Human Behaviour

The Marketing Society Conference is always a chance to get out of the office for a day, bump in to some old friends and try and immerse yourself in the wisdom of some excellent speakers.  

The 2015 edition, #GoBeyond, was no exception and one of the best I have been to (and have been going to for most of the last 20 years).  

Dan Ariely is always a draw and did not disappoint, with Anne-Marie Farrell from Google providing some excellent data from the world’s best “learning” algorithm (Google itself). A wide-ranging and fun presentation covered everything from the pain of paying, via intentionally slow locksmiths and our willingness to admit to having unplanned and unprotected sex over admitting to failing to wash our hands when we leave the toilet!  

An unexpected highlight was Elif Shafak who railed against a contagious negative and destructive cynicism that is a huge barrier to human progress – but also explained the Sufi concept of “unlearning” as a way forward for both individuals and society.  

Jeremy Darroch and Sir David Brailsford were humble and practical – when you might have expected them to luxuriate in their successes and made some clear distinctions between self and self-sacrifice and how you need both to create successful teams. Indeed you could argue that part of their advice was to come along to The Marketing Society Conference and listen to them (both emphasised that it was vital to make time for reflection and take responsibility for your own growth).  

The temptation is always to end a quick summary with some hubris – but perhaps Dan Ariely said it best – “the equation of human behaviour is very complex” – and digital isn’t the answer to everything.

Alex Batchelor is COO of BrainJuicer. Read more from them here and follow him @alexbatchelor