Nerd Alert: The Power of Priming in Marketing

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob reveal how 84% of purchases are decided before shoppers even start looking... and why that changes everything about how you should invest in marketing.

Topics covered:

• [01:00] "How Humans Decide: What Drives Consumer Choice and How Brands Should Respond"
• [02:00] The two stages of every purchase decision
• [04:00] Why 84% of purchases are already decided
• [06:00] Who's easy to influence (and who isn't)
• [07:00] The touchpoints that actually change behavior
• [08:00] Three moves to reach primed buyers

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.


Resources:
WPP Media & Oxford Saïd Business School, Marketing Faculty. (2025). How Humans Decide: What drives consumer choice, and how brands should respond. October 2025.


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