UP367 Biased! Fans, Decisions and The Illusion of Choice

Unofficial Partner Podcast

Richard Shotton, author of 'The Illusion of Choice,' joins Richard to talk about how the findings of behavioural science apply the sports market.
We make hundreds of decisions every day. What club to support, what subscription to keep and how much is too much to pay for a match ticket?
These decisions may appear to be freely made, but psychologists have shown that subtle changes in the way products are positioned, promoted and marketed can radically alter how customers behave.
The Illusion of Choice identifies the most important psychological biases that everyone in the sports business needs to be aware of today – and shows how clubs and organisations can take advantage of these to win new fans and engage with them more effectively.
01:40 Introduction to the Book: The Illusion of Choice
01:55 Understanding Behavioral Science and its Application
02:42 The Relevance of Behavioral Science in Advertising and Marketing
04:58 The Rise of Behavioral Economics and Science
07:13 The Role of Psychology in Advertising
09:19 The Ethics and Effectiveness of Advertising
11:58 The Role of Behavioral Science in Marketing and Advertising
15:47 The Power of Social Proof in Behavior Change
19:53 Joey Barton and the Impact of Misogyny in Football
21:38 Building Audiences and Attracting Fans in Football
22:46 The Power of Concrete Words in Memory Retention
24:18 The Power of Visualizable Images in Advertising
26:38 The Importance of Differentiation in Marketing
28:09 The Pitfalls of Relying on Claim Data
29:06 The Influence of Social Proof in Decision Making
29:50 The Discrepancy Between Claimed and Actual Motivations
30:08 The Power of Testing and Observing in Marketing
33:41 The Role of Behavioral Science in Commerce and Government
41:07 The Impact of Pricing and Comparison Sets on Perceived Value
48:29 The Potential of Sports Fan Base as a Research Lab
49:06 The Benefits of In-house Research and Testing

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner
We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.