“Not everything that makes sense works, and not everything that works makes sense.” — Rory Sutherland
The above quote captures everything that we do as a business. It’s coined by Rory Sutherland – the eccentric Chairman of the global creative agency Ogilvy, who is somewhat of a hero of mine. His ideas are left-field, he’s insanely creative, and he uses illogical thinking to transform the fortunes of businesses. To me, he is the ultimate symbol of the power of creativity in a business context.
Business is full of logic, rational thinking, and decision-making by committee. This is all well and good for operations, finance, and HR – but not for marketing. Marketing is ultimately about people, and we humans aren’t rational creatures. Creativity is a force multiplier. It can disrupt industries, transform fortunes, and, like an alchemist, create value out of thin air.
In this article, I’ve captured key insights by the legend that is Rory Sutherland – and I’ve tried to frame these in a way that you can takeaway insights and apply them in your day-to-day.
Perception Trumps Reality
Sutherland teaches us that perception often outweighs reality in consumers’ minds. By focusing on the emotional and psychological benefits of a product, rather than just its functional aspects, we can create a deeper connection with our audience.
TAKEAWAY: Conduct a brand audit to identify and amplify the emotional and psychological benefits your product offers. Look for the human insight behind what you are really selling.
Minor Adjustments, Major Results
Sutherland’s belief in the power of small changes can have a big impact. Simple tweaks, such as rephrasing a message or altering a visual element, can significantly improve customer experience and drive sales. At Smith, we’ve worked on plenty of projects where small changes have completely changed behaviour, conversion rates, and uptake. Much like the chaos theory example, a butterfly taking off could cause a tornado on the other side of the world.
TAKEAWAY: Run A/B tests on different headlines, call-to-action buttons, and visual elements on your website or advertisements to see which variations yield the best results. Test the illogical too; being novel draws attention and interest.
Use More BS
Understanding consumer behaviour is crucial. Sutherland emphasizes the importance of behavioural science in crafting marketing strategies that resonate. This involves leveraging concepts like choice architecture, social proof, and loss aversion to guide consumers toward desired actions.
TAKEAWAY: Read the book Choice Factory by Richard Shotton – it covers 25 behavioural biases in how we make decisions.
The Opposite of a Bad Idea Can Be a Good Idea
Some of the most innovative solutions arise from challenging and reversing conventional wisdom. For example, imagine if someone proposed a new drink to compete with Coca-Cola that tasted terrible, came in a smaller can, and cost twice as much. It sounds absurd, yet this is exactly what Red Bull did, and it made its founder a multi-billionaire.
TAKEAWAY: There’s no such thing as a bad idea. As Edward De Bono said, ‘no’ kills creativity. By replacing ‘no’ with ‘po’, see possibility in everything.
The Power of Storytelling
A compelling narrative can transform perception. Sutherland highlights the importance of storytelling in marketing. Stories add meaning to commodities, help you stand out, and connect with your audience. At Smith, we always talk about thinking feelings over features.
TAKEAWAY: Develop a brand story that highlights your company’s values, mission, and the journey of your product. Share this story consistently across all marketing channels – and always remember you are communicating to a human.
Human-Centric Data Use
Data is valuable, but it must be used to understand and influence human behaviour. Sutherland reminds us to interpret data through the lens of human experience, ensuring our strategies are both meaningful and impactful.
TAKEAWAY: Analyse customer data to uncover insights about customer preferences and behaviours. Use these insights to create personalised marketing campaigns that speak directly to their needs and emotions – don’t get blinded by data.
Psychological Triggers
Utilising psychological triggers such as social proof, scarcity, and urgency can enhance the persuasiveness of marketing messages. These elements can drive higher engagement and conversion rates.
TAKEAWAY: Incorporate social proof (e.g., testimonials, reviews), scarcity (e.g., limited-time offers), and urgency (e.g., countdown timers) into your marketing strategies to motivate consumer action.
Valuing Intangibles
Beyond tangible benefits, Sutherland emphasises the importance of intangible benefits — how a product makes consumers feel. Highlighting these emotional benefits can foster a stronger connection with the brand and drive behaviour.
TAKEAWAY: Identify and promote the intangible benefits of your product or service, such as the feelings of security, happiness, or prestige it provides.
Continuous Experimentation
Sutherland advocates for ongoing experimentation and iteration. Testing different approaches and learning from failures is essential for success. At Smith, we embrace a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, aligning perfectly with this philosophy. What small ideas can you adopt? Come up with lots and apply them constantly. Look for the Pareto principle in everything – what small tweaks can in turn create enormous effect?
TAKEAWAY: Implement a culture of experimentation by regularly testing new ideas and approaches. Track the outcomes, learn from failures, and iterate on successful strategies to continually improve your marketing efforts. Fail fast. Fix fast. Learn fast.
Rory Sutherland’s insights offer a wealth of strategies that can elevate your business. By focusing on perception, making small impactful changes, understanding consumer behavior, questioning norms, telling compelling stories, using data humanely, leveraging psychological triggers, valuing intangible benefits, and continuously experimenting, you can create marketing campaigns that truly resonate and create a commercial impact. At Smith, we integrate these principles into our work, creating compelling, human-centric campaigns that drive real results.
Want to read more on Rory Sutherland? Check out the resources below.
BOOK – Alchemy
Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense
COURSE – Applied Behavioral Science
Applied Behavioral Science Course