Podcast Summary: Brain Driven Brands

Episode: This 2013 Discovery Explains Why Your Ads Won't Convert

Host: Sarah Levinger
Date: December 16, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Sarah Levinger uncovers a 2013 neurolinguistics study and explains why English-language advertising constantly struggles to convert compared to its competitors. She dissects how the structure and tense of language—specifically, how we talk about the future—deeply affect customer psychology and buying behavior. Along the way, Sarah offers actionable tactics for e-commerce brands and copywriters to boost conversions by tweaking their language, plus an honest critique on the use of AI copywriting tools.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hidden Psychology of Language Tense in Advertising

(Starts at 01:01)

• Sarah introduces a 2013 study by economist M. Keith Chen: "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior."
• Key finding: Languages that do not clearly mark the future tense (like German, Mandarin, Finnish) cause speakers to behave as if the future is happening now. This leads to better financial decisions, healthier habits, and more forward-thinking compared to English speakers.
• Statistic: "Germans are 31% more likely to save money. They retire with 39% more wealth. They smoke less, exercise more, and are generally healthier than comparable countries like the US." (B, 01:20)

The Power of Present Tense

• In German, you say "It rains tomorrow," using the present tense, vs. in English, "It will rain tomorrow."
• These subtle grammatical differences foster a mindset where the future feels immediate and concrete.

2. Why English Ads Fail to Convert—and How to Fix Them

(Starts at 03:19)

• Sarah explains: English marketing copy often pushes action into the future ("Feel better today," "See results tomorrow"), psychologically distancing the customer from the action you want them to take.
• Quote: “Every time you say, feel better today, see results tomorrow, get improvements today, you're technically pushing the action you want them to take into the future.” (B, 04:05)
• Actionable tip: Bring the consequence/reward into the present. Don’t say, "Your future self will thank you," but rather, "Your future self thanks you."

Example Rewrite

• Old way: “You could wear this on your next date night.”
• New way: (More persuasive) “Friday night, you’re going out, date night, dancing. You've got your cowboy hat, shirt, jeans, boots, and you have nothing on your wrist.” (A, 04:25-04:49)
  • This pulls the reader into the present experience rather than a hypothetical future.

Copywriting Principle

• Use presumptive close techniques: write as if readers have already made the decision.
• Quote: "You need to bring the future closer so the brain understands what's at stake if it doesn’t take action right this second." (B, 05:12)

3. Fine-Tuning Language for Conversion

(Starts at 06:16)

• Precision in copy matters. Even shifting verb tense (“feel better today” → “feel better now” or “you feel better today”) makes a measurable difference.
• Quote: “Just a little bit of framing change can drastically change how people respond to you…” (B, 06:38)

The Importance of Manual Editing

• Over-reliance on AI writing tools (like ChatGPT) can lead to missed nuance and awkward phrasing.
• Quote: “I know it seems this very helpful and like, it might be important to move fast, but I would rather you get it right than just move fast.” (B, 06:30)
• Sarah suggests using AI only for structural ideas and always making careful manual edits, especially with verb tense and time framing.

4. The Pitfalls of Automated Copywriting (ChatGPT & AI)

(Starts at 08:54)

• AI tools often misinterpret or ignore tense, pushing actions into future tense and producing “bizarre, off the wall” results.
• Quote: “For this reason, half the time [chat] says stuff that’s just bonkers, bizarre, off the wall, or it will say things in a way that’s kind of offensive to people.” (B, 09:19)
• Manual review and rewriting is essential. Getting the last 5% right is where “all of the money is made.” (A, 09:36)

5. Experimenting with Conversational AI

(Starts at 10:15)

• Discussion turns to how AI lacks real conversational experience, which makes purely AI-generated copy less effective.

• Quote: “Chat never had a real conversation with a person. Not really.” (A, 10:15)

• Sarah proposes experimenting with conversational voice features in AI to try to generate better, more natural copy, leaving a teaser for the next episode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the core insight:
  • “These like teeny tiny structural differences in grammar change whether you spend or save… and can even affect national GDP savings rates.” (B, 02:54)
• On making copy persuasive:
  • "To fix it, you need to bring the future closer so the brain understands what's at stake if it doesn't take action right this second." (B, 05:12)
• On copywriting evolution:
  • "I thought copy was like the least important part of the funnel... it wasn't until you wrote some ads for me that ripped... that I was like, that's interesting." (A, 06:49)
• On the limitations of AI:
  • "I've used it enough now where I'm just like, give me the bones. And then let me take it and rewrite everything you just said using the bones." (B, 09:14)
  • "All of the money is made in the last 5%" (A, 09:36)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:01 – Introduction to the 2013 study on language and economic behavior
• 02:13 – How languages handle future tense differently
• 03:19 – Impact of tense on marketing and conversion
• 05:12 – Copywriting tactics: Bringing the future into the present
• 06:16 – The importance of rewriting and testing copy
• 08:54 – The current problems with AI-written copy
• 10:15 – Philosophical tangent: Why AI can’t emulate real conversation
• 11:09 – Teaser for a conversational AI experiment (next episode)

Conclusion

Sarah Levinger’s deep dive into neuromarketing and linguistics reveals how a minor grammatical choice can make or break a sale. The secret isn’t more tech or louder claims—it’s using present tense, immersive language that collapses the psychological distance between the customer and action. Every copywriter and marketer should re-examine both their verbs and their tools, relying on careful, human choices over automation to reach that critical last 5% of persuasive power.

Takeaway:
“Your future self thanks you.” Start using it now, not later.