Published in Marketing Week , November 2025. A visit to McDonald’s reveals multiple psychological drivers that encourage us to part with our cash. Last time we met, we went out for a steak dinner . The time before that we enjoyed a breakfast coffee . Now it’s lunchtime, and we’re feeling a bit more burger-y, so we’re heading to McDonald’s. Let’s see what behavioural science tactics we can spot in the wild over there. Scarcity sells Scanning the menu, something interesting immediately pops...

Published in Marketing Week , October 2025. Public service ads are a good place to look for behavioural science tricks to help steer your next campaign. Ah, here’s October. Bringing golden leaves, darker mornings and cosy nights in. And also: Stoptober. Another invitation to kick that nicotine habit. Since its launch in 2012, Stoptober has reportedly encouraged more than 2.5 million people to try quitting. That’s a lot of cigarettes not smoked, and a significant reduction in health risk....

Published in Marketing Week , October 2025. Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock Our behavioural science columnist Richard Shotton shares an extract from his and MichaelAaron Flicker’s new book, Hacking the Human Mind. In our new book, Hacking the Human Mind, we take a look at 17 leading brands and explore the behavioural science underpinning their success. Each chapter starts with a short brand story before quickly delving into the behavioural science meat. Here’s an extract from the chapter on...