Choice Hacking

Feb 03 2025 88 ep. 11 mins 50

Choice Hacking Podcast artwork

Learn what makes buyers tick. In the Choice Hacking podcast, host Jen Clinehens dives into the psychology and behavioral science behind the world’s greatest business successes (and a few of the biggest failures, too) to help you grow your own business.

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The Psychological Power of "Ugly" Design

Feb 03 2025 10 mins

In 2018, Jigsaw - a research unit inside of Google - wanted to learn how conspiracy theories spread online. But instead of relying on assumptions and second-hand information, they decided to meet 40+ American and British conspiracy theorists face-to-face. The Jigsaw executives were shocked by what they learned. Especially when they saw where the conspiracy theorists got their in

How Psychology Saved Apple

Jan 27 2025 10 mins

While Apple is now a trillion dollar company, its path to success was filled with moments where the entire brand nearly disappeared. One of the most notorious examples happened in 1997. Apple was just 90 days from bankruptcy. Jobs had returned as the head of Apple that year, 12 years after getting kicked out of the company by his own board of directors and handpicked CEO John S

Welcome to Season 7

A quick message from the host of Choice Hacking, Jen Clinehens.

Greatest Hits: How Mini (and BMW) used psychology to become a cult classic

Jan 06 2025 11 mins

It's one of most interesting and unique cars around - the Mini. Built to help postwar England deal with rising fuel costs, Mini is a rare example of a product that started out practical only to become cool. How? Well it's down to some clever applications of marketing psychology and behavioral science - used consciously, or not. Join me today as I unpack Mini's rise as one of

Greatest Hits: The UNTOLD story of why Kmart failed

Dec 30 2024 12 mins

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 psychol

Greatest Hits: The Psychology Behind Aldi's Massive Growth

Dec 23 2024 10 mins

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 exp

Greatest Hits: How Duolingo Used Psychology to Make Learning Addictive

Dec 16 2024 14 mins

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

Greatest Hits: Why Hermes, Porsche, Ferrari, and Rolex hold their products hostage

Dec 09 2024 17 mins

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 t

Greatest Hits: The Peak-End Rule: A Golden Rule for Amazing Customer Experiences

Dec 02 2024 11 mins

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, a

Greatest Hits: Part Two - How Disney used psychology to become the happiest place on Earth

Nov 25 2024 10 mins

In 1954, Walt Disney did something a little crazy. A successful filmmaker, he took a break from the movies and decided to create a theme park. Disney bought 160 acres in rural Anaheim, California, and started building Disneyland. Walt Disney had some ambitious ideas, so he assembled a team of “creative engineers” — called Imagineers — to get it done. While crea