Authentic Storytelling Beats AI for Customer Advocacy
I nearly barfed on the boat. Why did I tell American Marketing Association CEO Bennie F. Johnson this on his podcast?! To illustrate a point about storytelling. And emotion. And the type of authenticity AI cannot conjure. (Also the type of rabid customer advocacy brands dream about). Hear all the details on this episode of the Marketing / And podcast. Or read about them in my AMA Award-winning book, Using Behavioral Science in Marketing. Either way, you’ll find out how you can use proven, brain science backed tactics to increase engagement and response to your marketing messages… Easily. Ethically. And effectively.
Formatting Numbers for Fluency Boosts Recall
Does something look off about this phone number? Or does something seem really right? Usually we see the last 7 digits break into a group of 3, followed by a group of 4. But here, they break into a group...
Framing Your Words Determines Whether Customers Buy
Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it. Or, as a brain scientist would would say, how you frame it. The words you choose can make the difference between someone liking your product or not. Someone agreeing...
Delay January Emails for 30‑40% Higher Open Rates
Before you hit send on that new email campaign, consider this: The first 2 weeks of January are awful for email response. According to Jay Schwedelson , your open rates will be DOWN. But if you wait til mid to...
Leverage Loss Aversion: People Fear Loss Twice As Much
New Year’s resolutions. Black Friday sales. Everyone’s doing it. And we don’t want to miss out. That’s one form of Loss Aversion. The truth is, we feel losses twice as powerfully as gains. So we are more motivated to avoid...
Leverage the Fresh Start Effect for Immediate Success
Happy 2026! Today is a great day to harness what behavioral scientists call The Fresh Start Effect. “The fresh start effect works because it aligns with human psychology. This is about working with, rather than against, our basic tendencies. We...
More Ads, Less Trust: Engagement No Longer Drives Sales
Context is just as important as content. In social media platforms jammed with ads, people’s resistance goes up. And sales go down. That is the finding of this 2025 study reported in the New Neuromarketing blog. “A large-scale meta-analysis by...
Future‑Ready Insights: Marketing, Behaviour, Leadership Wrapped
15 minutes that’ll set you up for 2026 success? Right here. “We hosted conversations across marketing, behavioural science, leadership and the human side of growth. From these enriching discussions, we’re closing out the year with our very own Beginners Mind...
Make Customers Earn Discounts to Boost Perceived Value
Ever “bake someone happy”? That’s what an Australian kitchen products retailer did with their Black Friday promotion. They ran an interactive, print-based promotion. Customers had to heat up a sheet of baking paper to make their special discounts appear. Kitchen...
Free AI Marketing Conference to Jumpstart 2026 Growth
This Thursday!!! Get a jumpstart on 2026 with the FREE, online “AI and Marketing Conference.” Courtesy of Thryv , you’ll gain: ✅ Breakthrough AI tactics ✅ Next-level marketing strategies ✅ Proven methods to drive growth in 2026 I’m psyched to...
Verification Emails Boost Winback Open Rates by 31%
Use email for winback? Try this tactic to increase your success. Send a “verification” email, such as Verify Your Status. According to SubjectLine.com , these subject lines to non-engaged segments can increase open rates by up to 31%.
Four Essentials for Effective Design: Grid, Hierarchy, Color, Consistency
What makes good design? According to Nielsen Norman Group , you should pay attention to these 4 things. “Align type and elements to a grid, build a clear visual hierarchy, use color intentionally, and stay consistent with every design choice.”...
Avoid the Curse of Knowledge to Win Customers
“I can’t believe you don’t know that!” If you’re honest, you have thought that a time or two. (Even if you’ve announced “There are no stupid questions!) The truth is, we are so familiar with our products and services, we...
Behavioral Science Boosts Calls 74% in Multichannel Campaign
A financial services client just reported our multichannel campaign drove a 74% increase in calls. They are happy. We are happy. Do you want to be happy, too? Let’s talk about how we can increase your ROI by adding some...
Ultra‑short Subject Lines Boost Open Rates by 25%
NEW test for you! Try a super short subject line with NO preheader. Jay Schwedelson says new GURU Media Hub research shows increased open rates of 25%+ with this approach. Why does it work? It triggers The Von Restorff Effect:...
Penny's End Forces Marketers to Rethink .99 Pricing
Is "charm pricing" about to get less charming?! As American marketers contemplate the discontinuation of the penny, they'll need to rethink those prices that end in .99. Numerous behavioral science studies show they motivate purchases. But with pennies disappearing, what...
10 Surprising B2B Customer Triggers to Boost Conversions
Next week!!! 10 Surprising Customer Behavior Triggers You’ll Want to Steal. If you market to a B2B audience, then you need to be at #mpb2b . You’ll gain insights from industry thought leaders like Pam Didner , Ashley Faus ,...
Start Emails with Assertive Verbs to Boost Opens 20%
Start subject lines with 1 of these 6 words to drive opens. Jay Schwedelson revealed that assertive verbs like these increase open rates by 20% during last week’s #GURUconference .
Boost Insurance Sales with Proven Behavioral Science Tactics
Work in insurance/financial services? Want to gain a competitive advantage? Check out TODAY's LIMRA webinar from 1-2 ET, "Getting to Yes: Proven Behavioral Science Strategies for Insurance that You Can Use Today!" I'm delighted to join Andrea Rech of Northwestern...
Temporal Landmarks Spark Fresh Opportunities and New Choices
What’s so special about today? About any Monday? It’s a temporal landmark. Temporal landmarks are times when we close the door on our old selfs, with all our mistakes, missteps, and missed goals, and open the door on our new...
Excluding the Wrong Audience Boosts Product Appeal
What’s more important? Who a product is for? Or who it is not for? According to recent research, saying who you are NOT for may be stronger. “When a product advertises who it’s not suitable for (e.g. an adventure holiday...
Combine Attention Types for Viral Video Magic
Can you name the 4 types of attention? If you use videos and storytelling in your marketing, they are how you stop the scroll. “Combining two or more types of attention is “when the magic happens,” and the video is...
Marketing Success Lies in Conversations, Not the Beer
“It was never about the beer.” At least that’s what Brooke B. Sellas maintained in her SMASH keynote ;) It is about the conversations. And the connections. And the consistent quest to keep getting better. I had another amazing time...
Unlock Behavioral Science Tactics to Boost Conference ROI
“From delivery to insight - absolutely phenomenal.” That’s how one attendee described a recent presentation I did. And now 2026 is coming up fast! Want your conference/event audience to be entertained…inspired … and leave with surprising yet easy to use...
Active Choice Boosts Add‑On Sales by 50%
Often marketers ask customers to opt into an extra service or an add-on. And what happens? Usually nothing. The alternate approach is to automatically include these services and have people opt out if they don’t want them. But that is...