The well known phrase came from a 1925 Listerine campaign, which claimed that having clean teeth was the key to finding a partner.
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Every fanbase thinks their chants are the best, but they all have the same (surprising) origins. Some are based on hymns, such as “Cwm Rhondda” spawning “You’re not singing anymore.” Others are based on classical music, like Elgar’s “Land of hope and glory.” But my favourite example of stolen creativity: “You’ll never walk alone” comes from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and is now used by Liverpool, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund.
At one point the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic was really the fortunate result of a hobby. In the words of James Cameron, “I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie… when I learned some other guys had dived to the Titanic to make an IMAX movie, I said, ‘I’ll make a Hollywood movie to pay for an expedition and do the same thing’.”
According to self reported data (in chart), the share of people going to church at least monthly has risen from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024, and from 4% to 16% among 18-24 year olds. But actual recorded attendance tells a different story. In the same time period, C of E churchgoers declined from 1.1 million to 1 million, and Catholic churchgoers from 700,000 to 550,000. There are several potential reasons for this gap, like the rise of spiritualism, but what’s clear is that the Gen Z Christianity revival is overhyped.
A voucher with a twist: it’s designed to be passed on to a friend. As a result the final recipient gets a nice drink, but most importantly the giver ends up happier than if they’d kept the voucher.
A Eurotunnel ad gets 7x the amount of attention if it’s placed at the top of a relevant page (in this case an article about the Netherlands). Where you say something is just as important as what you say.
“In any other circumstances, if ten men were outside your house shouting abuse every time you left, you would say, ‘That’s simply an abuser — someone who’s mentally ill.’ But because they’ve got cameras, it’s allowed.”
80% idea, 80% execution
An idea is only as good as the way it's expressed.
Advertising DOES work on me
Ads can stay in our heads forever, even if we never buy the brand.
Bad market research
Lazy thinking makes it hard to gauge public opinion.
Bothism
In a world of binary thinking, we forget that opposites co-exist.
Clever innovation
Creative ideas for brand growth and behaviour change.
Comparative advertising gone wrong
Showing another brand can prove superiority, but only if it's clear who is advertising.
Consumer first thinking
Catering to the needs and behaviours of real people - not marketers.
Creativity copies
Forget true originality. Creativity requires external inspiration.
Culture shaped by marketing
Brands largely fail to tap into culture - but a rare few shape it forever.
Cursed success
Awards aren't always beneficial.
Do things that don't scale
To get big you first need to think small.
Easy preferred to best
We like decisions that require little effort.
Familiarity bias
We like what we know, regardless of merit.
Framing effects
Value is a matter of perspective.
Friction as a force for good
In a world of seamlessness, brands can stand out by making life hard for consumers.
Goodhart's law
When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
Great expectations
Beliefs have the power to shape reality.
Humans behind the data
Numbers are objective, but the people who make them are not.
Inferring meaning where none exists
We use complex theories to explain events, but the truth is more straightforward.
Innovating by saying no
Brands often win by limiting their options instead of expanding them.
Intelligent naivety
It's easy to break category norms when you don't know they exist.
IRL will never die
The internet provides unparalleled freedom, but nothing beats the in-person experience.
Joy of constraints
Forget creative freedom. The best ideas come from restrictions.
Knowledge ≠ power
Information isn't enough to spark action.
Magical language
Words don't just describe our thinking - they shape it too.
Making data concrete
Numbers need context to be meaningful.
Marginal gains
Small changes make a big difference.
Misleading metrics
Don't take statistics at face value.
Myths that aren't true
Our understanding of the world is often based on fiction.
New normal that never was
Covid-19 changed our behaviour forever...or did it?
Old school Behavioural Science
The field was created in the 2000s, but its principles are centuries old.
Penetration led growth
Brands grow by expanding their usage occasions.
Perverse incentives
Be careful what you wish for.
Power laws in the wild
A lot do a little and a little do a lot - and a reminder that averages are often meaningless.
Power of brands
Brands - both people and products - are the ultimate trendsetters.
Power of distribution
Less celebrated than ads, but vital for brand growth.
Products of our environment
Our behaviour is shaped by forces outside our control.
Random legacy
Our rules and frameworks have strange origins.
Redefining the category
Categories are artificial - they can be re-shaped for success.
Revenge marketing
Examples of brands built out of spite.
Say doesn't equal do
Our actions reveal our true intentions.
Selfish innovation
The best source of inspiration is our own frustrations.
Shifting status symbols
The way we show off has evolved over time.
Slowly then suddenly
Not all behaviour is linear: some moments count more than others.
Social desirability bias
We care deeply about what others think.
Tech is neutral, but we are not
Human subjectivity still dictates how technology is used.
The (not so) golden rule
We don't treat others as we treat ourselves.
To speak to many, speak to one
Reaching a mass audience first requires sharp focus.
Topsy turvy behaviours
Products are used in unexpected ways, by unexpected people.
Topsy turvy business models
Businesses have surprising revenue streams.
Veblen goods
The more expensive they are, the more we like them.
When fiction becomes reality
Stories have the power to shape society.
When history rhymes
Nothing is ever as new as we think.
You are not the consumer
The more experienced you become, the more detached you become from the people you serve.
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