We all love a good deal, but at what expense?

Flash sales, countdown timers, “only 3 seats left”. They’re everywhere, ever present, promotions urging us to act. Mostly because in the moment they work. But while these promotional tactics tap deep into our instincts, they can come with a cost to your business and brand.

And it's not just to margins and profitability, but to meaning and perception people have of your brand.

In this episode, we dig into the psychology behind sales promotions. Why they work. What they trigger. And what brands might be giving up in return.

We examine:

• Scarcity, urgency and anchoring. How short-term offers hijack decision-making
• Brand erosion and shifting reference points. Why overusing sales can cheapen your brand
• The psychology of value, and why perception matters more than price
• How to balance promotion with purpose. Practical tips for brands who want to drive action without damaging trust

We regularly think about hyperbolic discounting and the hidden cost to individuals, but this turns that on it's head and looks at brand hyperbolic discounting. What's the impact of brands making decisions for the immediacy, without the consideration of the longer term?

Rethink your relationship with discount culture, and keep building brands with enduring value in the minds of consumers.

Studies & further reading:

• Worchel, Stephen & Lee, Jerry & Adewole, Akanbi. (1975). Effects of supply and demand on ratings of object value.
• Hodgkinson (2016): ‘Fear of Missing Out’ (FOMO) marketing appeals: A conceptual model
• Ariely, Loewenstein, Prelec (2003): Coherent arbitrariness, stable demand curves without stable preferences

Thanks for listening. Don’t miss out on your copy of Fabricx’s Behavioural Bias Framework https://fabricx.agency/

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Instagram: @fabricxlabs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fabricxagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/si-elliott/

We all say we want to change. To grow. To improve.

But when it comes to behaviour, from our New Year’s resolutions to customers’ adoption of new products and services, most change fails to stick.

In this episode, we explore the psychology of resistance. The very real friction that stops people doing what they say they want to do. And how understanding the hidden forces of human behaviour can help brands, leaders and individuals support meaningful, sustainable change.

We consider:

• Why Status Quo Bias makes us default to comfort, even when it’s no longer serving us
• What loss aversion and risk perception mean for customer loyalty and switching
• How thinking small can win big. The power of small, incremental changes
• Simple ways to reduce friction and build trust in moments of change

It’s the perfect time of year to discuss change and works well alongside a previous episode ‘Fresh Start Effect Incoming…’ which dissects our desire for change at certain points in time.

Whether you’re looking to inspire habitual or behaviour change over the coming months, or just keen to understand why you find it difficult to stick to resolutions. This brings together behavioural science, psychology and practical strategy, to help make more sense of the challenge of moving the status quo.

Studies & further reading:

• Samuelson & Zeckhauser (1988) Status quo bias in decision making
• Norcross et al. (2002) New Year’s resolution success rates
• Kahneman & Tversky (1979) Loss aversion and Prospect Theory
• Wikipedia: Status Quo Bias explained

Thanks for listening. Don’t miss out on your copy of Fabricx’s Behavioural Bias Framework https://fabricx.agency/

Connect with us!

Instagram: @fabricxlabs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fabricxagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/si-elliott/

So why do we trust imperfect human stories more than flawless AI creations? In this episode, we explore the psychology behind why people prefer real, messy, and human-made work over machine-made perfection. And why that emotional connection might be the ultimate competitive advantage in the age of AI.

We consider:

• Why authenticity beats perfection every time
• The science behind the Pratfall Effect, how small mistakes make us more likeable
• Why we trust content that shows a human fingerprint
• How AI’s 'uncanny perfection' triggers discomfort
• What studies say about our bias for human-created stories, voices, and visuals
• Why trust, empathy and accountability can’t be automated

Taking insights from psychology, behavioural science, and academic studies to uncover how audiences perceive AI vs. human creativity. And most crucially, what this means for marketers, creators, and brands in 2025 and beyond.

Studies & further reading:

• Zhang & Gosline (2023) Human favoritism, not AI aversion: People’s perceptions (and bias) toward generative AI, human experts, and human–GAI collaboration in persuasive content generation
• Kirk & Givi (2024) The AI-authorship effect: Understanding authenticity, moral disgust, and consumer responses to AI-generated marketing communications
• Piercy et al. (2025) Credibility and organizational reputation perceptions of news releases produced by artificial intelligence
• Velásquez-Salamanca et al. (2025) Interpretation of AI-Generated vs. Human-Made Images
• Omeish et al. (2025) Between human and AI influencers: parasocial relationships, credibility, and social capital formation in a collectivist market: a study of TikTok users in the Middle East
• Aronson, E. (1966) The Pratfall Effect: The Effect of a Perceived Blunder on Interpersonal Attractiveness
• Schilke & Reimann (2025) The Transparency Dilemma: How Disclosing AI Use Impacts Trust

Thanks for listening. Don’t miss out on your copy of Fabricx’s Behavioural Bias Framework https://fabricx.agency/

Connect with us!

Instagram: @fabricxlabs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fabricxagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/si-elliott/