Sarah points out the absence of universal support: "There's no data that supports this as a universal bias" (19:32).

Bias 10: Customizing Products Enhances Ownership Feelings

• Statement: "People feel more ownership over a product just by customizing it."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: Referred to as the Endowment Effect, this bias indicates that customization leads to a stronger sense of ownership and attachment. Sarah elaborates, "If you customize, it becomes yours" (21:03).

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Bonus Round: The Diderot Effect

• Statement: "The Diderot effect involves the tendency of acquiring a new possession to lead to a spiral of consumption."
• Verdict: Real Bias
• Explanation: Named after the French philosopher Denis Diderot, this effect describes how obtaining a new item can create a chain reaction of purchases to complement or enhance the initial acquisition. Nate successfully identifies the influence on repetitive buying: "If you can get someone to go beyond one... the next five come easy" (25:07).

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Key Insights and Takeaways

1. Neuromarketing Principles: Understanding psychological biases is crucial for creating effective marketing strategies. Brands can leverage these biases to enhance consumer engagement and increase sales.

2. Content Creation vs. Paid Advertising: The hosts discuss the challenges of organic content creation compared to the perceived ease of paid ads. Sarah advocates for building an organic ecosystem to establish trust and long-term value, stating, "Organic is the new paid" (02:41).

3. Consumer Trust and Perception: Factors like product customization and premium labeling significantly influence consumer trust and perceived value, underscoring the importance of strategic branding.

4. Interactive Learning: The game format used in the episode provides an engaging method for both hosts and listeners to explore and understand complex psychological concepts in a relatable manner.

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Notable Quotes

• Sarah Levinger: "Organic is the new paid. Also, as somebody who's grown her entire business, 100% of my incoming prospects come through our organic ecosystem." (02:41)

• Nate: "I can pay to get a million views on anything I want to. And it's not that expensive." (02:31)

• Sarah Levinger: "I was like, nope, we're gonna make the whole thing a game." (03:56)

• Nate: "Paid ads are easy." (01:56)

• Sarah Levinger: "Users spend more money if a website scrolls left to right instead of up and down. That's bullshit." (19:32)

• Nate: "I've never cracked the code on... but like, I got one and built it." (09:26)

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Conclusion

In "Real Science or Total Scam? A Game for Marketing Nerds," Sarah Levinger successfully blends education with entertainment, offering listeners a deeper understanding of how psychological biases shape consumer behavior. Through playful interaction and expert insights, the episode serves as a valuable resource for marketers looking to harness neuromarketing strategies to enhance brand performance and consumer engagement.

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Additional Information

Follow the Podcast:

• Website: tetherinsights.io
• Subscription: Available on all major podcast platforms.
• Social Media: Connect with Sarah and Nate for more updates and insights.

Sponsor:

• Tether Insights: Offering comprehensive research solutions to understand customer behavior and optimize marketing strategies.

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This summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and insights shared by Sarah and Nate. For a complete experience and additional context, listen to the full episode of Brain Driven Brands.

Transcript

[Nate]

Welcome back to Tab. Brain Driven Brands.

[Sarah]

Ta. Welcome back to tab.

[Nate]

Sorry, I've been recording a lot of my own podcast this week.

[Sarah]

Oh, great. So you used up all your energy on your stuff. Is that what you're saying?

[Nate]

Welcome back to Brain Driven Brands, which I have. I'll. We'll be honest. I hate to give this show too much credit because it competes with mine, but I've got. I've got now and it helps. It helps my show a lot, actually. I have got three compliments this week about, like, specific, like, nitty gritty stuff we've talked about. Really Last couple of months.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Nate]

And I'm like, oh, like, it's not just someone saying that, like, they liked the. The. The podcast or. No, we took an individual thing from it, applied it to the business, and it's helping. And I'm like, let's go. That fires me up.

[Sarah]

Which one did they say? Okay, now I need to know which one was it? Was it something?

[Nate]

One was the, like, messaging that conveys, like, the value of your products, like showing, like, the cost and the labor and the time that goes.

[Sarah]

Such a good episode, man. That one went far. That legs on that episode, man.

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Nate]

And sorry, There were two on that and then there was one on the. What do we talk about with Lego a while ago? How, like, they've built crazy content machine.

[Sarah]

Yep.

[Nate]

And they're obviously not doing Lego level content, but, like, inspired them to start grinding on social and, like, it's. It's paying off.

[Sarah]

It should pay off people. We should all be in on organic way before we get to paid, which I think people get scared of organic because they're like, I have to be creative.

[Nate]

Yeah. We had it backwards for, like, a long time. We're trying to get better at it now. And it is hard.

[Sarah]

Like, it's hard.

[Nate]

Paid is kind of easy. That's my hot take for the week.

[Sarah]

I take paid is easy.

[Nate]

Paid ads are easy.

[Sarah]

You're not wrong.

[Nate]

April of 2025, Ecom. But like, yeah, we're trying to get good at organic now. It's just like a completely different muscle that we haven't really worked out in a while.

[Sarah]

Content creation is no joke. And we could probably do a whole episode on, like, the psychology behind organic content because I do a full training on how to make viral content. Right. And the interesting thing is paid and organic are the exact same thing. The only difference is paid has a trust fund. There's some money in paid. Organic is not. So. Yeah, I mean, well, there's an Episode on that.

[Nate]

I can pay to get a million views on anything I want to. And it's not that expensive.

[Sarah]

Nope.

[Nate]

But on IG reels, you got to earn it, and that's not as much fun.

[Sarah]

Okay. But this, I think, is really important for all marketers to understand that, like, yeah, you can put money behind anything you want, and the system will send it out. But to really hone your skills at content creation, you should be over on organic. Just producing all kinds of stuff, man. Organic is new paid. Thank you, Scotty. Organic is the new paid. Also, as somebody who's grown her entire business, 100% of my incoming, like, prospects through or organic ecosystem. I've never run an ad ever. That's probably not good. Sarah doesn't run ads for my own.

[Nate]

Probably leaving a whole bunch of money on the table. But it's a good start. It's a good start. That's fine.

[Sarah]

This is the year I might start running ads, but I have an organic ecosystem that proves that, like, trustworthiness and value of what I bring. So the ads will work a lot better because people will go search out, like, who is Sarah? See that? I've been doing this for a long time and go, oh, I should probably work with Sarah anyways. All right, are you ready for today's topic?

[Nate]

Yeah. It's not organic.

[Sarah]

That's not organic. We should probably talk about organic, but we'll leave that for another time. All right, we're. We are going to play a game, because that's all Sarah wants.

[Nate]

Oh, let's go. You know, a good week and a good Friday. Let's end it on a game. Let's do it.

[Sarah]

And Scotty loves these because Scotty is, like, the game master. Like, he's talked about this for forever. We got to put segments in place. I was like, nope, we're gonna make the whole thing a game.

[Nate]

I like it.

[Sarah]

No segments here.

[Nate]

The whole marketing needs more game shows.

[Sarah]

I know. And I think, honestly, we are the only people in the industry that are doing games right now. And I'm.

[Nate]

Yeah, we're the only people in the industry who are fun to hang out with. How's that for my Friday hot take? I said I was in a good mood, then I just went super aggressive at the whole industry.

[Sarah]

Aggressive, but fun.

[Nate]

That's not what I mean. That's an exaggeration. But, like, let's show more personality on these pods, huh?

[Sarah]

I agree. Again, there's some good people in here. Like, I have so much fun with all of you people.

[Nate]

Should I open this yet this weekend.

[Sarah]

I mean, maybe not that kind of fun. We should do like a my drunk marketing segment. Dara. Danny wanted to do one with me and we still haven't done it. Dara, if you're listening to this, ping me girl. Because you and I have a hard time matching our schedules because we're busy. But my drug marketing, I think it could be a thing. We could just make it.

[Nate]

I've been drinking on like half these episodes, so I think you just need to catch up.

[Sarah]

Dude. God almighty. My problem is I can't because I'm apparently like, old. Like, just dying. Like Creature over here.

[Nate]

Very old. It's been a few episodes since I commented on that. I'm a young gun. Are you 37 yet?

[Sarah]

I'm going to be pretty soon here. Also, we haven't even gotten to the show yet. Okay, we got to get to the show. But we'll be on side note recording. Sorry.

[Nate]

Game show.

[Sarah]

Game show. Here we go. All right, today we are gonna play bias or this is gonna be such a fun one. I'm gonna hit you with a one liner and I need you to call it a real bias. This is a real psychological thing that exists with humans on the planet. Or you can call it bullshit and we'll see which one is right.

[Nate]

Let's do it.

[Sarah]

Does that make sense? So I'm gonna give you no explanation unless you ask for it. This is kind of rapid fire. So we're gonna play biased or I'm gonna read a behavioral claim. Nate is going to tell us if it's a real psychological bias or if it's just while I was heavily caffeinated and spiteful. Okay, so here we go. We got 10 rounds, 10 statements. You ready for this?

[Nate]

Let's do it.

[Sarah]

First one. Here we go. Bias. Number one. People are more likely to remember the first and last things in a sequence. Bias or bullshit. What do you think?

[Nate]

That's a real bias.

[Sarah]

All right, can you name the bias and then I'll tell you whether you're right or not.

[Nate]

No, cannot name it.

[Sarah]

That is correct. This is a real bias. This is called primacy, recency effect or peak end rule. Is like a cheat sheet, right? So people are more likely to remember the first and the last things in a sequence of information. Which I think you guys do this incredibly well, honestly. Mostly because I feel like I've seen a lot of different ads where you only have three things you guys are real good about, like keeping your benefits inside your ads to a small stack, which I Think is like, just proof that you guys are doing a really good job. All right, Bias number two. Bias number two. Shoppers feel smarter when they buy something with a French sounding name. Is this bias or is this Sarah's? Come on, though. Like this.

[Nate]

I mean, there could be certain examples. Like, I feel. I feel so much better about where I'm at in life when I order crepes as opposed to pancakes.

[Sarah]

It's so true, though. Perception, like, come on, there's only a couple examples. All right, all right. You're right on this one. This one's completely bullshit. It is not a recognized bias. However, a caveat to this one. They have done studies.

[Nate]

Pancakes is obvious.

[Sarah]

They've done studies on the differences of music in alcohol sales. This was a really interesting study. A long time ago. They basically just a liquor store had people walk through and watch their shopping behaviors. They played French music for a day, and then they played German music for a day. Can you guess what types of alcohol increase depending on which music?

[Nate]

Yeah. Wine and champagne for French and then German. I don't know. Did the Nazis make alcohol?

[Sarah]

Beer. German beers.

[Nate]

Sorry. That makes sense.

[Sarah]

German beer. Yes. So. And the interesting part is I need to double check which study it was on the days that they played this French music. French wine in particular.

[Nate]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Sarah]

Increase in sales.

[Nate]

I mean, I only drink whiskey because of country music. Like, I got real.

[Sarah]

Is that right?

[Nate]

Yeah. Like, I got to college and didn't like that. I had to drink 12 beers to feel anything. And I was like, well, all my favorite country artists drink whiskey, so I'll try that. And that's where we're at today.

[Sarah]

Yeah, I think I only drink wine because my husband's family drinks wine.

[Nate]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Sarah]

There's no. There's no bias, man. All right, all right. Okay. So bias number three. We overvalue things we put effort into, even if the result sucks.

[Nate]

Yeah, that's real. 100%.

[Sarah]

Can you name the bias?

[Nate]

No. But the symptom of it I see all the time is a bunch of brand founders who think they should be killing it and their products not that great. Sorry.

[Sarah]

You know, I feel that my soul sometimes. This is real. This is a real bias. IKEA effect is probably the one that's most well known. We tend to overvalue things that we put effort into, even if the result sucks, we'll just double down, triple down on it. A lot of people don't know how to put together IKEA furniture very well, but they're still going to Be like, I put that one together and it's amazing.

[Nate]

Makes a ton of sense.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Yeah. That bias in particular, as you said, is rampant in the industry. Really good one, though. If you're going to use this for ads in particular, I think it's important to highlight the fact that your customers need to be a part of the process, make them a part of the process.

[Nate]

You know, we've never cracked the code on. But I want to. We did a DIY watch kit for a while where we ship your watch in pieces and give you the, like, MGMT together. I don't know what that is.

[Sarah]

Isn't it called MGMT mvmt?

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

I'm not a watch person.

[Nate]

I don't know if they did it or not.

[Sarah]

All right, Somebody did it. All right.

[Nate]

But like, they did. Okay. But we never nailed it. And I. But like, I got one and built it.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Nate]

And that is, like, objectively one of the lower quality watches I own. But it. I do like it more like.

[Sarah]

Oh, because you built it?

[Nate]

Yeah, because I'm like, well, I built it still. So that's.

[Sarah]

You are a part of the process. Oh, interesting. Okay. Yeah. One of the things that my husband has been asking for a while is like, does Nate have like a watch cleaning kit? Not. Not like a kit you make, but a kit that you clean. Because for him, he's clearly. He's got a lot of original grade watches. He wants to be a part of the process of caring for the product, not just like building the product. So this is IKEA effect can come into play all over the place. You don't have to have it, which is the product itself. It can also just be a part of the caring process for the IKEA effect.

[Nate]

Makes sense.

[Sarah]

All right, bias number four. Consumers trust websites more when they use serif fonts. Is this a true bias or interesting?

[Nate]

It's hard because I don't know what a serif font is.

[Sarah]

Can I explain it to you?

[Nate]

I'm gonna say, how do you not.

[Sarah]

Know what a Sarah font is?

[Nate]

It's a fake thing. It's.

[Sarah]

All right, all right, all right. You are correct. It is kind of like you are doing really well, actually. Font psychology is highly debated, but it's not a core bias. It's not something that exists in all humans. A serif. A serif font font without the little feet. So, you know, Times New Roman fonts.

[Nate]

Okay. Yep, got it.

[Sarah]

That has little feet on all of the letters. That is as serif. Jeez, I'm going backwards here. Serif font without the feet is sans serif.

[Nate]

I think that's probably the reason I guessed bullshit is because I think it's way more like product and brand specific. Yeah, Like, I think if you have a font that ma that matches your brand really well, that probably helps. Yeah, but that's obviously different for every brand and product.

[Sarah]

Yeah, I think. Yeah, you're right on that one. All right, next one here we remember emotionally intense experiences more vividly than neutral ones.

[Nate]

Yeah, 100%. 100%.

[Sarah]

That's real. You think that's a real one?

[Nate]

I think so.

[Sarah]

All right. Dang it. I should have had chat made these harder for you.

[Nate]

Am I five for five right now, Crushes?

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Nate]

Let's go five.

[Sarah]

All right, this one's called emotional memory, or pecan rule. Also applies to this. Pecan rule applies to a couple different things, but emotionally intense experiences get remembered much more vividly than neutral ones. So Disney, really great example of this. You stand in that line for three freaking hours, dead zoned. Like, you just deal with it. The only thing you really remember, though, is the ride that you went on. And then, like, all the food you ate. Y more than anything else, you try and just block out those three hours of life that you just lost. So standing in line behind people. All right, number six. Number six. Okay, let's see if you can go for 10, because you might be, like, well educated enough that, like, you could get all these.

[Nate]

I don't like how surprised you sound when you say I might be educated.

[Sarah]

I mean, you better hang around me long enough.

[Nate]

Psychology. We've only been in a podcast together for a year.

[Sarah]

Has it been a year? I should probably look back. We should probably do something, like, big for the first, like, woo. Podcasting.

[Nate]

I think it's last May or June.

[Sarah]

It probably was, actually. Scotty, we'll have to look at that. Let's get cupcakes. Okay, number six. Here we go. When people are hungry, they believe they're better at making financial decisions.

[Nate]

When people are hungry, they believe they're better making financial decisions.

[Sarah]

Believe they're better at making financial decisions.

[Nate]

No, that's. I make terrible financial decisions when I'm hungry.

[Sarah]

100%. It's 100% the opposite. Hunger actually impairs decision making.

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

So this is why, again, if you're like, I don't know what happened? Like, my ads just dropped off this afternoon. Well, it's possible. It's not. You people got possible that your audience just skipped lunch today. This is why I keep telling people, paid advertising is stupid. Because most of the time, it is not you.

[Nate]

Paid advertising is stupid. Advertising is Sarah 2025.

[Sarah]

Because most of the time, it has nothing to do with you. Sometimes it's raining outside, or they forgot to drink their coffee this morning, or their kids were sick the entire night, like people.

[Nate]

Let me caveat your statement, just in case the listeners want something tactical to take away from this episode. Over analyzing paid advertising performance is stupid. I think that's what you probably meant to say.

[Sarah]

I mean, I said what I said, but also, yes, that is what I meant to say.

[Nate]

All right, six for six. Let's crush these last four.

[Sarah]

Here we go. Here we go, here we go. Number seven. Is this a bias or bullshit? People are more likely to choose the middle option when they're unsure. Oh, there's violence over here.

[Nate]

Well, there's so many variables to this.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Nate]

Because I immediately think about, like, there's a lot of people's landing pages and pricing structures that are tiered as, like, the most affordable, the most expensive, and then they call it, like, the most popular. I think if you do that, that leads people to the middle. But if you go with, like, the movie theater popcorn strategy, where, like, the medium. This is the thing. The medium is only, like, 50 cents cheaper than the large. Then no one's taking the medium. You're getting the large. So a lot of variables.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Nate]

Overall, I'm gonna say it's real. I'm gonna say it's a real bias.

[Sarah]

That is crazy. Did you guys see just how much psychology Nate just went through? He was like, look at all these.

[Nate]

It's on it today.

[Sarah]

Do you even need Sarah, is the question. Maybe I should just skip out and you could just have this podcast.

[Nate]

I should be sober for more episodes. This is good, huh?

[Sarah]

Is that what it is? You just came prepared today? Yeah. Oh, okay. Scotty says first episode was July 3rd. Let's go do a big party. Okay. All right, all right. This particular bias is a real bias. Let's go 1. Center stage effect is technically kind of layman's report, or decoy effect is another one that we talk about a lot to your point, though. I just talked to somebody about this yesterday, I think a couple days ago. It depends on what you're trying to sell. The framing of what you're trying to sell is incredibly important. People think that, oh, if I just have three options, decoy effect will take place, and they'll choose the middle one. No, that's not how that works. Decoy effect is very, very much predicated on what Is in the set. What is in the set? So popcorn. Really good. Really good example of this of just, like, small, medium, large. People are not going to choose the middle option just because it's there. If you frame it as though the middle option is actually a. A less of a value, they'll upgrade just because it's only $0.50 more. So you have to be careful about how you use this decoy effect. It all depends on what's in the set of three. Smart. Smart. You're smart. You're smart. Probably because you've been hanging around me. Okay, all right.

[Nate]

Because I listen to tactile and practical eight.

[Sarah]

Okay. All right. Jesus. And this one in particular. Can you just say you just started this whole podcast with, like, people talk to me about our podcast. I'm like, I know. Because it's good. Okay. Number eight buys are. Once something is labeled premium, our brain processes whatever that item is as more effective. More effective. Is this or is it real?

[Nate]

Once it's labeled premium.

[Sarah]

Premium. A labeled premium. Premium, such as this is not just bestseller, but top seller is also kind of like more premium stuff. Premium on the social site, but it could also be premium on the product side where it's like, I don't know, 10x better ingredients.

[Nate]

Sure.

[Sarah]

Whatever it is.

[Nate]

I think that's true. I think that's a real bias.

[Sarah]

Do you?

[Nate]

I do.

[Sarah]

Dang it. This is a real bias.

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

All of these. Like, I'm upset. This is a real bias. And this is something that's interesting because it doesn't sound like this should be a thing, but this is marketing. Placebo effect. Yeah. Expectation effect is another way to say this.

[Nate]

Do you know how I know this is a real thing?

[Sarah]

Because you do.

[Nate]

They've done. No, they've done, like, placebo. Whiskey tasting events.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Nate]

Where they do, like, a blind taste, but they tell someone like, hey, you know, these are three $500 bottles, whiskey. Pick your favorite. And then the reveal is like, well, it's Jim Beam. It's Jack Daniels.

[Sarah]

What?

[Nate]

But like, they rated them. Like, this is the most unique and best whisk you've ever had. And it's like, well, yeah, you got tricked.

[Sarah]

Well, you're wrong. They've done a lot of studies on this where the price of wine directly affects how you taste it. Like, it tastes better if the pricing on it is just increased a little bit too. So, yeah, whiskey wine, this happens a lot with consumables, but it can happen basically anywhere you tell somebody it's premium. Like, Jaguar is a good Example of this?

[Nate]

Yeah. It is like, well, and like, it exists in the watch world to, like, 99% of the guys that are wearing a Rolex have no clue what makes that, like, technologically better than some other brands. And it is better than some other brands, but they just assume because they got told it was better and the price tag was high, that they're like, this must be the best watch. And it's like, well, it's not the best watch. It's. It's good, but it's not as crazy as you think it is.

[Sarah]

Well, I think it's absolutely nuts that for humans and, like, in general, we believe basically whatever we're told. That's kind of the scary part is, like, we just believe whatever the hell people put on stuff, even if it's not true. I've worked with a few brands who wanted to come in and, like, get research where they put fake reviews. We've talked about this before. Their whole site had, like, 5,000 reviews per product. And they're like, well, we just made those up. I was like, what?

[Nate]

What?

[Sarah]

Like, do not do that, please. That is. That's fraud. You can't do that. I was like, we can't work together. I'm sorry. So this is interesting, though, because people will believe it.

[Nate]

100.

[Sarah]

Doesn't matter.

[Nate]

Speaking of, guys, this podcast is very premium. It's very.

[Sarah]

The most premium.

[Nate]

Very.

[Sarah]

As you can see, we're really good at. What?

[Nate]

You should really believe everything we say. All right. Am I nine for nine?

[Sarah]

No, that was eight.

[Nate]

Eight for eight. More go.

[Sarah]

I'm nervous for you. If you don't get all 10, what is going to happen to your, like, you're self confident.

[Nate]

I'll be all right. I mean, I'm usually awful on these. All these quizzes. I'm just bringing up my average ton from the last year of episodes.

[Sarah]

This is interesting, though. Like, you're doing really well with the biases. Usually when I quiz you, it's, like, very specific, like, very nuanced.

[Nate]

I know my biases.

[Sarah]

You do know your bias pretty well. Okay. All right, number nine. Here we go. We got two more people. Okay. If a website scrolls left to right instead of up and down, users spend more money foreign.

[Nate]

I'm gonna say it's not because I have any knowledge about this. I think it's because you would have told us to re merchandise our website if this were true.

[Sarah]

That's what you're basing it off.

[Nate]

You haven't, and I'm gonna be mad at you. We scroll up and down.

[Sarah]

You'd be like, sarah, Jesus. Yes. Is there's no data that supports this as a universal bias. So.

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Yep. No, no. Now, the interesting part is Scotty's point. Swipe right, right. This works in apps.

[Nate]

Dating apps.

[Sarah]

Go left, right in apps. It does not necessarily do much for websites, but it works in apps. So.

[Nate]

Interesting.

[Sarah]

Interesting one. All right, nine for. You got nine for nine here. We got one more. Are you nervous is the question because.

[Nate]

No, I'm on such a heater. Because if you told me at the beginning of this I was gonna go 9 for 10, I would have been pumped. So this is just kind of bonus.

[Sarah]

Okay. That's another thing, too, that's like a real bias, is if you tell people they'll do well, they often go farther than if you've told. We're not sure how you're going to do with this.

[Nate]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

And I don't know. We'll have to rewind. Did Sarah tell Nate that he was probably going to do well on this? Scotty put that in somewhere. I could have totally just, like, ruined this entire test.

[C]

Producer Scotty here. This is me putting it in. Sarah saying that she did think Nate was going to do fantastic and be 10 for 10, but she didn't just.

[Sarah]

By telling you that you're probably gonna do.

[Nate]

No, I'm crushing it.

[Sarah]

Damn it. Okay, here we go. Number 10. Here we go. Number 10. Number 10. All right, bias here. People feel more ownership over a product just by customizing it.

[Nate]

100 real. Yeah, that's a real bias.

[Sarah]

You got it. This is what's called the endowment effect, and it is very much a real thing. If you customize, it becomes yours. People get really excited about that.

[Nate]

Almost similar to, like the if you build it or work to maintain it kind of thing. Like, it just. You're more involved in it and you like it more.

[Sarah]

Yeah. I mean, customization is interesting because it has to do with a little bit of IKEA effect, but also a little bit of. Yeah, this. I own it now because it came to me and I built every little piece of it myself. Now it's a part of who I am, and I can't believe it.

[Nate]

Do you know how to play bonus.

[Sarah]

Round if you want.

[Nate]

Oh, bonus round. Yeah. Can we stay on customization for a minute?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Nate]

This is new segment where you give me free consulting. We offer engravings on the back of our watches.

[Sarah]

Oh, okay.

[Nate]

And it does pretty good. It has like a 30% take rate.

[Sarah]

Dang.

[Nate]

But I don't even think we're that good at promoting it and something we want to do better. Is there a way to market towards this bias?

[Sarah]

Yes. So if you're going to do endowment effect with engravings, I wouldn't ask if it's an option. Don't give them an option. Don't say, like, do you want to engrave?

[Nate]

No, just tell them. Just be like, hey, what do you want to engrave?

[Sarah]

What do you want?

[Nate]

By the way, sneaky. It's $40.

[Sarah]

Okay. And the reason you're doing this. We talked about this on an episode way early, like one of the first two episodes that we did, where you don't give people the option to choose whether they want to do it. You want to. You give them the option to choose how much of it they want. Right. So don't. Don't say, hey, do you want to engrave this? Make it special for yourself? No, you just pop that up as the very next option and say, hey, get this engraved. What do you want to say on here? And then have an option way down in the corner that's like, don't want it to grade. That's fine. Skip it. Yeah, make it. Make it an assumption that they're going to get it engraved as a very interesting. That's behaviorally, that's how we do it.

[Nate]

I'll give it a shot. All right. I'm 10 for 10. I'd like that on the record. And now I'm gonna risk it all for a bonus round.

[Sarah]

Get off for a bonus round. All right, all right.

[Nate]

You were paying me a thousand bucks a question I got.

[Sarah]

Right, right.

[Nate]

Scotty, edit that into the video.

[Sarah]

That's what we're actually doing is Nate's finally gonna get paid for doing anything on this podcast. Okay, I'm gonna give you a bias and the name of a bias, and I want to see if you can tell me what the bias is.

[Nate]

Oh, okay.

[Sarah]

Yeah, this one's hard. Sorry. See, I'm preemptively telling you you're doing. You're gonna do a bad job. That is psychology and its finance. Okay, let's see if you know what this one is. This one is called the Diderot effect.

[Nate]

Diderot.

[Sarah]

The Diderot effect.

[Nate]

Can you spell it?

[Sarah]

D, I, D, E, R, O, T. Diderot.

[Nate]

Kind of the language of origin.

[Sarah]

No idea.

[Nate]

What's the root? Latin.

[Sarah]

I have no idea.

[Nate]

Diderot.

[Sarah]

Do you want me to give you the Latin? Yeah. Diderot effect.

[Nate]

Don't give me the Latin. Like I'm gonna have any clue.

[Sarah]

It's a really interesting one. It's an old phenomenon. Really, really old one.

[Nate]

God, I have no clue. I don't know what any of those letters.

[Sarah]

This applies directly to you, though. And I'm excited to talk about this one as the last one on here because it's a good bias. That will be interesting to see how.

[Nate]

You guys applies to me personally or applies to, like, my.

[Sarah]

Applies to og. OG in particular, because you sell something in a collection.

[Nate]

Ooh, okay.

[Sarah]

That's a good hit, actually. So Didero effect.

[Nate]

All right. Does it have anything to do with, I don't know, like, wanting to, like, collect the whole set with buying multiple.

[Sarah]

Of things, you're on the right. Yeah. You're on the right track.

[Nate]

Okay. Is it. All right, here's what I think it is. If you can get someone to, like, go beyond one. So, like, if you can get them to buy two, the next five come easy.

[Sarah]

Ah.

[Nate]

Is that kind of.

[Sarah]

You got it. That's actually it. Good job. Okay, so the Diro effect is a real bias. This one talks about the fact that humans are more likely to buy one new thing, and then it makes them want to buy more. So once you have one, you can't stop buying because it's like, I love it, I love it, I love it. Dynamo effect. You guys take advantage of Zetero effect incredibly well. Yeah.

[Nate]

Go.

[Sarah]

Acquiring new. Yes. Acquiring new possessions leads to a spiral of consumptions. Yeah. Dang it. You won. You won that whole round.

[Nate]

Wow, guys, you should follow me at me like us on Twitter.

[Sarah]

I even tried to throw you off by being like, you're never gonna get this now. To your credit, the collection was a good hint. Yep, yep. Yeah, Great hint on that one. This was fun.

[Nate]

Good episode. I like episode really well where I win. I don't know if you are aware of this. I've been treating each episode like a competition. Yeah, apparently I lose most of them, but I dominated this one.

[Sarah]

Where can people find you if they want to follow your.

[Nate]

Your biased knowledge at Nate Legos on Twitter or whatever? It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll be here on the podcast next episode. That's where you can follow me. Listen to this podcast more. Yes.

[Sarah]

Follow us. Follow us. Please, like, subscribe. Somebody review. I only have one review on here. I need somebody, please. We've been doing this for a year and we have one. Follow me.

[Nate]

A lot of views.

[Sarah]

Lots of you. Good views. Thank you for following and listening everywhere you consume content. Please come over to tetherinsights. IO. That's technically what we're sponsored by, I guess. Tethered Insights.

[Nate]

It's your company disclaimer.

[Sarah]

I know. I'm so sorry. I'm so bad at this.

[Nate]

I'm a customer of IT now, by the way.

[Sarah]

And you're. We just got your CIM kind of set up. We're gonna get it running hopefully next week. Yeah, we dive into all of the weird biases that your customers have, including all of the ones that we studied today, so you guys can understand how to build ads, landing pages, emails, and do much more on the psychological side, behavioral side, when it comes to marketing. So check us out. TetherInsights IO thanks for. Thanks for coming.

[C]

Brain Driven Brands is part of the Learn and Laugh series on the Quickfire Podcast Network and is presented by Tether Insights. For more information, go to tetherinsights IO.

[Nate]

Done for the week.

[Sarah]

You were late to this one. So.

[Nate]

Gonna start drinking? Probably.

[Sarah]

Hell, yeah.

[Nate]

This week. That crushed.

[Sarah]

I can't drink anymore. I have kids. I'm exhausted. Yeah, well, I'm trying to make me more tired.

[Nate]

Yeah, I'm trying to really enjoy it before I have a kid.