Modern Wisdom Episode #1053: Richard Shotton - 11 Psychology Tricks From the World’s Best Brands
Published: January 31, 2026 | Host: Chris Williamson | Guest: Richard Shotton

Overview

In this deep dive, Chris Williamson sits down with behavioral science expert Richard Shotton to unpack 11 psychological insights gleaned from the world’s most successful brands, drawing from Shotton’s new book Hacking the Human Mind. Employing real-world marketing case studies and classic psychology experiments, Shotton reveals how brands leverage human biases—often unconsciously—to win big, influence our decisions, and shift perceptions. The conversation is rich with anecdotes, actionable insights, and even playful asides, making it essential listening for anyone interested in marketing, psychology, or decision-making in an age of endless choice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Focus & the "Goal Dilution Effect"

(00:45–07:41)

• Five Guys Case Study: Their relentless focus on just burgers and chips echoes a key psychological principle: people trust and remember brands that do one thing exceptionally well.

• Goal Dilution Effect: Adding more benefits to a product can paradoxically make any one benefit less believable.

  "Be very careful about adding extra reasons to believe because what they will gradually do is undermine believability in the core reason to buy your product."
  – Richard Shotton (04:10)

• Communicating Outcomes, Not Means: Chris reflects on the copy for his productivity drink: people want the outcome ("completing their work effortlessly"), not abstract mediators like "focus" or "productivity."

• Concrete vs. Abstract Messaging:

  • Citing studies, Shotton emphasizes that people remember vivid, concrete language over abstractions.
  • Example: "Red Bull gives you wings" is more memorable than "Red Bull boosts energy."

  "You are four times more likely to remember the thing that you can visualize."
  – Richard Shotton (06:56)

2. Price Perception & Breaking Mental Benchmarks

(08:25–14:08)

• Red Bull & Relativity: Price is assessed relatively, not absolutely. Changing the can's shape broke the mental comparison with cheap soft drinks, allowing for a premium price.

• Seedlip (Non-Alcoholic Spirit): Its placement and design cue "craft gin," letting it command a high price.

  "If it was launched in day-glo colors next to the Ribena ... people might be prepared to pay double what you pay for [fruit cordials]. But they wouldn't pay five or six times as much."
  – Richard Shotton (11:36)

• Grenade Bars: By positioning as a protein product, not a candy bar, they've justified a much higher price.

  "There was an upper bound on how much people were prepared to pay for a chocolate bar. But when it's, oh, it's protein, this is good for me ... they now are more expensive and do higher volume."
  – Chris Williamson (13:08)

• Price as a Quality Signal: High prices can create an expectation and perception of quality (study with wine shows the same wine rated 70% higher when labeled more expensive).

3. Effort Illusion & The Pratfall Effect

(19:42–27:45)

• Guinness Example: The slogan "Good things come to those who wait" frames a flaw (the long pour) as a mark of quality.

  "If you admit a flaw, if you're open about a weakness, you become more appealing."
  – Richard Shotton (20:12)

• Labor Illusion: Consumers value products more when they sense significant effort was involved (e.g. the "searching airlines" loading bars on travel sites).

• AI’s Problem: Products labeled as “AI-generated” are rated lower due to perceived lack of effort, as shown in recent studies with art, music, and product design.

  "If we tell people our product has been created by AI, all things being equal, that product will be rated worse than if people are told that it was hand drawn or, or made through human effort."
  – Richard Shotton (27:19)

4. Organic Brand Phenomena & Scarcity

(30:10–33:53)

• Guinness’ "Splitting the G" Ritual: Explores how organic, bottom-up behaviors can morph into viral branding assets without corporate engineering.

• Scarcity Principle: Stories of limited supply create desire.

  "The most powerful ideas in behavioral science ... the one that comes out towards the top again and again is scarcity. We want what we can't have."
  – Richard Shotton (33:12)

5. Distinctiveness & Humor

(35:04–38:57)

• Liquid Death Water: Stands out by eschewing purity/yoga clichés for edgy, heavy-metal branding—illustrates Von Restorff effect (distinctiveness bias).

• Humor’s Role: Humor in marketing (rare for healthy products) can draw attention and affection—“we turn towards things that bring us pleasure.”

  "To get attention, one of the best things you can do is amuse people."
  – Richard Shotton (38:48)

6. Brand Provenance, Storytelling, and Expectation

(39:37–42:42)

• Häagen-Dazs: Created an aura of sophistication simply by sounding Danish and wrapping in European luxury, causing expectations to shape actual taste experience.

• Packaging and Perception: Everything from storytelling to design and provenance shapes consumer experience, not just the product's physical qualities.

7. Scarcity and Habituation

(43:20–48:32)

• Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte: The power is in its limited-time nature, leveraging the psychological effect where rarity and anticipation prolong desire and satisfaction.

• Wordle Example: Its success hinged on allowing only one round per day, leveraging anticipation and limited availability.

8. Influencer & Messenger Effect

(49:52–55:43)

• Influence Relies on Who Says It: People are more persuaded by arguments from credible/relatable/neutral sources (Messenger Effect).

• Modern Influencer Partnerships: "Costly signaling" suggests expensive celebrity tie-ins (e.g. J Lo for Virgin Voyages) serve as a credible signal of quality since only confident brands would risk such spend.

9. Scarcity Tactics in Practice

(55:43–59:29)

• KFC’s “Max Four Bags Per Person”: By physically restricting quantity on a promotion, they bolstered perceived value and desirability—action beats mere claims.

10. "Penny a Day" Effect & Payment Framing

(60:40–63:07)

• Klarna & “Buy Now Pay Later”: Breaking purchases into small payments makes them more attractive—people overweight the “small now” and underweight long-term cost.

  "People treat three lots of 20 completely different from one hit of 60 because they're focusing too much on the 20."
  – Richard Shotton (62:11)

11. Loss Aversion, Framing & Moral Licensing

(63:21–76:59)

• Loss Aversion: Framing messages as avoiding a loss (vs. seeking a gain) can be much more effective ("don’t waste money" outperforms "save money").

• Ostrich Effect: Too much fear can cause people to disengage—careful line between impactful and paralyzing.

• Moral Licensing: Performing one virtuous act leads people to permit themselves to indulge elsewhere (e.g., picking up more unhealthy items after buying fruit/veg).

• Emphasizing Indulgence Over Health: Consumers are more persuaded to buy healthy food when labels focus on taste/enjoyment, not just health benefits (e.g. cafeteria study shifting from “low calorie” to “sizzling citrus”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Be very careful about adding extra reasons to believe because what they will gradually do is undermine believability in the core reason to buy your product."
  — Richard Shotton (04:10)

• "You are four times more likely to remember the thing that you can visualize."
  — Richard Shotton on concrete messaging (06:56)

• "People have another rule of thumb in their head, which is price equals quality. So high price is a badge of quality."
  — Richard Shotton (14:08)

• "Product creation ... Guinness Zero is phenomenal. But in the book ... the campaign 'Good things come to those who wait' ... is an amazing example of what's known as the pratfall effect."
  — Richard Shotton (19:53)

• "If we tell people our product has been created by AI, all things being equal, that product will be rated worse than if people are told that it was hand drawn."
  — Richard Shotton (27:19)

• "The most powerful ideas in behavioral science ... the one that comes out towards the top again and again is scarcity. We want what we can't have."
  — Richard Shotton (33:12)

• "To get attention, one of the best things you can do is amuse people."
  — Richard Shotton (38:48)

• "What we experience isn't just due to the physical product ... It's also what we think we're going to taste. So as a marketer you need to create those positive perceptions..."
  — Richard Shotton (42:12)

• "Consumers don't think how they feel. They don't say what they think, and they don't do what they say."
  — Quoting David Ogilvy, cited by Richard Shotton (85:11)

Major Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45–07:41 – Focus, goal dilution, and memorable messaging
• 08:25–14:08 – Price relativity, mental price benchmarks
• 19:42–27:45 – Pratfall effect, effort illusion, and AI perception
• 30:10–33:53 – Brand rituals and scarcity
• 35:04–38:57 – Liquid Death and the Von Restorff effect
• 39:37–42:42 – Häagen-Dazs' origin story and storytelling in taste
• 43:20–48:32 – Starbucks, scarcity, and the science of anticipation
• 49:52–55:43 – Messenger effect and influencer marketing
• 55:43–59:29 – KFC, scarcity in practice
• 60:40–63:07 – Klarna, “penny a day,” and payment framing
• 63:21–76:59 – Loss aversion, moral licensing, retail psychology
• 85:11–89:56 – Why consumers don't know what they want, the Semmelweis effect, and organizational persuasion

Closing Thoughts

Richard Shotton's insights are an invaluable toolkit for marketers, brand-builders, or anyone curious about why we (often irrationally) choose what we do. Through brand case studies and behavioral science, this episode illuminates the mostly invisible levers behind our decisions—and how the world’s savviest brands pull them.

For more insights, check out Richard's LinkedIn, Astro10.co.uk for his newsletter, and the new book co-authored with Michael Aaron Flicker: Hacking the Human Mind.