Inside Influence Part 3: How Cialdini’s Principles of Consistency and Unity Shape Modern Marketing

More from Behavioral Science For Brands: Leveraging behavioral science in brand marketing. All episodes →

1. 

   S1 · E132 · 19 Aug 2026 · 55 min

   Interview: Rami Dudin, head of strategy at Courage, on why the most obvious message beats the most novel one

   Courage strategist Rami Dudin joins MichaelAaron and Richard to discuss why distinctive often beats different, using SickKids' $1.3 billion fundraising turnaround, CIBC's no-fee campaign, and neobank scarcity tactics like Monzo's golden ticket to show why owning one idea can perform better than chasing novelty.

2. 

   S1 · E131 · 12 Aug 2026 · 46 min

   How small changes to choice design can help pharma brands drive better prescribing outcomes

   MichaelAaron and Richard explore why half of chronic-illness patients skip their medication, and why scaring them into compliance backfires. They cover a study on avoiding bad medical news, a simple diagram that cut medication errors in half, and two studies showing doctors are swayed by menu order and time of day when prescribing.

3. 

   S1 · E130 · 5 Aug 2026 · 50 min

   Interview: Michael Norton, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Ritual Effect, on how brands turn ordinary consumption into rituals that build emotional connection

   Harvard professor Michael Norton, author of The Ritual Effect, joins MichaelAaron and Richard to explore why identical actions feel meaningful to one person and trivial to another. They cover how Oreo, Stella Artois, and Guinness turn consumption into ritual, and what marketers should watch for when customers improvise their own rituals.

4. 

   S1 · E129 · 29 Jul 2026 · 48 min

   Why 95% of companies stall on AI, and the behavioral science that fixes it

   MichaelAaron and Richard unpack a new Behavioral Insights Team report on why most companies fail to get employees using AI, covering how social proof lifts adoption, why removing small points of friction beats motivational pitches, and why framing AI as something to lose outperforms framing it as a gain.

5. 

   S1 · E128 · 22 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

   Inside Influence: Live with Dr. Robert Cialdini

   In this special finale to the Inside Influence series, MichaelAaron and Richard are joined by Dr. Robert Cialdini to revisit the principles behind his landmark book Influence. Together, they explore ethical persuasion, authority, AI, and the practical behavioral insights that continue to shape effective marketing

6. 

   S1 · E126 · 15 Jul 2026 · 55 min

   Inside Influence Part 2: How Cialdini’s Principles of Social Proof, Scarcity, and Authority Shape Consumer Behavior

   In part two of the Inside Influence series, Richard Shotton and MichaelAaron Flicker unpack Cialdini’s principles of social proof, authority, and scarcity - exploring the psychology behind popularity, trust, exclusivity, and why small shifts in perception can dramatically change consumer behavior.

7. 

   S1 · E125 · 13 Jul 2026 · 51 min

   Inside Influence Part 1: How Cialdini’s Principles of Reciprocity and Likability Drive Consumer Action

   This week, MichaelAaron and Richard kick off their miniseries “Inside Influence” on Robert Cialdini’s classic book Influence. They unpack the principles of reciprocity and liking, exploring how gifts increase spending, why similarity builds trust, and how brands can ethically shape persuasion and behavior.

8. 

   S1 · E124 · 8 Jul 2026 · 41 min

   How behavioral science reveals what traditional market research misses

   In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard challenge some of marketing’s biggest assumptions about consumer research. They explore why people often can’t explain their own decisions, why A/B tests outperform surveys, and how observing real behavior leads to stronger insights and better marketing decisions.

9. 

   S1 · E123 · 1 Jul 2026 · 59 min

   Interview: Richard Chataway, author of The Behavior Business, on why every business is in the business of behavior

   In this episode, we speak with Richard Chataway, founder of Communication Science Group and author of The Behaviour Business. Richard reveals how he used behavioral science to help people quit smoking, why diversity has both a moral and commercial justification, and how interacting with AI changes our behavior.

10. 

    S1 · E122 · 24 Jun 2026 · 49 min

    How AI is influencing marketing and why human judgment still matters

    In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and behavioral science. They discuss why AI amplifies good and bad thinking alike, how overreliance can weaken judgment, why creativity risks becoming more uniform, and how understanding human behavior remains a critical advantage in the age of AI.