The Choice Factory: The award-winning guide to behavioural science and marketing

I've read a couple of the classic books on behavioural economics ('Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman & 'Nudge' by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein), and whilst I found elements of those books interesting and they have clearly had a big influence, they were pretty dry and hard-going to read at times. 'The Choice Factory' is the perfect antidote-it's very accessible, easy-to-read and a real page-turner. I can't remember how I first stumbled across Richard Shotton but I have been following him on Twitter for a couple of months and he consistently tweets interesting and educational things which inspired me to purchase this book as soon as it was published. Within the first five pages I knew the book was special because it's incredibly well-written, it consolidates and simplifies a lot of the experiments I've read about in various books over the years and it taught me some new things. It's also very funny in places-I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. If you work in advertising/marketing then this book is clearly an essential purchase for you but even if you don't (as I don't), I would recommend this book to anyone as we are all consumers so we can all learn a thing or two from reading this book. If you've never read any books on behavioural economics before then is a great introduction to the subject and I can't wait to work my way through some of the books suggested in the 'Further reading' section at the end of 'The Choice Factory.'

Brilliant and a pleasure to read! As a professional who's worked in the business of understanding consumer behaviour for over 30 years - working for some of the best global advertising agencies in the business - I've read a great number of books written on behavioural science. Both The Choice Factory and The Illusion of Choice by Richard Shotton are amongst some of the best there is. Praised by well-respected professionals in the industry, a multitude of recommendations for the two books can't be wrong. And they aren’t! Insightful, Informative, Entertaining, Concise, Full of real-world examples, Easy to read, Easy to understand, and Easy to remember. Pick them both up while you can. For the value they hold within, they’re a bargain! I come back to them, again, and again.

This is a very good and enjoyable book. However, muxch (and more) of the content is found from "Influence" or "Yes!" both by Prof Robert Caildini of Arazona State University. I personally think that his books have better explanations and narrative. I'd recommend buying all three if you are interested in this topic. But if you were to pick only one I would go with "Yes!".

This is a great little book, full of interesting nuggets of information and practical suggestions for putting theories into practice. There are 25 short chapters, each describing a bias exhibited in human behaviour and how they might be exploited in order to create a more effective marketing campaign. Much reference is made to notable advertising campaigns and space is given to leading industry figures to weigh in with their opinions. This book is also an excellent primer on behavioural science. I had heard of many of the biases before but having them all presented together is really helpful and helps the reader compare and contrast quite readily. While other books go into much more depth on some of the ideas, this conveys essential concepts quickly - ideal if this is your first foray into behavioural science. (If you don't work in marketing, however, you will find it interesting but large chunks may be less relevant) I've worked in advertising analytics for a decade and I know Richard to be one of the foremost thinkers and practioners in the field. This is apparent throughout because he is able to draw on first-hand experience running experiments, gathering data and planning campaigns. It's also worth following him on Twitter - @rshotton - to benefit from a near-constant stream of ideas or concepts that have crossed his desk. Some people hoard their learning - Richard is extremely generous with his. (Extremely) Minor quibbles: As the book progresses, the author describes how each bias might occur in the course of a single day. I found some of these to be slightly contrived in places. Also, because the chapters are self-contained, there can be superfluous repetition, e.g., one industry figure was introduced in almost the same way in two chapters very close to each other. A slightly larger quibble relates to a well-known study referenced uncritically in a chapter. Given that another study is ruthlessly (and correctly) dissected in the book, I'd have liked to have seen similar analysis across the board. However, the book entirely succeeds in its aims and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone working in marketing who wishes to understand more about the strange ways that we all behave when it comes to making purchases.

As a Chartered Marketer, with c.25 years-experience in Marketing & Consultancy, as a Board Member of an Olympic Sport and as a University Lecturer teaching about Marketing and Strategy, I love it when books come along that make you ‘Think Different’, by sharing insights and knowledge that is not only entertaining, but exceptionally well, supported with many useful examples and nuggets from practice and academic research. If you DO NOT want to learn, then I would recommend that you do not read this book. If, however, you want to learn all about biases that impact upon individuals, organisations, marketing and marketing communications, dive right in. I was so fascinated with the book, that it only took me a few days to read cover to cover – whilst at the same time reviewing some of the journal papers that are introduced. The concepts discussed in individual chapters include The Fundamental Attribution Error, Social Proof, Negative Social Proof, Distinctiveness, Habit (Disrupt this), The Pain of Payment, The Danger of Claimed Data, Mood, Price Relativity, Primacy Effect, Expectancy Theory, Confirmation Bias, Overconfidence, Wishful Seeing, Media Context, The Curse of Knowledge, Goodhart’s Law, The Pratfall Effect, Winners Curse, The Power of the Group, Veblen Goods, The Replicability Crisis, Variability, Cocktail Party Effect and Scarcity as well as the Bystander effect. Even if you have experience of these concepts, some of the insights also help you think about different examples too, which link to your areas of interest. Be willing to learn why Peroni can help sell more Carlsberg or Budweiser, or why football fans may even struggle to remember which beer brands are sponsoring the games they are watching or the teams they support. And then, if you are watching football or sport, why the pubs, cafes, restaurants, off-licences, or supermarkets hope that you have not brought cash. Similarly, if you are drinking coffee or soft beverages, are you noticing if the coffee is costing you £74/Kg, or why a smaller, funny tasting drink is costing you a lot more than drinking Coca-Cola (simply because it tastes funny). I cannot recommend this book more highly to any of my students, friends and colleagues interested in learning about things that are not always obvious. When the World Zigs – Zag!

I really can't recommend this book enough to anyone in the marketing communications field, as it says on the back cover "before you can influence decisions, you need to understand what drives them". In 'The Choice Factory' Shotton takes a look at some of the fascinating findings from behavioural science and how they can be applied to advertising and marketing communications to make the marketing more effective. I've read only a little on behavioural science but this really is a much more accessible read than others I've read, it cites plenty of real life examples of effective marketing uses as well as the scientific experiments. And although there's guidance on how to apply each bias, in his conclusion Shotton challenges us to "maintain a healthy scepticism about the explanations we hear", to be "wary of anecdotes when explaining behaviour" and warns that "we often mistake the interest and excitement of a story for the truth." He finishes by encouraging us not just to take his and the other scientists word for it but to go run our own experiments. So if you want to learn about targeting context not just audiences, the use of social proof but how to avoid negative social proof, or how admitting a flaw may make your brand more appealing, this book might just be right for you too.

It took me a while to read it. Had paused it while reading another book. Finally got through it. It's not bad, but most of the examples and biases I've heard before. If you're new to consumer behavior biases, this will be an interesting read.

I loved this book, it’s written in a very great format, and it’s literally fun to read and informative.

Excelente texto para familiarizarse con algunos sesgos de decisión y aplicarlos al marketing y la publicidad.

Fast delivery and happy for this purchase!!!!

This book explains the importance of understanding and applying the valuable concepts of psychology on the practice of advertising. Have a nice reading.

I have a lot of interest in behaviour science, cognitive biases and psychology. I have read most of the popular books. But I have struggled to put them to use. In my life as a marketer and product and business leader. With Choice Factory, I know much better now. It has 25 small chapters covering one cognitive bias each. Most of the biases are well known. I knew the theory and the research. But this book gives you relevant examples from the marketing world. And tips on how to put them to use. I am part of DTC jewellery brand. Many of the chapters are not relevant or not useful. Some are weak or not fully convincing. But there are enough gems in there. I usually highlight when I read. But this time I made notes. Of stuff I am going to use. And I have atleast 8-10 good ideas. That’s usually more than what you can get in a good book. Disclosure - The book was slightly expensive and I waited for the price to fall. For more than a year. I was such an idiot. Some of my favourites are the chapters on Goodharts Law, Pratfall Effect, Fundamental Attribution Error, Variability, Danger of claimed data, negative social proof, distinctiveness, the curse of knowledge, mood, habit and a couple more. Will finish this review with this amazing quote from David Ogilvy which says so much about biases. “People dont think about how they feel. People dont say what they think. People dont do what they say” Must read for everyone who works in the consumer space.

This is a remarkable book that stands well above others in behavioural science. Writing style is very engaging and approachable. Written in bite-sized pieces it weaves together many themes across many bites without breeding confusion. This is skilful. Each chapter leads into the next. This is also skilful. The manual hammers home what works, why, when and for whom; and also what doesn’t work, why, when and for whom. There is a lot of how sprinkled in, with an admission that the how is the art of trial and error. This is a great homage to the human aspects of behavioural science and, perhaps, the greatest praise that can be given for Shotten’s book and the challenge and reward that it sets for its readers. Buy it.