Podcasts and Radio Shows
Podcast—Marketplace
Quote from website: “Marketplace is produced and distributed by American Public Media (APM), in association with the University of Southern California. The Marketplace portfolio of programs includes Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace Morning Report with David Brancaccio, Marketplace Weekend with Lizzie O’Leary, and Marketplace Tech with Ben Johnson. Marketplace programs are currently broadcast by nearly 800 public radio stations nationwide across the United States and are heard by more than 12 million weekly listeners. This makes the Marketplace portfolio the most widely heard business or economic programming in the country—on radio or television. The programs focus on the latest business news both nationally and internationally, the global economy, and wider events linked to the financial markets. The only national daily news program originating from the West Coast, Marketplace is noted for its timely, relevant and accessible coverage of business economics and personal finance.”
Podcast—Hidden Brain
Quote from website: “The Hidden Brain project helps curious people understand the world—and themselves. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships.”
Episodes Especially Relevant to Consumer Behavior
Part I
—How contextual cues shape our purchase choices
Can Grocery Carts Steer Consumers to Healthier Purchases?
September 10, 2015 • New research finds that putting in partitions in grocery carts can increase the likelihood shoppers buy healthy fruits and veggies. (This piece initially aired on May 26, 2015 on Morning Edition.)
Can Reusable Bags at the Grocery Store Change What People Buy?
August 18, 2015 • Consumers who prefer reusable bags tend to buy more organic food. Researchers say that makes sense, given that the bags suggest a concern for the environment. But they also buy more junk food.
Retailers Use Time to Their Advantage; More Impulse Products Sold
June 10, 2015 • Retailers have learned that the more time consumers spend in a store, the more likely they’ll make impulse purchases. Stores are adapting the “shopping experience” accordingly.
Part II
—Applying knowledge of how the brain works to help consumers change their consumption behaviors
Can Social Science Help You Quit Smoking for Good?
—How the brain shapes our economic perceptions and decisions
May 17, 2016 • This week we feature Keith Chen, a behavioral economist at UCLA and the head of economic research at Uber. Keith explains why surge pricing makes us nuts and discusses our weird economic choices.
—The brain and product perceptions
How the Brain Tells Real from Fake: From Fine Art to Fine Wine
December 1, 2015 • Shankar speaks with Noah Charney, author of The Art of Forgery, about what motivates art forgers. Also this week on Hidden Brain: why we love studies that prove wine connoisseurs wrong.
—Effects of TV context on consumers’ responses to commercials
Encouraging TV Binge Watching May Backfire on Advertisers
December 15, 2015 • Research finds that viewers who binge watch are less engaged with ads than viewers who watch TV shows periodically. We explore the psychological reasons why binge watchers are less interested in ads.
Companies Wanting Immediate Sales Should Pass on Super Bowl Ads
January 29, 2015 • Researchers asked this question: Is a company better off spending big money for a Super Bowl ad or buying several spots for that same amount of money at a less expensive time of the year?
—Impact of sensory context on consumption
Food for Thought: The Subtle Forces that Affect Your Appetite
May 31, 2016 • What do large tables, large breakfasts, and large servers have in common? They all affect how much you eat. This week on Hidden Brain, we look at the hidden forces that drive our diets.
—How our beliefs shape our product experiences
Does the Placebo Effect Influence Consumer Product Purchases?
May 11, 2016 • Novices play better golf when they have expensive brand name equipment, research shows. Brand name products alleviate some performance anxiety but brands have no effect on better players.
—Social norms and gift-giving
New Study Explores Psychology of Giving Wedding Gifts
June 24, 2016 • A new study looks at the psychology of giving wedding gifts. Researchers found when buying wedding gifts, people closest to the recipient often diverge from the registry to express their unique relationship to the recipient. But this leaves the recipient less happy than if they had received something from the registry.
Don’t Be a Stupid Cupid! Hear How Not to Buy a Selfish Valentine’s Day Gift
February 12, 2016 • Social scientists have been studying Valentine’s Day gifts, and research shows: The more you love someone, the more likely you might be to give selfish gifts.
Why You’ll Never Buy the Perfect Ring (and Other Valentine’s Day Stories)
February 9, 2016 • It’s almost Valentine’s Day, but this week we’re not talking about love. Instead, we explore the other forces that drive our romantic relationships.
Listen· 23:30
Part III
—Motivating consumers to donate to help children
Why Your Brain Wants to Help One Child in Need—But Not Millions
November 5, 2014 • Donations to fight Ebola are lower than expected. One psychologist thinks the reason may be the impact of hopelessness. A really big problem makes people less likely to give.
Listen· 4:
Part IV
—Unintended consequences in the sharing economy
#AirbnbWhileBlack: How Hidden Bias Shapes The Sharing Economy
When Personalization Leads to Discrimination on AirBnB
April 26, 2016 • In the sharing economy, the goal to personalize the exchange can have some unintended consequences. The Hidden Brain podcast explores how discrimination plays out on AirBnB.
—How accurate are online consumer reviews?
Not All Online Restaurant Reviews Are Created Equal
July 2, 2015 • Reviews on TripAdvisor or Yelp by tourists tend to be significantly more lenient than reviews by locals. Reviews written a long time after the reviewer visits the restaurant are similarly lenient.
Podcast—Freakonomics Radio Archives
Quote from website: “Freakonomics Radio is an award-winning weekly podcast (subscribe here!) with 7 million downloads a month; it also airs on public-radio stations across the country. Host Stephen Dubner has surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists, and entrepreneurs—and his Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt. Freakonomics Radio is produced by Dubner Productions and WNYC Studios.”
Episodes Especially Relevant to Consumer Behavior
Part I
—Example of consumers turning to economics to try to change organizations’ practices
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the South African divestment campaign, Chick-fil-A! Almost anyone can launch a boycott, and the media loves to cover them. But do boycotts actually produce the change they’re fighting for?
—Behavioral economics applied to advertising
Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they’re using behavioral economics to get even better
—What kind of research might shed further light on this?
Suspenders may work better, but the dork factor is too high. How did an organ-squeezing belly tourniquet become part of our everyday wardrobe—and what other suboptimal solutions do we routinely put up with.
—Goals and values in a nonprofit context
Ask Not What Your Podcast Can Do for You
Now and again, Freakonomics Radio puts hat in hand and asks listeners to donate to the public-radio station that produces the show. Why on earth should anyone pay good money for something that can be had for free? Here are a few reasons.
—How are the experts’ consumer journeys different from ours?
How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying
Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand products. What do they know that we don’t?
Part II
—How ads work
Step 1: Hire a Harvard psych professor as the pitchman. Step 2: Have him help write the script …
—An example of our preferring the familiar (mere exposure effect)
One woman’s quest to find the best burger in town can teach all of us to eat smarter.
—Wise consumer decision making
Sure, we all want to make good personal decisions, but it doesn’t always work out. That’s where “temptation bundling” comes in.
—Social norms
The restaurant business model is warped: kitchen wages are too low to hire cooks, while diners are put in charge of paying the waitstaff. So what happens if you eliminate tipping, raise menu prices, and redistribute the wealth? New York restaurant maverick Danny Meyer is about to find out.
Part III
—Vulnerability in low-income consumers
Are Payday Loans Really as Evil as People Say?
Critics—including President Obama—say short-term, high-interest loans are predatory, trapping borrowers in a cycle of debt. But some economists see them as a useful financial instrument for people who need them. As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau promotes new regulation, we ask: who’s right?
—Consumers nearing the end of life
Are You Ready for a Glorious Sunset?
We spend billions on end-of-life healthcare that doesn’t do much good. So what if a patient could forego the standard treatment and get a cash rebate instead?
—Markets serving vulnerable consumers
Sure, markets generally work well. But for some transactions—like school admissions and organ transplants—money alone can’t solve the problem. That’s when you need a market-design wizard like Al Roth.
—How children think
When it comes to generating ideas and asking questions, it can be really fruitful to have the mentality of an 8-year-old.
—Pet cremation and pet owners
The Troubled Cremation of Stevie the Cat
We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet “aftercare.” But are those cremated remains you got back really from your pet?
—Fundraising strategies
How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten
The science of what works—and doesn’t work—in fundraising
Part IV
—Online dating
What You Don’t Know About Online Dating
Thick markets, thin markets, and the triumph of attributes over compatibility
Podcast—Note to Self
Quote from website: “Is your phone watching you? Can wexting make you smarter? Are your kids real? These and other essential quandaries for anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. Join host Manoush Zomorodi for your weekly reminder to question everything. From WNYC Studios.”
Episodes Especially Relevant to Consumer Behavior
Part I
—Consumer decision journey
When to Stop Looking for a Better Date or Restaurant
Can algorithms help us eat and love better? We went on a mission to find out (May 31, 2016).
Part I or IV
—Online consumer behavior
The Puppet Masters Behind Online Shopping
We head inside Etsy’s Usability Testing Lab to understand the art of user experience and online shopping seduction (April 19, 2016).
Part II
—Value of consumers’ responses
What Is Our Attention Actually Worth?
Tech entrepreneur Tristan Harris imagines technology without constant notifications—and a funding system that incentivizes techies to build it (July 28, 2015).
Part III
—Children’s consumer behavior
Why You Should Care About LEGO and Creativity
Your kid’s seven new LEGO kits matter for the future of creative thinking (Dec. 22, 2015).
Part IV
—Digital devices and context-aware technology
Is My Phone Eavesdropping On Me?
Some coincidences seem just a little bit too... coincidental. Author Walter Kirn is on this week to talk about his recent story “If You’re Not Paranoid, You’re Crazy” (Nov. 3, 2015).
—Technology and consumer behavior
The Ad Blocker’s Dilemma: Sell Your Soul or Destroy the Internet
With the latest iOS update, you can start using ad blockers on your phone. But should you? (Sep 22, 2015)
—Technology and personal data
This Is How Much the Internet Knows About You
We used online data to see into some public radio personalities’ souls, and asked them whether our findings were true. Meet a new “communications advice” app called Crystal Knows (May 26, 2015).