MG OMD London’s Richard Shotton’s launches behavioural science book ‘The Choice Factory’

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2a (1).jpgRichard Shotton, deputy head of evidence at Manning Gottlieb OMD in London has launched his new book ‘The Choice Factory’ which discusses 25 behavioural biases that influence what we buy.

Says Shotton: “Over the last few years I’ve conducted dozens of experiments and worked with many brands and shown time and time again that the application of behavioural science improves effectiveness. I want more brands to benefit from the application of behavioural science to solve their problems. This book should help do that as it provides simple, practical advice for marketers to apply the latest thinking to their brands.”

Companies spend billions of pounds on advertising in the UK each year trying to change the decisions of shoppers: to get them to buy their brand rather than a competitor or to pay a premium versus an incentive.

According to the Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report, UK advertising expenditure grew at its highest rate since 2010 last year, increasing by 7.5% to £20.1bn, however, much of that money is wasted. Many marketing plans are based on how companies would like consumers to behave rather than how they really do.

Behavioural science helps solve that problem. It’s the study of how humans actually make decisions, rather than how we imagine they do.

Shotton is deputy head of evidence at Manning Gottlieb OMD, the most awarded media agency in the history of the IPA Effectiveness awards. He started his career as a media planner 17 years ago, working on accounts such as Coke, 118 118 and comparethemarket.com, before moving into research. Richard is interested in how findings from behavioural science can be applied to advertising. He writes about the behavioural experiments he runs for titles such as Marketing Week, Quartz, Campaign, WARC, Admap and Mediatel. He tweets about the latest social psychology findings from the handle @rshotton.

Shotton’s book has received a stack of reviews:

This book is a Haynes Manual for understanding consumer behaviour. You should buy a copy – and then buy another copy to give to one of the 97% of people in marketing who are too young to remember what a bloody Haynes Manual is. – Rory Sutherland, columnist for The Spectator and Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy One

Most books in this area are academic and dry as dust. If you want to know how research and sociology can impact on real life in the real world, Richard’s book will show you – using simple words and examples that real people can understand. – Dave Trott, creative director, author of Predatory Thinking and founder of three creative agencies

In a cacophony of overstatement, Richard Shotton possesses a melodious and balanced voice. In this short but powerful tome you can learn about how marketing actually does influence consumers. Or, for the more prosaic among us, how to get people to re-use towels, buy wine when German Oompah music is playing and select a broadband supplier by mentioning Charing Cross Station. The book also mentions me (all too briefly) which I also find enticing – Mark Ritson, columnist for Marketing Week and Professor at Melbourne business school

At last someone has written a common-sense, practical guide to using behavioural science to sell things.  It is backed by lots of research and working examples drawn from the author’s own experience and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry.  In short, this is a classic advertising textbook in the making. – Steve Harrison, former Worldwide Creative Director at Wunderman.

“The greatest copywriter of his generation” – Campaign

Actionable, memorable and powerful… Shotton has taken the jewels of behavioural economics and made them practical. – Seth Godin, author of ‘All Marketers are Liars’

Comprehensive, compelling and immensely practical, the Choice Factory brings the building blocks of behaviour change together in one place. – Richard Huntington, Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi

A top-class guide for those who want to put BE to work, rather than just illuminate their journey to work. – Mark Earls, author of ‘Herd’

A guide to your own mind, a roadmap of your blind spots, a toolkit for better advertising. The Choice Factory employs robust behavioral science in an approachable manner to demonstrate how you make and influence decisions.  Synthesizing a vast body of research, live experiments and numerous examples, he shows that there is a bias for every occasion and how to use them as tools to craft better communications. – Faris Yakob, author of Paid Attention

The Choice Factory is a delightful anatomy of the biased brain that will help you understand and influence consumer decisions – including your own. – Ian Leslie, author of ‘Born Liars’ and ‘Curious’

Richard delivers a wealth of cases proving the efficacy of working with, rather than against, the grain of human nature. This is catnip for the industry. – Phil Barden, author of ‘Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy’

This beautifully written book brings to life the counter-intuitive ways in which we make our everyday decisions. – Jules Goddard, Fellow, London Business School

Richard Shotton’s application of behavioural economics is bang on the button. This book is timely, insightful, fascinating and entertaining. – Dominic Mills, ex-editor of Campaign

If you’re a marketer, understanding what really makes people tick – as opposed to what they might tell you – is vital. This book takes us on an elegant, witty and digestible tour of the 25 main principles of behavioural science. Richard Shotton has read widely so that you don t have to, but he gives full credit to his many sources should you wish to pursue any of the topics further. This is a delightful and indispensable read for anyone in marketing, particularly those early in their careers. – Tess Alps, Chair of Thinkbox, the UK’s marketing body for commercial broadcasters

Your success or failure are governed by choices. Your choices and the choices of others. Many academic books have been written about this. This book is entertaining – and highly relevant if you want to persuade anyone to do anything. – Drayton Bird, former Worldwide Creative Director Ogilvy One

This book is invaluable. Think of it as a York Notes to social psychology. What was interesting in it? Everything, pretty much.

What was useful in it? Everything, pretty much (at some point in the next year – I defy you to find any problem or any brief that couldn’t be aided or augmented with something in this book). – Kevin Chesters, CSO Ogilvy

This is not just a book to read, it is a book to use. Repeatedly. Buy it in paperback and slot Shotton next to your Morgan, Earls, Feldwick and Sharp. He sits comfortably next to the very best.  – Charlie Snow, ex-CSO at DLKW