Choice Hacking

Mar 11 2025 92 ep. 11 mins 51

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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How Coca-Cola used psychology to become the world's most memorable brand

Mar 11 2025 16 mins

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

Greatest Hits: The psychology of Starbucks Rewards

Feb 24 2025 12 mins

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 beh

The Pratfall Effect: What happens when brands make big, public mistakes (2025)

Feb 17 2025 10 mins

When Barrack Obama was running for President, a journalist asked a bit of a “gotcha” question. He asked candidate Obama whether he’d ever smoked m*rijuana. And instead of trying to hide a mistake that might’ve cost him the race, he admitted to it. Obama said, “When I was a kid, I inhaled. That was the point.” Not only did this admission seem to make Obama more li

How psychology built Febreze into a $1B brand

Feb 10 2025 10 mins

Known for creating iconic household names like Tide, Head & Shoulders, and Gillette, P&G literally invented the modern brand. And back in 1996, they were ready to launch what they thought would be another massive brand. It was a technology and product the world had never seen before - A spray that could erase smells. Not cover them up with a stinky perfume, but actually era

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