Did you know that listening to Madonna whilst eating desserts will make them taste sweeter?
Or that if you want to increase sales in a supermarket, one of the fastest ways is to simply increase the size of the baskets and trolleys? Or even that by wearing a rucksack to a meeting instead of carrying a briefcase will encourage more cooperative behaviour in negotiations?
Knowing these quirks of human behaviour—along with the many other insights pioneering adman Rory Sutherland shares—is like unlocking a hidden ability that allows you to influence the outcome of almost any situation.
“Ultimately, all marketing activity should be about behaviour change. You can do the best ad campaign but if you get the behavioural bit wrong you’ll drive people to a gate they don’t want to open,” says Rory Sutherland.
Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Group UK and author of "The Wiki Man". He is regarded as one of the world’s most influential minds on the topic of advertising and Behavioural Economics.
The new learning platform called 42courses was started by ex-ad man Chris Rawlinson, whose goal is to create a space where people can enjoyably learn new life skills fast and affordably.
“Our working lives are changing dramatically. For career success and happiness, the need for continued learning is more vital than ever before. In general, existing online course are time consuming and make learning feel like a chore,” says 42courses founder Chris Rawlinson.
“We have made our courses short and easy. Using design led thinking and the art of storytelling we are bringing subjects to life to help people stay ahead of the pack and learn the skills they are interested in,” added Rawlinson.
The course plays like a game – it’s made up of a series of short and enjoyable stories, you get given lives to retake questions, you can chat to friends, and there are videos, images and links to help you.
The course is available to anyone worldwide now for $60. Upon successful completion users get a signed and dated LinkedIn friendly certification from Sutherland and Ogilvy.
A host of other global brands and thought leaders are due to launch courses on fintech, entrepreneurship, design thinking and more on 42courses over the coming months.
To learn more and experience the course yourself visit www.42courses.com. Design Indaba readers get a 20 per cent discount by using the code "DesignIndaba".