Do you have a luxury or designer brand that you lust after? It could be Tom Ford, Balenciaga, Chanel, Lamborghini, or Patek Philippe. Maybe you dream about the day you can walk into one of their stores, throw your credit card down on the counter and walk out with a car, suit, bag, or watch that makes you feel (sometimes literally) like a million bucks. What if I told you that the process of jumping through hoops and having to spend sometimes millions of dollars for the promise of...

It's one of the biggest fails in business history — New Coke. You might think you know the story. A classic brand foolishly replaces its classic product, and customers rebel. But contrary to popular belief, New Coke was a great idea and a great product - even if it was a huge marketing disaster. It's all down some common psychology traps that Coke fell into (and you could, too). Join me today as I unpack the psychology and behavioral science behind NEW COKE's failure - what you can...

Starbucks has created the biggest coffee brand in history, by repositioning the humble cup of joe into a premium product that introduced coffee culture to millions around the world. As former CEO Howard Schultz put it: “Starbucks has a role and a meaningful relationship with people that is not only about the coffee.” But how did they grow so big, so fast? Turns out it's not just the caffeine that get people addicted to Starbucks. In this replay of one of my top-downloaded episodes, I'm...

It’s one of the biggest FAILS in business history - Kmart. You may think you know the story - But contrary to popular belief, Kmart’s problems were way bigger than Walmart or even Amazon. And actually, lots of them weren’t even Kmart’s fault. I’m Jennifer Clinehens and you’re listening to Choice Hacking - a podcast about applying behavioral science and psychology to business, marketing, experience design, and more. Join me on this episode of the Choice Hacking podcast, as we...

Jo Malone, a popular British perfume brand (also the name of its founder), wanted to crack the lucrative U.S. market. These days, Jo Malone is a part of the $52B beauty conglomerate Estée Lauder. But when it first tried to expand into the U.S. it was… a cult brand to put it politely. And they had the marketing budget to match: Zero. But Jo Malone managed to turn that true $0 marketing budget into an asset that catapulted the brand into the world’s most exclusive department stores - like...

Many years ago in India, the story goes, there was a cobra infestation in the city of Delhi. So the British - who were running the place at the time - created a bounty for cobra skins. They thought by offering a reward for dead cobras, the public would solve the snake problem. But instead of capturing feral cobras and killing them, people started farming cobras for their skins. The British eventually got wise to the cobra-farming industry, and canceled the bounty. But with no...

Duolingo is one of the world’s most successful learning-based businesses. In 2023, it made nearly half a billion dollars in revenue (a 46% increase from the year prior) and had 16.3M daily active users. Maybe its success isn’t surprising — there are lots of reasons to want to learn a new language: Maybe you’re planning a trip abroad, you’d like to improve your job prospects, or you were inspired by a popular movie or show. But here’s Duolingo’s big challenge: It’s easy to be excited...

In 1983, two entrepreneurs - Jim Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman open the first Costco warehouse in Seattle, Washington. From those humble beginnings, Costco grew to become one of the most powerful forces in global retail, with revenues that make Walmart and Amazon its closest competitors. With 118M+ members spread across 14 countries, they're the undisputed kings of bulk buy and their customers are cultishly devoted to its deals. Join me today while I unpack some of the many ways Costco...

Founded in 1964, Nike — originally called Blue Ribbon Sports — started with only $1200 in the bank. Now worth $38 billion, they are the undisputed kings of sportswear and control nearly 50% of the global athletic shoe market. The rise of Nike is down to deeply understanding customers and — consciously or not — applying behavioral science and psychology to its experience. In this episode, I'm unpacking the behavioral science and psychology principles that Nike used to grow from a tiny...

Shopping can be a feast for the senses — color, light, smells, and even taste put customers into a state of emotional arousal. But what happens when that "feast" becomes too much for our brains to handle? Well, turns out we impulse buy, lose track of time, and forget what we came in for. It’s down to a psychological principle known as the Gruen Effect. Join me this week as we examine the psychology behind how IKEA and TARGET apply the Gruen Effect to their stores, and how you can...

When Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson — Apple’s then-Head of Retail — sat down to plan the store experience, they wanted it to be the best in the world. But they also knew they’d need some killer inspiration. So they started asking around in Apple’s offices to see what brands came to mind when people were asked, “What’s the best customer experience you’ve ever had?” The answer they heard over and over again wasn’t Walmart, Target, or Circuit City. It was a hotel... Join me in this recast of one...

Aldi is a discount grocer with a cult following. And it’s now the fastest growing grocery store in the US. They have more than 2,200 locations and they’re growing by 100 stores a year, nudging ever closer to rivals like Walmart, Costco, and Kroger. Unsurprisingly, a lot of that success is down to how Aldi applies psychology and behavioral science throughout its customer experience. They’re masters at balancing low price with a deep understanding of their customers’ mindsets, needs, and...

Coca-Cola, is unquestionably, the most memorable brand on earth. Next to the word “okay” “Coca-Cola” is actually the second most understood word across every language, country, and culture on Earth. And that’s not a mistake. It’s the result of over a hundred years of careful and deliberate brand management, marketing, advertising, and influencing of culture. All in the service of lodging its logo, brand, and product firmly in peoples’ minds. But how did Coke do it, why did it work,...

People love Starbucks. But its loyalty app - Starbucks Rewards - is no slouch either. Considered a best-in-class loyalty experience, in 2023 interim CEO Howard Schultz shared that Starbucks Rewards drove a whopping 55% of Starbucks total U.S. revenue. But how did Starbucks Rewards become the king of loyalty programs? Unsurprisingly there’s some marketing psychology and behavioral science behind why the app - and Starbucks - are so addictive…

In the past 20 years, Amazon has grown from a humble (if well-funded) startup in Jeff Bezos' garage to the fourth biggest company on the planet. Unsurprisingly, their customer experience uses quite a bit of behavioral science and psychology. Join me today for Part Two of my two-part series, where I'll unpack some of the ways AMAZON uses behavioral science and psychology to create its groundbreaking customer experience.

In the past 20 years, Amazon has grown from a humble (if well-funded) startup in Jeff Bezos' garage to the fourth biggest company on the planet. Unsurprisingly, their customer experience uses quite a bit of behavioral science and psychology. Join me today for Part One of my two-part series, where I'll unpack some of the ways AMAZON uses behavioral science and psychology to create its groundbreaking customer experience.

The story of Uber begins in the year 2008. That’s when friends and co-founders of Uber — Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp — were attending a tech conference in Paris. One freezing night, they couldn’t get a cab. While they were shivering on a cobblestone street waiting for their ride, they had a revelation. Not knowing when, or if, you’ll find a cab is an emotional rollercoaster. Kalanick and Camp knew if they could turn getting a taxi into a positive experience, they could capture...

The story of Uber begins in the year 2008. That’s when friends and co-founders of Uber — Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp — were attending a tech conference in Paris. One freezing night, they couldn’t get a cab. While they were shivering on a cobblestone street waiting for their ride, they had a revelation. Not knowing when, or if, you’ll find a cab is an emotional rollercoaster. Kalanick and Camp knew if they could turn getting a taxi into a positive experience, they could capture...

In 2009, a viral video almost destroyed Domino's Pizza. But with some hard work, difficult choices, and a bit of psychology, they managed to go from being the world’s worst pizza chain to the biggest — with nearly 20,000 stores in 90 countries. Join me today as we unpack the psychology and behavioral science behind one of the biggest brand turnarounds in history - Dominos Pizza.

Have you ever had a terrible meal that was completely transformed by an amazing dessert? How about a great movie that was ruined by a bad ending? Why do these moments have the power to stick out in our memories, and change otherwise good or bad experiences? It's down to a behavioral science principle known as the Peak-end Rule. Join me today as we delve into the Peak-end Rule, and talk about how we can use it to our advantage in business, marketing, and experience design.

In 2011, American retailer JCPenney was in big trouble. They needed a miracle, so they made a big bet on a new CEO - retail superstar Ron Johnson. An ambitious and accomplished retailer, Johnson made some bold moves with the JC Penny brand. And the result? Well, it was a huge failure. Unsurprisingly, there was some psychology and behavioral science to blame (whether Johnson knew it or not). Join me today as I unpack the failed rebrand of JCPenney - the psychological missteps and how...

Tesla wasn't the first company to make an electric car (that honor belongs to Porsche whose first car, built in 1898, was an electric-gas hybrid vehicle). But it was the first company to make an electric car - for lack of a better term - sexy. Their rise has been rapid, unconventional, and often times controversial, but they managed to lead the automotive industry further down the path to electric adoption than any other brand (and created billions in shareholder value along the way)....

In the 1990s, America's taste in alcohol was changing. And quirky spirits tycoon Sydney Frank knew just what the country needed - a luxury vodka. There was just one problem - vodka's reputation at the time was... a little rough around the edges. And the premium market was dominated by the brilliant marketing of Absolut. But somehow, Sydney Frank and Grey Goose broke through the noise to dominate the premium vodka market. So much so that they went from $0 to selling for $2 Billion in an...

In 1982, an Austrian marketing executive named Dietrich Mateschitz flew to Thailand for a business trip. While searching for a remedy for his jet lag, he discovered a Thai energy drink called Krating Daeng that instantly cured him. Mateschitz knew he would have a hit on his hands if he repackaged the drink for the western market. Despite having an uphill battle on his hands, Mateschitz managed to make the product - now called Red Bull - a hit. Unsurprisingly, he used psychology and...