Nudge

Phill Agnew
  • 4.4 (13)
  • Marketing
  • Updated weekly

Nudge is the UK's #1 marketing podcast, breaking down the hidden psychology behind what we do and why we do it. No BS, just smart, science-backed insights that actually work.

  1. 17 hr ago

    How much should you reveal to your co-workers

    In 1997, Miss USA won Miss Universe with one perfectly judged answer. She revealed just enough to charm, but not enough to shock. Harvard professor Leslie John says that's scientifically proven to persuade. Her research shows revealers are more likeable, more hireable, and even more dateable. In this episode, she shares why oversharing beats staying guarded, why privacy promises make us shy, and how putting fears into words can cure phobias. --- ​​Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Leslie’s book Revealing: https://amzn.to/3RkFTAq  Leslie’s website: https://www.proflesliejohn.com/  Join 12,199 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today’s sources:  Huang, K., Yeomans, M., Brooks, A. W., Minson, J., & Gino, F. (2017). It doesn't hurt to ask: Question-asking increases liking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 430–452. John, L. K., Acquisti, A., & Loewenstein, G. (2011). Strangers on a plane: Context-dependent willingness to divulge sensitive information. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(5), 858–873. John, L. K., Barasz, K., & Norton, M. I. (2016). Hiding personal information reveals the worst. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(4), 954–959. Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings into words: Contributions of language to exposure therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. Pennebaker, J. W., & Beall, S. K. (1986). Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95(3), 274–281. Spera, S. P., Buhrfeind, E. D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1994). Expressive writing and coping with job loss. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 722–733.

  2. 10 Aug

    Katy Milkman: “Here’s how to make exercise fun”

    Katy Milkman shares one technique that could keep you exercising for 55% longer.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Katy’s book: https://amzn.to/3RF63xA  Katy’s podcast: https://www.schwab.com/learn/choiceology  Katy’s newsletter: https://www.katymilkman.com/newsletter-milkman-delivers  Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today’s sources: Gallus, J. (2017). Fostering public good contributions with symbolic awards: A large-scale natural field experiment at Wikipedia. Management Science, 63(12), 3999–4015. Hershfield, H. E., Shu, S., & Benartzi, S. (2020). Temporal reframing and participation in a savings program: A field experiment. Marketing Science, 39(6), 1039-1051. Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. M. (2014). Holding the Hunger Games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60(2), 283–299. Rai, A., Sharif, M. A., Chang, E. H., Milkman, K. L., & Duckworth, A. L. (2023). A field experiment on subgoal framing to boost volunteering: The trade-off between goal granularity and flexibility. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(4), 621–634. Woolley, K., & Fishbach, A. (2016). For the fun of it: Harnessing immediate rewards to increase persistence in long-term goals. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(6), 952–966.

  3. 3 Aug

    Why fear won’t always persuade

    To persuade someone, most of us are tempted to use fear.  We tell clients how much they’ll struggle if they pick a competitor. We tell our kids how they’ll lose TV time if they don’t finish their homework. We plead with our partners to kick bad habits by highlighting how unhealthy it’s making them.  We all do it; we opt for doom-and-gloom messages baked in fear. But today's guests on Nudge, Elizabeth Dunn and JZ, explain that these messages won’t work.  When it comes to persuasion, fear doesn’t persuade.  To find out what does, listen to today’s episode of Nudge.  --- Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/148fd5fb0a  Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/  Get the book Leave the Lights On: https://amzn.to/3SDr4sX  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/

  4. 27 Jul

    How these two marketers manipulate your music taste

    In a fairly inconspicuous SXSW podcast, two marketers shook the music industry.  Jesse Coren and Andrew Spelman, two co-founders at Chaotic Good, explained how they make bands go viral.  Their methods shocked people.  Today on Nudge, I reveal how these two marketers use psychological hacks to manipulate the masses and make 'indie' bands mainstream.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Listen to the Billboard podcast: https://youtu.be/v1rP3cpilkM?si=iF2B9zzMQEZ5tSVb  Listen to the Guardian podcast: https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/may/05/fake-fans-fake-buzz-how-your-favourite-band-got-big-podcast  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults⁠  Join 11,931 readers of my newsletter: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/⁠ ---  Today’s sources:  Mallinson, D. J., & Hatemi, P. K. (2018). The effects of information and social conformity on opinion change. PLOS ONE, 13(5), e0196600. Muchnik, L., Aral, S., & Taylor, S. J. (2013). Social influence bias: A randomized experiment. Science, 341(6146), 647–651. Salganik, M.Salganik, M. J., Dodds, P. S., & Watts, D. J. (2006). Experimental study of inequality and unpredictability in an artificial cultural market. Science, 311(5762), 854–856.

  5. 20 Jul

    Can balsamic vinegar make beer better?

    In 2007, two Harvard researchers added a splash of balsamic vinegar to beer.  When drinkers knew the beer contained vinegar, they hated it.  But when the researchers told them “this is our MIT brew," the majority loved it.  The study reveals the secrets behind marketing.  On today’s episode of Nudge with award-winning science writer David Robson, we explain how good marketing can shape our perception.  Link to the bonus episode: ⁠https://nudge.kit.com/86d3e39845⁠  Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Read the Expectation Effect: https://amzn.to/4dvkb3s  David’s website: https://davidrobson.me/  David’s Substack: https://davidarobson.substack.com/  ---  Today’s sources:  Amar, M., Ariely, D., Bar-Hillel, M., Carmon, Z., & Ofir, C. (2011). Brand names act like marketing placebos. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Clark, A. (2016). Surfing uncertainty: Prediction, action, and the embodied mind. Oxford University Press. Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18(2), 165–171. Faasse, K., Martin, L.R., Grey, A., Gamble, G., and Petrie, K.J. (2016). Impact of brand or generic labeling on medication effectiveness and side effects. Health Psychology, 35(2), 187. Grabenhorst, F., Rolls, E. T., & Bilderbeck, A. (2008). How cognition modulates affective responses to taste and flavor: Top-down influences on the orbitofrontal and pregenual cingulate cortices. Cerebral Cortex, 18(7), 1549–1559. Lee, L., Frederick, S., & Ariely, D. (2006). Try it, you'll like it: The influence of expectation, consumption, and revelation on preferences for beer. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1054–1058. Lidstone, S. C., Schulzer, M., Dinelle, K., Mak, E., Sossi, V., Ruth, T. J., & Stoessl, A. J. (2010). Effects of expectation on placebo-induced dopamine release in Parkinson disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(8), 857–865. Plassmann, H., O'Doherty, J., Shiv, B., & Rangel, A. (2008). Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(3), 1050–1054. Quattrone, A., Barbagallo, G., Cerasa, A., & Stoessl, A. J. (2018). Neurobiology of placebo effect in Parkinson's disease: What we have learned and where we are going. Movement Disorders, 33(8), 1213–1227. Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect: How your mindset can transform your life. Canongate. Spence, C., & Piqueras-Fiszman, B. (2014). The perfect meal: The multisensory science of food and dining. John Wiley & Sons.

  6. 13 Jul

    88 out of 90 people fall for this bias. Do you?

    Imagine you’re a chef.  You are shown the recipe for a soup. It has five ingredients.  You’re told to improve the recipe.  What do you do?  96% of people reveal a bias when answering this question. And that bias makes marketing less effective, communication less engaging and products less appealing.  Find out why in today’s episode of Nudge with the award-winning professor Leidy Klotz.  Warning: this episode contains explicit language.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Leidy’s book, Subtract: https://amzn.to/4df4duk Leidy’s latest book, In a Good Place: https://amzn.to/4tzjCvE  Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today’s sources:  Adams, G. S., Converse, B. A., Hales, A. H., & Klotz, L. E. (2021). "People systematically overlook subtractive changes." Nature, 592(7853), 258–261. Rogers, T., & Lasky-Fink, J. (2023). Writing for busy readers: Communicate more effectively in the real world. Dutton. Zhang, Y., Fishbach, A., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2007). The dilution model: How additional goals undermine the perceived instrumentality of a shared path. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(3), 389–401

  7. 6 Jul

    Will the UK’s social media ban backfire?

    The British government recently announced a ban on all social media usage for children up to the age of 16.  But will the ban work?  Today on Nudge, I explore the psychology of restrictions, bans and friction.  Warning: this show is restricted to those aged 16 or over.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Use code NUDGE for 10% off your FSB membership.  Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today’s sources:  Driscoll, R., Davis, K. E., & Lipetz, M. E. (1972). Parental interference and romantic love: The Romeo and Juliet effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24(1), 1–10. Freedman, J. L. (1965). Long-term behavioral effects of cognitive dissonance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1(2), 145–155. Mazis, M. B., Settle, R. B., & Leslie, D. C. (1973). Elimination of phosphate detergents and psychological reactance. Journal of Marketing Research, 10(4), 390–395. Spence, C., & Wang, Q. J. (2017). Assessing the impact of closure type on wine ratings and mood. Beverages, 3(4), 52. Zellinger, D. A., Fromkin, H. L., Speller, D. E., & Kohn, C. A. (1975). A commodity theory analysis of the effects of age restrictions upon pornographic materials. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(1), 94–99. Zhang, K., Allard, T., & Bagchi, R. (2025). The token-effort effect: Trivial redemption effort increases price promotion effectiveness. Journal of Marketing.

  8. 29 Jun

    Katy Milkman: Learn how to change habits in 39 minutes

    World-leading behaviour change expert Katy Milkman details how to change your habits.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Katy’s book: https://amzn.to/3RF63xA  Katy’s podcast: https://www.schwab.com/learn/choiceology  Katy’s newsletter: https://www.katymilkman.com/newsletter-milkman-delivers  Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today’s sources: Beshears, J.Beshears, J., Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Benartzi, S. (2021). Using fresh starts to nudge increased retirement savings. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 167, 72–87. Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582. Eskreis-Winkler, L., Fishbach, A., & Duckworth, A. L. (2018). Dear Abby: Should I give advice or receive it? Psychological Science, 29(11), 1797–1806. Eskreis-Winkler, L., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., & Duckworth, A. L. (2019). A large-scale field experiment shows giving advice improves academic outcomes for the advisor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(30), 14808–14810. Schroeder, S. A. (2007). We can do better — Improving the health of the American people. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(12), 1221–1228.

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Hosts & Guests

4.4
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Nudge is the UK's #1 marketing podcast, breaking down the hidden psychology behind what we do and why we do it. No BS, just smart, science-backed insights that actually work.

Information

  • Creator
    Phill Agnew
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    306
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Phill Agnew
  • Show Website
    Nudge

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