We still don’t know how many homes are built in the UK each year. Housing data has historically come from the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) – an organisation established to provide warranties on new homes. But NHBC’s market share has deteriorated in the last few years – from 85% to 60% – which means a significant proportion of homes aren’t counted. By comparing to other records, like council tax, it’s estimated that half of new homes in London were missed in 2023.
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Henry J Kaiser’s company built the Hoover Dam even though he knew nothing about shipbuilding. But he used his ignorance to his advantage; redesigning the assembly process using prefabricated parts to avoid hiring expert workers, and having workers use cheap fuel torches for cutting metal – unaware that heavy machinery was supposedly necessary.
In 1776 James Watt needed a simple way to explain the power of his improved steam engine. So he framed it in familiar terms, claiming that one of his improved steam engines could produce enough power to replace 10 cart-pulling horses, or 10 ‘horsepower’. In doing so he made the term a standard measure of engine power still used today.
Passengers at Houston airport frequently complained about the long wait at baggage claim. Conventional wisdom says speed up the process or hire more baggage handlers. But the airport simply moved the arrival gates so that they were further away from baggage claim; increasing the walk time and eliminating dead waiting time. Complaints soon disappeared.
Ask the right question. In a control study, usage declined dramatically when cashiers, instead of asking “how many plastic bags do you need?”, asked “would you need a plastic bag to carry your shopping home?” A clever tweak to change the default from taking a bag to not taking one.
Stamp a best before date on them. Sales of Tontine pillows tripled as a result of this simple tweak.
Hide it in a song. The Colombian army created a dance track called Better Days, whose chorus disguised a Morse code message saying “19 people rescued. You’re next. Don’t lose hope.” The song was then played on national radio to let captured soldiers know that the Colombian army was coming to rescue them.
The 2011 UK census showed that a whopping 58% of residents in England identified as English only. Skip forward a decade and this number plunged to 15%. Was this a significant decline in nationalism? No, a botched survey. In 2011 “English” was the first option and “British” was the fifth; in 2021 “Britain” came top of the list.
Originally positioned as a meal replacement solution for time pressed gymgoers, Huel has increased revenue by extending its range; it now includes hot and savoury meals, such as pasta bolognese and curries, as well as snack bars. According to CEO James McMaster, “it widens our ability in the future to go into more markets, where maybe it’s less about the pace of life and more about a need for great nutrition.”
The American diner changed its name to “IHOb” to promote its new range of burgers. A simple tweak to its brand codes, but a powerful way of driving awareness and sales (which increased 4x).
Although we think of Ikea as a furniture seller, its stated mission is much broader: to create a better everyday life for the many. Need a helping hand with odd jobs round the house? Ikea acquired TaskRabbit in 2017. Need affordable financial services? Ikea acquired Ikano Bank in 2024.
Ikea is almost as famous for its food as its furniture, so in 2024 the retailer capitalised on this; opening a standalone restaurant in London, serving affordable meals as well as its iconic meatballs.
At Ikea, you have to walk through the entire maze-like store to get to the checkout, and if you buy something, you have to assemble it all yourself. Hardly easy, but nowadays how many other stores are people genuinely excited to visit?
Immigration is the biggest perceived problem facing Britain, but just 4% of people feel it affects them personally. It begs the question, why do people assume it’s such a big issue for others? Interestingly, this pattern holds for all surveyed issues with the exception of inflation – which is considered to be a bigger problem personally vs for the country.
When asked in general terms, most people say that immigration is too high and the government is spending too much money. But the story is more nuanced when it relates to specific examples: the public actually wants more migrants who are highly skilled or in social work. We can’t expect to understand complex topics with generic prompts.