Richard Shotton

Astroten

Founder of Astroten

Manning Gottlieb OMD

Head of Behavioural Science

Deputy Head of Evidence

ZenithOptimedia

Head of Insight

Business Director on accounts such as comparethemarket.com, Lexus and COI

Business Director

Planning Manager & Planning Director

Vizeum UK

Planning Manger on Coca-Cola, Halifax and Peugeot

Communications Manager

Author of The Choice Factory and founder of Astroten, a consultancy that applies findings from behavioural science to improve marketing.

Founder of Astroten and author of The Choice Factory and the Illusion of Choice. My new book on applied behavioural science, Hacking the Human Mind comes out in September.

I specialise in applying behavioural science to marketing.  In 2018 I set up Astroten, a company that helps brands such as Google, Mondelez, BrewDog and Santander apply behavioural science to solve their challenges.  Astroten offers a mix of services: from consultancy to copywriting to training. 

I'm the author of The Choice Factory, a best-selling book available in 16 languages. The book identifies the 25 behavioural biases most relevant to marketing and their practical applications. It won best sales and marketing book at the 2019 Business Book Awards. My second book, The Illusion of Choice, released in March 2023. It was picked by WH Smith as their business book of the month.

In 2021 I was made an honorary fellow of the IPA and an associate of the Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University.

I host the podcast, Behavioral Science for Brands, with MichaelAaron Flicker. This examines the behavioural science tactics used by the world's most successful brands.

Looking for your next read on marketing and behavioural science? Here's a list of 17 of the best books when it comes to practical inspiration.

1. Alchemy by Rory Sutherland [2019]

Rory Sutherland is always worth reading - his interpretations are uniquely thought-provoking.

2. The Choice Factory [2018]

Shameless plug alert - this one’s mine. It's a good overview of 25 behavioural insights for improving your marketing and communications. 

3. Blindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains by Matt Johnson, PhD and Prince Ghuman [2020]

A great behavioural science book for specifically marketers. 

4. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear [2018]

The best book on habits from a professional and personal perspective.

5. Priceless by William Poundstone [2010]

No other pricing book is anywhere near as interesting and informative. 

6. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz [2017]

The book covers a central theme of behavioural science: you can’t rely on what people say motivates them.

7. Irrationality by Stuart Sutherland [1992]

Sutherland explores a huge range of biases, so there'll be a relevant experiment for any challenge.

8. Inside the Nudge Unit by David Halpern [2015]

This sets out the EAST model, containing four broad approaches to behaviour change.

9. Influence by Dr. Robert Cialdini [1984]

The social psychology classic, unpacking six key biases that shape human behaviour.

10. How Not To Plan: 66 Ways To Screw It Up by Les Binet and sarah carter [2018]

A witty guide exposing the common pitfalls in marketers' thinking. 

11. Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy by Phil Barden [2013]

One of the first books addressing the theory-practice gap in marketing psychology. 

12. Consumerology: The Truth about Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping by Phil Graves [2013]

Few authors challenge conventional market research quite like Phil. 

13. The Illusion of Choice [2023]

A sort of sequel to The Choice Factory - I break down an extra 16½ biases that impact B2C and B2B decisions.

14. Think Small: The Surprisingly Simple Ways to Reach Big Goals by Owain Service and Dr. Rory Gallagher [2017]

A practical look at how small tweaks can have an outsized impact on behaviours both at work and in everyday life. 

15. Messengers by Steve Martin and Joseph Marks, PhD [2018]

The behavioural science principles behind who we listen to and who we don't. 

16. Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger [2016]

A modern classic on the psychology of popularity, offering six powerful principles for creating sticky ideas. 

17. Hacking The Human Mind [2025]

And obviously, my new book co-authored with MichaelAaron Flicker on the behavioural science secrets of 17 of the world's greatest brands including Apple, Starbucks, Dyson, and many others. Link to this and my two other books in the comments.

I specialise in applying behavioural science to marketing.  In 2018 I set up Astroten, a company that helps brands such as Google, Mondelez, BrewDog and Barclays apply behavioural science to solve their challenges.  Astroten offers a mix of services: from consultancy to training. 

I'm the author of The Choice Factory, a best-selling book available in 12 languages. The book identifies the 25 behavioural biases most relevant to marketing and their practical applications. It won best sales and marketing book at the 2019 Business Book Awards.  

In 2021 I was made an honorary fellow of the IPA and an associate of the Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University.

My latest book on applying behavioural science to marketing, The Illusion of Choice, will be released on March 28th 2023.

This image is a stark example of the danger of designing for how we wish people behaved, rather than how they actually do. 
It's an example of the danger of first order thinking. The council sees there's a problem with youths cycling along a path, so they add a barrier that makes cycling on the path harder. Problem solved, they think. 
But of course interventions can't stop with that level of insight. The next question has got to be, how will the audience respond - second order thinking. And of course, what many a cyclist will do when faced by the inconvenient barrier is swerve onto the grass. Problem most definitely not solved.

This issue of ineffective behavioural interventions stretches beyond pointless cycle barriers. Attempts to intervene often backfire as they're designed with the wrong model of human behaviour in mind.

If that sounds a bit vague, let's think of a common example: giving people cash incentives to change behaviour. This seems sensible but can go wrong.

A classic example comes from the work of Uri Gneezy. He worked with a day-care centre that had a problem with parents turning up late to pick up their kids 

To reduce the problem the centre introduced a fine of $3 when parents were more than 10 minutes late. 

At first that sounds sensible - fine people for a behaviour and they'll do less of it.

But in reality, the problem of lateness got worse. 

Why? Well, there are two broad reasons to act - monetary incentives and social obligations. 

Before the fine parents were trying to turn up on time for social reasons. They wanted to feel like good citizens & they knew being late impinged on the teacher. So, to avoid that prospect they were asking their bosses if they could leave early & they rushed through traffic. They weren’t always on time but they tried.

However, after the penalty, the parents' calculations were no longer about social obligations; it was a simple monetary one. Was it worth $3 to annoy their boss & have the stress of rushing through traffic? Many thought not. They became less likely to turn up on time. 

The psychologist argued that the two ways of behaving (monetary and social) struggle to co-exist. Once money was introduced into the equation it crowded out social obligations.

In this case, because the fine failed to counterbalance the loss of social obligations it made the situations worse.

These are just two examples of how interventions can backfire if they use the wrong model of human nature. 

How do you avoid that? Well one way is through an understanding of behavioural science. Each experiment shines a little light on the mysteries of human behaviour.

You can learn more behavioural science findings by signing up to my newsletter, 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀, in the comments. Each newsletter takes one study and looks at the potential implications for marketers.

Happy reading!

The purpose of a sign isn’t to demonstrate the breadth of the writer’s vocabulary, but to communicate information simply. So why use the word “egress”? 
The writer probably thought that it'd impress the audience. It'd baffle them into compliance. 
But the evidence suggests the opposite - overly complex language reflects badly on the communicator. 

Evidence comes from a 2006 study by Princeton psychologist Daniel Oppenheimer. It has one of the best titles for an academic paper ever: "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly".

Oppenheimer showed people one of two versions of the same dissertation abstract. 

The two versions were almost the same but the first version used complex wording. The second switched the unnecessarily complex words for simpler language.

Participants who read the complex version rated the author's intelligence at 4.26 out of 7. But those who read the simple version gave a rating of 4.8 out of 7 - a 13% uplift. 

Simplicity doesn't only make your message easier to understand - it also makes you appear more intelligent. 

You can learn about other biases in my new book with MichaelAaron Flicker, Hacking the Human Mind. Link in the comments.

Co-Author of Hacking the Human Mind, Founder of the Consumer Behavior Lab - dedicated to improving the marketing industry and CEO of XenoPsi Ventures - a brand incubator firm.

Ben Verinder

Everything communicates. Despite that an awful lot of messaging plods along repeating tired tropes. But this idea from Lewis Silkin solicitors is a lovely example of someone seeing that even a Christmas card can communicate key values about their company....

First spotted in a Dave Dye post - linked in the comments

Lovely idea from Pret A Manger! They gave out free-drink vouchers designed to be passed on to a friend. This has a double benefit for Pret: the final recipient gets a nice drink and feels a bit better disposed to Pret, but most importantly, the giver ends up happier than if they’d kept the voucher. 

That last point might feel counterintuitive, but it’s backed by a 2008 study led by Elizabeth Dunn from the University of British Columbia. 

She recruited a group of people, measured their happiness and then gave them $5. Half had to spend it on themselves, and half were told to spend it on someone else.

The key finding? Those who spent the money on other people saw a bigger boost to their happiness than those who splashed out on themselves. 

So, by handing out vouchers for people to give away, Pret harnesses Dunn's insight - and gets twice the bang for their buck. 

An interesting finding from a commercial perspective (for your next promo why not be inspired by Pret and give the gift of giving) but also a personal one (think of all the opportunities to make yourself happier by giving more regularly). 

And if you want to know more about behavioural science there's a link to Hacking the Human Mind in the comments (which is, of course, suitable as a gift for the behavioural science nerd in your life).

Tremendous example of price relativity from Cote: change the comparison set and change the willingness to pay. My research suggests their tactic will work. 
In 2014, I showed people a 250g box of PG Tips (£2.29). 

One group saw it next to a 250g box of Tesco tea (£1). In this scenario, 31% said PG Tips was good value. 

Another group saw it beside a 250g box of Twinings (£3.49). This time, 65% thought PG Tips was good value - a more than 2x uplift. 

The same price was viewed very differently depending on the comparison set. 

The fact that Cote apply this idea of price relativity with a dash of creativity means it'll be even more effective.
 
You can find out about more biases like price relativity in my newsletter, 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀. To sign up, see the link in the comments. 

Ad spotted by Sam Salama. Original idea from Cote team and Cat Johnstone

Marketers often talk about how consumers' attention spans are shrinking. The claim is repeated so often that it's almost become a self-evident truth. This article (first published on MediaCat UK), unpacks the evidence for why that claim doesn't hold up.

Nowadays, we're not dumb, just discerning. Everyone seems to think we’re getting dumber by the year. Are we really? Attention is an area of brain powe

Open article: Are we becoming fish-brained? by Richard Shotton • 3 min read

Many brands slash their prices to boost sales on Black Friday. If it's a one off that's OK but regularly discounting damages long-term brand health. Not just people's expectations about the brand but the actual experience.

The most interesting piece of evidence comes from Baba Shiv at Stanford University.

He asked students to solve maths puzzles and paid them for every correct answer. Before they started, students could buy an energy drink meant to focus their mind.

Half of the students were sold the drink at full price, while half got it discounted.

Shiv found that those who bought the discounted energy drinks answered 30% fewer questions correctly. Shiv reran the experiment several times, but the results held. 

Our expectation of a product’s performance changes our experience. If we expect a product to be brilliant we’re more likely to have a positive experience.

When it comes to pricing we tend to expect that we'll get what we pay for. Low prices prime customers to expect a lower quality experience.

So while it’s fine for brands to indulge in the occasional promotion, they should ensure that the steep discounts of Black Friday are a one off.

You can learn more about the behavioural science behind marketing by signing up to my newsletter, 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀. Link in the comments.

Professor at Stanford University

Dedef Kayrouz

In my new book with MichaelAaron Flicker, Hacking the Human Mind, we uncover how 17 of the most successful brands have used behavioural science. 

In the Kraft Heinz chapter, one of the biases we cover is pareidolia - our tendency to recognise patterns - especially faces - in random things. 

There’s a simple evolutionary explanation for this - back in the day, spotting faces quickly was essential for our survival. 

It’s a simple, but powerful instinct - and one that you can harness in ads, as a 2019 study by Gianluigi Guido from the University of Salento shows.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼?

154 people were shown pairs of print adverts. 

In each pair, one ad had objects that formed a face (pareidolia), and one didn’t. 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱?

In 80% of the advert pairs, participants paid more attention to the one that had a “face” than the one that didn’t. 

What’s more, when people only saw the adverts for half a second, they focused more on the “pareidolian” ads in 92% of the pairs. 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 

If something looks like a face, we’re automatically more likely to notice it.

Kraft simply applied this on their packaging by creating a “smiley-face” with a single macaroni (see below). 

But this principle isn’t just for brands - it can work in a range of settings.

One of the brands I work with, Avanti West Coast, used this principle in their safety campaign. To make sure that safety messages were noticed they incorporated pareidolia into their creative.  You can see the imagery in the carousel. 

The creative won ‘Best use of Market Research, Analytics and Insight’ at the Marketing Week Awards 2025. 

So, whether you want to draw attention to a brand or promote responsible behaviour, consider harnessing the power of pareidolia with a friendly face. 

📙You can find out how brands like 𝗞𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 apply lots of other behavioural tactics in Hacking the Human Mind. Link is in the comments.

Hacking the Human Mind

The first issue of my behavioural science newsletter, 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀, is out. 

It covered purchase limit scarcity - the finding that restricting how much people can buy boosts sales. I also showed how KFC applied this - have a look at what they did below. 

I'll be releasing a new issue every month, each exploring one bias and how you can use it to improve your marketing.

The next one's coming soon. You can sign up via the link in the comments.

This week on Behavioral Science for Brands, MichaelAaron Flicker and I  explore how to apply behavioural science to change behaviours inside companies and organisations. We unpack:

🚷 Why you should avoid emphasising that unwanted behaviour is commonplace 
🔗 How removing small bits of friction can disproportionately increase follow-through
🎟️ Why regret lotteries motivate people more than fixed rewards
🏅 How purpose and progress can be better motivators than compensation 

🎧 Links to Spotify etc in the comments or just search for Behavioral Science for Brands.

This week, I joined Phill Agnew for another episode of his excellent Nudge podcast. We talked about the behavioural science of Aperol. It’s one of the 17 brands I cover in Hacking the Human Mind - my new book with MichaelAaron Flicker. 

In the episode, we unpacked how Aperol creatively applied social proof - the idea that we follow what we think is the norm - to boost popularity and distinctiveness. 

Links to the episode and my new book are in the comments.

This week, I recorded another Nudge podcast episode with the super talented Phill Agnew. We broke down the behavioural science secrets of Amazon Prime - one of the 17 global brands I explore with MichaelAaron Flicker in my new book, Hacking the Human Mind.  

Phill and I talked about how Amazon Prime applies biases like the sunk cost effect and temporal reframing to get people to renew their subscriptions. 

Links to the episode and my new book are in the comments.

This week on Behavioral Science for Brands, MichaelAaron Flicker and I interview Dr. Susan Weinschenk - behavioral scientist and author of 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People. We discuss: 

📻 The storytelling tactic - how to make listeners view themselves as protagonists to improve memorability
👩‍✈️ Cognitive autopilot - why people make most decisions automatically
🔳 The power of contrast - why a single contrasting visual element is more effective than a range of colours 
⚙️ The force of friction - why you should focus on motor friction over cognitive friction to improve engagement

🎧 Links to Spotify etc in the comments or just search for Behavioral Science for Brands.

This week on our Behavioral Science for Agencies mini-series, MichaelAaron Flicker and I explore how to use behavioural science for better copywriting. We discuss:

🖼️ Concreteness - why using language people can visualise boosts memorability 

✍ Perceived Competence - how swapping out complex words for simpler ones improves brand perceptions 

🔖 Message Length - how reducing the word count of a request can make the underlying task appear easier to complete

⚖️ Loss Aversion - why framing an offer around what consumers could lose is often more motivating than saying what they will gain

🎧 Links to Spotify etc in the comments or just search for Behavioral Science for Brands.

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