Excited to share my recent TEDx talk here, which just went live this morning
It makes the case that in an age of hyper-personalization, we can embrace more surprise and serendipity.
And we can use neuroscience and marketing to do it
Check it out!
@sheetaverma
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
You’ve got this. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other
You’ll look back on this period with a wry smile soon enough
Few things will boost your ego like signing 200+ copies of your book! 😤
Honored to speak
@Hult_Business
's 2022 Kickoff about Branding That Means Business, and more generally, about the application of neuroscience to marketing
"Having a great brand means you get to play the game of capitalism on easy mode"
A very pleasant surprise while enjoying a great episode of
@SteveBartlettSC
's podcast:
@rorysutherland
quoting from my new book, 'Branding That Means Business' (
@ProfileBooks
)🙏
"You miss at least 55% of your shots, but it's how you approach the inevitable. And it's about how you forget"
- the legendary
@S10Bird
on the importance of 'strategic forgetting'
With Adam Grant and
@DKThomp
at
#Uplift2023
A huge treat to be back on the old
@Princeton
stomping grounds to speak with grad students about neuroscience, business communication, and my new book. Couldn't have asked for better weather. Its been a good 6 years since the last trip and I forgot how beautiful this campus is
Hipsters: Why do people who attempt to look different usually end up all looking the same? Most recent piece for
@PsychToday
explores the psychology behind this, including the insights of author, branding consultant, & attention expert,
@thejamiemustard
In the future of work, across every industry, everything will be more predictive, proactive, and personalized
The 3 Ps for how generative AI will change everything - Alie K Smith
#Uplift2023
Blown away by this! Thank you
@thinkers50
and
@Deloitte
for the great honor of being included in their Radar List of 30 “business thinkers with the ideas most likely to shape the future." !!
Face when the galley copies arrive :) My second book, "Branding That Means Business" w
@tessgallant
is coming out soon! It applies a social neuroscience lens to the world of branding, and aims to enable practitioners to tether their marketing to human psychology. It will be ..
The efficiency trap - the better we are at getting things done, the more we have to do. And we see this most clearly with the ultimate task, email
@oliverburkeman
's "4,000 Weeks"
"..for each moral-emotional word included in a tweet, the chance that another person would retweet that message increased by roughly 15 percent."
Use the power of emotional language hereon
@twitter
wisely
from
@PowerOfUsBook
by
@jayvanbavel
and
@dominicpacker_
Paradoxically, the more fiercely you consider yourself an individualist, the more conformist you actually are 🤔
The "hipster effect", but for American individualism
Fascinating research from
@jetten_j
, discussed in
@PowerOfUsBook
by
@jayvanbavel
and
@dominicpacker_
Is a digital afterlife scientifically possible?
The excitement about
#Neuralink
, and the growth of brain-computer interfaces has posed some big questions. I recently explored the science behind this possibility for
@PsychToday
#neurotech
#BCI
Life achievement unlocked: Gave a Book Talk at Google this morning and then got this message out of the blue: It's from my 5th grade crush, who FINALLY thinks I'm cool, 25 years later 😂
When it comes to applying psychology to marketing, the focus tends to be on behavioral economics / decision science
In my most recent for
@PsychToday
, I examine the other sub-fields that marketers can benefit: social, evolutionary, & cultural psychology
"For Beauvoir, the existential question lurking underneath the crisis of old age is: ‘Can I become a different being while I still remain myself?’ In other words, who is this person that I am becoming who appears to be me, but who seems to be someone else too?' "
Love this piece
Would you enjoy a movies less if an algorithm wrote the script?
In my most recent for
@PsychToday
I write about the growing influence of data in creative fields like film, and how, via psychological essentialism, this influences the audience's perception
I was recently a guest on
@BBCWorld
TV to speak about the psychology of solitude
Tempted to try and do the interview in my best British accent, but chickened out at the last second. Maybe next time🤔
#SocialDistancing
#psychology
#solitude
Over the past year, I've been quietly writing a book with
@PrinceG
which explores the intersection of
#marketing
and
#neuroscience
. Extremely excited to announce our official book deal for Allure: The Neuroscience of Consumerism. More details here: !
Interested in consumer psychology, behavioral science, and/or neuromarketing? Consider signing up for the PopNeuro newsletter.
One consumer science-inspired piece a week including industry news, trends, and research insights. And no spam, ever.
👉
Research in social neuroscience suggests that we aren't "wired" for racism per se, but for social categorization and identity formation more generally
From
@PowerOfUsBook
by
@jayvanbavel
and
@dominicpacker_
It’s difficult enough to empathize with our future selves. What about future others? From John Malkovich and the 100 Year Movie, to Jeff Bezos and the 10,000 Year Clock, future oriented art may provide the path forward
My most recent for
@PsychToday
From David v. Golaith, to Buster Douglas v. Mike Tyson, to Reddit Investors v. Wall Street Hedge Funds .. underdog stories are everywhere. My most recent piece for
@PsychToday
focuses on the psychology behind why we find them so captivating
As more people are flown to space, it'll be interesting to monitor the impact on one's social identity.
Early space pioneers reported a deep shift, discussed here
From
@PowerOfUsBook
by
@jayvanbavel
&
@dominicpacker_
Thrilled to get my advance copy of
@davidmcraney
's How Minds Change this week. Absolutely loving it so far
Have been excited about this book for a long time, and it hasn't disappointed!
Thought-provoking read
"..the sacrifices we make in order to obtain a particular outcome becomes a signal of the value we attach to that result.. instead of giving up resources because we value what we get in return, we infer the value of the result by what is being sacrificed"
It is not really possible to quantify the value of visiting an old friend. That doesn’t mean we cannot decide that it is worth more than the easily quantifiable cost (in time, effort and money) of a 200-mile round trip:
After two long years of zoom, a real treat to finally be able to hit the road again! Last week I spoke at
@Ambrosetti_
's Global Marketing Summit in Milan about the application of neuroscience to marketing. A great group of fellow speakers. Honored to participate and contribute
Got a loud "woohoo 5-1 baby" call out by a passerby on my run this morning. Confused for a second how they could intuit I was a Warriors fan. Quickly realized they (pretty understandably) thought this
@theknocks
shirt was a Knicks shirt
Throwback to writing Blindsight with
@PrinceGhuman248
at my side, and a little 3-month-old on my lap. A true labor of love.
Time flies, that seems like yesterday. Now the book is out in the world, and the little guy is 2!
@wiczipedia
@steak_umm
@Cheeseproducts
I wish more people would respond to my compliments with "Thank you! I'm off brand cheese product". Even if they just mean it metaphorically
Finally had a good excuse to ditch the sweatpants :) Hosted a film crew today at the home office for an upcoming episode of
@MarketWatch
. We chat consumer trends, social psychology, and a very nascent, but quickly growing market. All vague and cryptic for now, but more soon!
Excited to announce that BLINDSIGHT’s official release date is finally here! In a nutshell, this
#book
connects the dots between marketing and neuroscience, and uncovers the hidden forces that shape our consumer lives.
#blindsight2020
#readinglist
It was a great experience presenting our research on
#empathy
and
#consumer
decision making
@iafor
's Asian Conference of the Social Sciences in Kobe, Japan. Fantastic to explore these topics with fellow researchers from a wide array of perspectives.
@PrinceG
@philipsugai
On creating a shared, universal understanding of customer value, and tracking it via blockchain. An ambitious project, and extremely engaging talk from
@philipsugai
at
@iafor
.
Very excited to be speaking at
@simplyneurosci
's NeuroCon Conference this weekend, and to share the stage with an amazing group of scientists, thinkers & practitioners.
Thank you
@chinmayi_balusu
for the invitation!
More info on registration here:
The Mind Club
By Daniel M. Wegner &
@kurtjgray
The best book I've ever read on social cognition. Great blend of empiricism, anecdote, and humor. Fingers crossed for a second edition which includes the minds of Dinosaur robot hotel receptionists 🦖🤖 :)
My 2 year just old fell off his tricycle (he's totally fine), and immediately said: "I fell off because I don't eat enough broccoli!" The clearest example yet that the vegetable propaganda is working!
In love with this graphic from the upcoming issue of
@contagious
about my book, 'Branding That Means Business'.
My only regret is not making it the cover of the book.
Excited to announce we'll be hosting our
#neuromarketing
Bootcamp on Dec. 4th - 6th. This provides a comprehensive dive into the ethical application of neuroscience and psychology to marketing, compressed into 3 intense (& fun!) days.
More info here: 👉
That's a wrap! Just finished up filming a few short courses on branding, neuromarketing, and consumer behavior. Huge thanks to the MadeCraft team
Excited to see the final products
"there's a whole cottage industry based on noticing a totally banal thing that's happening in the world and calling it a new trend" -
@espiers
on "quiet quitting"
Wife is in the office spitting hot fire on a business presentation and I'm 3 feet away in the living room, in my sweatpants, eating a banana. I love the days when we both WFH
"Art as an asset class". Such a beautifully inefficient market and fascinating window into investment / consumer behavior. If you're fascinated by human biases and/or alt investments I'd strongly suggest this most recent episode of
@Slate
's "Money" podcast
That's a wrap for
#neuromarketing
! When
@PrinceGhuman824
and I said at the onset that this was going to be challenging a pandemic is not what we envisioned! Proud of our
@Hult_Business
students for zooming in from all over the globe, never wavering in their curiosity & positivity
Not so humble-brag for the week: 5/5 from Manhattan Book Review!
"the authors engagingly guide the reader through the neuroscience of perception, memory, & addiction & show how neurons & neurochemicals regulate pleasure, empathy, logic, & how we think"
Saying no to the things you don't want to do is one thing. The real challenge is saying no to the things you DO want to do
From
@oliverburkeman
's excellent 4000 weeks
This took a LOT of trial and error but I finally figured out the secret to putting a toddler to sleep:
Find their favorite bedtime book and read it in your best Slick Rick voice
No joke, it works single every time no exceptions
Ironic consumption allows us to signal one message to an 'in-group', and another message to an 'out-group'. Why does irony work this way and how does it impact our consumer behavior?
Most recent for
@PsychToday
looks at the strange
#psychology
of irony
I've been receiving
@habit_weekly
's newsletter for over 2 years now, and it's truly one of the best Behavioral Science resources out there.
Honored that 'Branding That Means Business' was selected as their book of the month
What happens when a neuroscientist and a marketer lock themselves in a room, put Watch The Throne on repeat, and ferociously debate consumer behavior? Two years later, out walks Blindsight (via
@BenBellaBooks
) :)
Pre-order link finally here!
Thrilled to get my advance copy of
@davidmcraney
's How Minds Change this week. Absolutely loving it so far
Have been excited about this book for a long time, and it hasn't disappointed!
A big congratulations to
@rshotton
on the publication of his newest book, "The Illusion of Choice". And a warm welcome to the rarified club of authors with books that have eyes on the front cover👀
I was fortunate to read an advanced copy, and it's truly one of the greats!
Take a quick look at the history of Wal-Mart's motto:
1962-1988: Always Low Prices. Always.
1988-1994: Always The Low Price. Always.
1994-1996: Always Low Prices. Always Walmart.
1996-1999: Better Everyday Low Prices! Always.
1999-2007: Always Low Prices. Always.
But in 2007..
Great thread on the origin of Legends Hospitality Group👇
First heard about this in
@NelsonSchwartz
's excellent "The Velvet Rope Economy", which I highly recommend
Amazing experience speaking at the
#TEDx
in London. The talk focused on my research related to
#empathy
and
#storytelling
- video soon! Many thanks to the incredible organizers
@Hult_Biz
,
@MuseumofLondon
for hosting, and to my fellow speakers for the inspiring conversations
What can Emimem teach us about the nature of our "true" selves?
Inspired by the perspective of humanistic psychologist, author, and hip hop aficionado
@sbkaufman
, I recently wrote about the unintuitive science of authenticity for
@PsychToday
For those into consumer psych, highly recommend checking out Kenny's list
Honored for Blindsight included amidst such great titles and authors
For my 2 cents, a few more I'd add:
Irresistible
@adamleealter
Alchemy
@rorysutherland
Decoded
@philbarden
WYCWBCTY
@thebrainybiz
Master psychology and you can sell anything.
But most people don't know where to start.
8 books that will teach you how people think (so you can 3x your sales):
"Few biases in human judgment are easier to demonstrate than self righteousness: the tendency to believe one is more moral than others"
- Nik Epley and Nadav Klein
in Grandstanding by
@JustinTosi
&
@BrandonWarmke
Things that stand out drive attention and borough into memory.
The same is true for people's outfits. But here, something else comes into play: social status.
And not in the way you might think..
A quick thread on The Red Sneakers Effect 👇
The ultimate bias may be the complete inability to notice them in ourselves. We tend to think that biases are things that only impact *other* people
From
@PowerOfUsBook
by
@jayvanbavel
and
@dominicpacker_
Superstitious people are often derided for being irrational. However, evidence suggests that these acts provide exert a certain degree of mental control, which can have a positive impact on the actual performance itself.
@RafaelNadal
has mastered this
In
@ethan_kross
's Chatter
Alan Jacobs and
@tonytost
on the concept of "anti-curation" of content, especially for younger populations. Especially relevant in today's hyper-targeted, hyper-personalized digital world
From Jacobs' "Breaking Bread with The Dead"
Had a blast chatting with
@ChrisWillx
on the
@ModernWisdomMe
podcast
We spoke about:
🐶 Why we can't tell dogfood and paté apart
😍 Why pleasure motivates us, but doesn’t make us happy
🧠 Why neuroscience will shape the future of marketing
Episode 👉
Such a blast engaging with the amazing
@BetterUp
team at their coaches conference in Philadelphia. Workshop focused on the neural basis of
#communication
, and facilitating alignment between conversational partners. The stunning venue at
@KimmelCenter
was the icing on the cake
The American Dram occurs more in advertisements than it does in articles, often serving as justification for one's purchases (a la the functional alibi effect)
In Robert Schiller's "Narrative Economics"
..& I have no idea how exactly this is calculated but Amazon telling me that the book is
#1
in Consumer Behavior (and in this company!) is pretty sweet to see 🙏
Heartfelt thank you to our amazing guest panelists
@SheryleBolton
,
@hayleyleibson
,
@pamelahawley
and Daniela Cristea for our "Female Trailblazers in Business" event co-hosted with
@SFVAULT
And thank you to all
#hult
students who attended and asked great questions!