It’s Not Real is the podcast that takes a scalpel to the stories we tell ourselves. Hosted by Dr Paul Harrison, consumer psychologist, academic, and media commentator, each episode unpacks the real evidence behind why we do what we do, how the world actually works, and the myths we cling to in order to make life a little easier. From marketing spin to social norms, from economic fictions to psychological blind spots, It’s Not Real cuts through the noise with sharp analysis, candid conversati ...
…
continue reading

1
31: You Are Not In Control (Talking Shop Reboot)
24:45
24:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:45In this fifth episode of our special six-part reboot of Talking Shop, the 2015 ABC podcast I co-hosted with Kirsten Drysdale, we explore the subtle, often invisible ways our environment shapes what we buy, without us even realising it. From lighting and music to the colour of a salesperson’s shirt and the firmness of the chair you’re sitting on, re…
…
continue reading

1
30: In the Lap of Luxury (Talking Shop Reboot/Repeat)
22:44
22:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:44In this fourth episode of our special six-part reboot of Talking Shop, the 2015 ABC podcast I co-hosted with Kirsten Drysdale, we explore the irresistible pull of luxury goods. From Belgian chocolate and French champagne to understated but wildly expensive trench coats, we ask: what makes these items feel so desirable, and why do some of us proudly…
…
continue reading

1
29: The Paradox of Ethical Consumption (Talking Shop Reboot)
25:30
25:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:30In this third episode from Talking Shop, the ABC podcast I hosted with Kirsten Drysdale in 2015, we dive into the complexities of ethical consumption; why it’s so hard to define, and even harder to practise. We explore the contradictions that come with trying to be an ethical shopper, from fair trade coffee that travels thousands of kilometres to g…
…
continue reading
This is the second of six Talking Shop episodes from 2015, where Kirsten Drysdale and I explored the evidence behind marketing. Just like on It’s Not Real, we uncover how subtle influences shape what we think is real, especially when it comes to consumer behaviour. Does it pain you to use cash? Would you accept a higher interest rate if an attracti…
…
continue reading

1
27: Buying Happiness (Talking Shop Reboot)
25:30
25:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:30In this first of six special episodes, we revisit Talking Shop, the 2015 ABC podcast I hosted with Kirsten Drysdale. The themes we explored — how businesses shape our choices, the psychology behind persuasion, and the tricks of the trade — connect directly to what It’s Not Real is all about. In this episode, we explore whether money can buy happine…
…
continue reading

1
26: Special Christmas Edition - Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly to Soften Service Failure Evaluations
8:34
8:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
8:34In this special edition of The Marketing Lab, I have a quick chat with Associate Professor Josh Newton about his research into how the mere presence of Christmas decorations lead people to soften their evaluations of a personally experienced service failure encounter. Josh and his colleagues' research was published in the Journal of Service Researc…
…
continue reading

1
25: Authenticity, Small Business and the Indian-Australian Experience
27:26
27:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:26In our final episode for 2021, our guest is Uppma Virdi, Deakin Alumni, Head Spice Dealer, Founder and CEO of Chai Walli, a female-centric, female owned small Australian business who are passionate about cultural preservation through the art of chai. We discussed authenticity, why being successful is about more than size, money and growth, and how …
…
continue reading

1
24: Moral Peacocking and the Tragedy of Social Media
52:06
52:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:06Whether you use it to stay connected or as part of your marketing strategy, social media is integral for communication. But what happens when everything goes horribly wrong, like it did for Justine Sacco when sent her one-hundred-and-seventy twitter followers the following tweet: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” By…
…
continue reading
In this episode of The Marketing Lab at Deakin, we talk to Gordon Renouf, Co-Founder & CEO of Good On You, the world-leading source of trusted brand ratings, articles and expertise on ethical and sustainable fashion. Since 2015, they have built a database of thousands of fashion brands, all assessed against their robust rating system for their impa…
…
continue reading
In this episode of The Marketing Lab at Deakin we talk to Dr Ali Tamaddoni from Deakin's Marketing Department about how we can use models and machine learning to understand why people change brands and also how religiosity influences online reviews. --- The Marketing Lab is recorded and produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin na…
…
continue reading

1
21: Competition, Regulation and Consumer Protection
35:49
35:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:49We often think that marketers simply have to sell stuff to consumers, but marketing also requires an awareness of the context in which the business operates. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission promotes competition and fair trade in markets to benefit consumers, businesses, and the community and also regulates national infrastructure…
…
continue reading
This week (4 - 11 July) is NAIDOC week in Australia. NAIDOC is a celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s an opportunity for all Australians, not just the Indigenous community, to come together and celebrate and participate in a range of activities that support your local community.…
…
continue reading

1
19: Food Marketing and Wellbeing, Part Two
50:42
50:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:42Marketers are often portrayed in an unsophisticated way - that they are evil manipulators that are trying to get us to buy things we don’t want. But there are areas of marketing, like macro marketing and social marketing, where marketers are attempting to use marketing… for want of a better phrase… for good. Social marketing uses the tools of marke…
…
continue reading

1
18: Food Marketing and Wellbeing, Part One
44:45
44:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:45In this episode of the marketing lab, we talk food marketing and wellbeing with Alice Zaslavsky (Alice in Frames), and Deakin Alumnus, Moreen Kamau (Deliveroo) and Dr Michaela Jackson (RMIT). Food is such a critical part of culture, wellbeing and a good life, yet in the field of marketing we expend a lot of research energy focusing on denial. So, h…
…
continue reading

1
17: The Marketing Lab: What's it all about?
43:50
43:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:50In this episode of The Marketing Lab, we explore the arcane world of universities, university departments, and research. Paul and Gini talk with Professor Andre Bonfrer, Head of Department at Deakin Business School's Department of Marketing about all things marketing technology and wellbeing, while grappling with how specialisation offers an opport…
…
continue reading

1
16: Membership, Loyalty and Stakeholder Engagement
59:01
59:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:01In this episode we explored the murky world of loyalty, stakeholder relation and engagement. I was joined by Alexandra Crow, the Head of Corporate and Stakeholder Engagement at the Richmond Football Club, Tanya Gallina, the General Manager of Club Services and History at the Melbourne Cricket Club, and Jimmy Buck, the chief advancement officer at D…
…
continue reading
In our reimagined podcast, The Lab at Deakin, Paul and Gini (Virginia) Weber interrogate the power of language, how butter is made, and whether you really are politically correct or just being some ill-defined misanthrope. The Marketing Lab is recorded and produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to el…
…
continue reading

1
14: Performing roles, self-complexity and responsibilisation
39:37
39:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:37Living is hard, but in the end are you totally responsible for your wellbeing, or should governments and businesses also care. In this episode of Listen to this, Paul and Gini tackle the conundrums of accidental subjectification in social marketing campaigns, the muddling of the role between the citizen, business and government, and how to overcome…
…
continue reading

1
13: The Scientific Method, Embracing Uncertainty and the limits of Research and Science
54:59
54:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:59In this episode of The Lab at Deakin, we take a deep dive into the scientific method. What it is, why it's important, and how we need to embrace it if we are going to progress. On the journey we talk about Star Wars and the Sith, Brett Sutton, Covid-19, and the provisional nature of knowledge.By Hosted by Dr Paul Harrison from Deakin Business School
…
continue reading
From the archives What’s your favourite luxury item—Belgian chocolate, French champagne, one of those plain but very expensive English trench coats? Paul Harrison and Kirsten Drysdale look at the psychology of expensive brands and why some of us are ‘peacocks’ displaying our pricey purchases and their brand names. And if you can’t afford the real t…
…
continue reading

1
11: Crisis management, the benefits of honesty in difficult times and how to build your reputation when things look grim
1:25:35
1:25:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:25:35How do you manage an airline engine failure, a potential prime minister with a penchant for visiting strip clubs by accident, or a Covid crisis? In this episode of Listen to this, we talk to Deakin University's Adjunct Professor of Marketing, David Epstein, the man who got Kevin to agree to the 07, directed National Media Liaison Service for Bob Ha…
…
continue reading

1
10: Trust in social media, the new “normal” and conspiracy theories
49:42
49:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:42We're being told that the new "normal" is coming, but I still haven't worked out the old normal. Who is in charge of all these normals... Could the world's populist leaders be suffering from actor-observer asymmetry and which conspiracy theory should we believe? Does 5G give you COVID-19? And why didn’t the evil geniuses use a more available mode o…
…
continue reading

1
9: Merging the Digital World with Behavioural Insights
59:05
59:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:05In this episode of The Lab at Deakin, Paul is joined by Gemma Anderson, Director of Performance and Growth, Deakin University and Dr Gini Weber, Chair of the Psychology and Marketing program in Deakin Business School. Paul and his guests discussed the benefits and limitations of data and analysis, how the online world has changed the way we interac…
…
continue reading
What is truth in the era of CoVid-19? How can businesses adapt? And what is an agentic male response to ScoMo? Those questions and more will be answered in this episode of Listen to this...By Paul
…
continue reading

1
7: Unselling and Demarketing - Interview on ABC Radio
20:09
20:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:09If we think about the product offering a range of benefits, we can see how this might also be communicated through packaging and the service environment. Aesop, for example, has changed the way that companies package and sell beauty products. In this interview with Dr Paul Harrison from Deakin Business School by David Astle at ABC Radio they discus…
…
continue reading

1
6: Hitting them where it hurts - advertising boycotts, Alan Jones and climate change activism
45:23
45:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:23In this episode of Listen to This we look into how young people can change the course of history, how advertisers should probably choose where to put their money, and the ins and outs of ethical behaviour in marketing.By Paul Harrison, Melanie King, and Virginia Weber
…
continue reading

1
5: ABC Radio Melbourne discussion all things consumer behaviour and marketing
21:55
21:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
21:55A special episode of Listen to this... Lehmo interviews Paul Harrison on ABC Radio Melbourne about all things consumer behaviour and marketing.By Paul Harrison, Anthony (Lehmo) Lehmann
…
continue reading

1
4: Peak streaming, oversubscribed and the curse of product recalls
32:31
32:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:31In mid-November, Disney Plus, the streaming service from the Mickey Mouse conglomerate will launch in Australia. The service will cost $8.99 a month or $89.00 for the full year. Not bad for access to the Disney back catalogue, the Star Wars franchise, the list goes on... Will you sign up? Have we reached peak streaming? And, can you guess which car…
…
continue reading

1
3: Net promoter scores, artificial intelligence and selling your soul to the marketers
41:32
41:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:32Does your company use the net promoter score? Is it really the silver bullet that marketing research companies tell you it is? And... What happens when your company’s perfect hashtag gets co-opted by the bad guys? In this episode, we explore the murky world of artificial intelligence, marketing research and selling your soul for research dollars. A…
…
continue reading

1
2: Changing banks, vegan burgers and marketing the AFLW
40:55
40:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:55When is a bank not a bank? And how difficult is it to change your bank when you know you really want to break up with it? This week we explore why the Banking Royal Commission has changed the way that banks brand themselves. And… Guns and Collingwood Football Club. Is there a link? We reckon there is, but the link is not what you think and can be e…
…
continue reading

1
1: Captain Marvel, trolling and nerd spaces
30:59
30:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:59Captain Marvel, Huawei, the Catholic Church, and Boeing are all in the news for basically the same thing, but a little bit different. What am I talking about? In this week’s episode we delve a bit deeper into reputation management, online trolls and identity dissociation to work out how these brands are going to dig their way out of their current t…
…
continue reading