Sarah Levinger

Brain Driven Brands

A Marketing , Business and Entrepreneurship podcast

#80 in Marketing · 🇳🇿 #116 in Marketing · 🇳🇬

About the show

Host Sarah Levinger breaks down the advanced neuromarketing secrets of 9-figure brands (like True Classic, Spotify, and Plants vs. Zombies) to show you psychology tactics any e-commerce brand can use today to cut costs, boost sales, and captivate the masses.

Newest episodes

The Secret to Selling More: Find Your Customer's Micro-Wins

Nov 11, 2026 12 min

In this episode, Sarah and Nate unpack the fascinating story of Febreze, a product that nearly failed because the company misunderstood how people were using it. The breakthrough came when they stopped making assumptions and started observing real customer behavior. They connect that lesson to behavioral cues, micro-wins, and the moments that trigger someone to use or buy a product. You'll also hear practical examples from watches and men's health, plus a simple post-purchase survey exercise to help you uncover new marketing angles. Here's what we'll cover: 00:00 Why we're talking about marketing history 01:00 The story behind Febreze 02:00 Why Febreze struggled after launch 03:00 What observing customers revealed 04:00 How Febreze changed its positioning 05:00 Are you selling to the right people? 06:00 Finding the behavioral cue for your product 07:00 Acute problems, chronic problems, and unexpected use cases 08:00 Finding micro-wins in the watch category 09:00 Why recurring moments matter 10:00 Stop assuming, start asking your customers 11:00 Your homework: Find your customers' micro-trigger points 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

How to Use Valence and Intensity to Find Winning Ads

Nov 4, 2026 12 min

In this episode, Sarah and Nate revisit the Valence and Intensity framework, a psychology-based approach to understanding how your ads communicate emotion. They break down how to use it as a diagnostic tool, identify opportunities in your existing creative, and build separate funnels around positive and negative messaging. They also get into why marketers often give up on strategies too early, why execution matters more than collecting frameworks, and why there's no shortcut around getting the reps in. Here's what we'll cover: 00:00 Why marketers are struggling with Valence and Intensity 01:00 Understanding the four Valence and Intensity zones 02:00 Using Claude to analyze your existing creative 03:00 Why positive and negative messaging need separate funnels 04:00 Matching your ads and landing pages 05:00 Why chasing marketing trends can hurt your brand 06:00 The importance of executing a strategy properly 07:00 Why one failed ad test doesn't count 08:00 Valence and Intensity as a diagnostic tool 09:00 Finding the right message before using frameworks 10:00 Why experience and repetition matter 11:00 Your homework: Build and test an opposite-framed funnel 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

5 Black Friday Strategies That Don't Depend on Bigger Discounts

Oct 28, 2026 15 min

In this episode, Sarah and Nate break down the psychology behind Black Friday shopping, why discount hunters can be difficult to retain, and how to create offers that make people excited to buy without relying on endless discounts. You'll learn how to gamify your offers, protect customer lifetime value, and use a Better Than Black Friday campaign to encourage earlier purchases. Plus, we have some thoughts about brands that keep extending a sale they promised was ending. Please stop doing that. 00:00 Why we're late with the Black Friday episode 01:00 The psychology behind Black Friday shopping 02:00 Why shoppers love the thrill of the hunt 03:00 Turning scarcity into a compelling offer 04:00 How a timed Black Friday promotion worked 05:00 Gamified offers versus blanket discounts 06:00 How to structure tiered offers 07:00 Why early Black Friday customers can be more valuable 08:00 Protecting customer lifetime value with bundles 09:00 Selling to gift buyers who aren't your usual customers 10:00 Why you need to keep your sale deadlines 12:00 The Better Than Black Friday strategy 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

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All episodes

The Secret to Selling More: Find Your Customer's Micro-Wins

Nov 11, 2026 12 min

How to Use Valence and Intensity to Find Winning Ads

Nov 4, 2026 12 min

5 Black Friday Strategies That Don't Depend on Bigger Discounts

Oct 28, 2026 15 min

The Psychology Behind Better Product Names

Oct 21, 2026 16 min

Sarah and Nate break down the research behind product names, then get into how to use it in your own marketing. You'll learn why easy-to-pronounce names can matter for supplements, when unusual names spark curiosity, why mystery products can be so appealing, and how a boring product title can waste the momentum from a great ad. There's also a practical breakdown of naming products across different categories, from luxury goods to everyday essentials. And yes, apparently we may have a future tea brand to discuss. 00:00 The science quiz begins 02:00 Can hard-to-pronounce names feel riskier? 03:00 How one vowel changes product expectations 05:00 Matching product names to customer psychology 06:00 Why unusual names can increase consumption 07:00 When a great ad leads to a boring product page 09:00 Why testing product titles matters 10:00 How revealing a product can reduce satisfaction 11:00 What mystery products teach us about perceived value 12:00 Naming products for different categories 14:00 Describe the experience customers actually want 15:00 Why curiosity matters for unfamiliar products 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

8 Psychology Principles More Persuasive Than AIDA

Oct 16, 2026 26 min

Sarah and Nate break down how Schlitz Brewing went from struggling to become America's number-one best-selling beer brand by showing customers what made its product different. Copywriter Claude Hopkins visited the brewery, discovered the quality controls behind the beer, and turned those overlooked details into a compelling marketing story. They explore the psychology behind why this worked, from the curse of knowledge to the power of specific details, perceived effort, and being the first brand to explain a claim convincingly. They also get into why explaining why your product is better can build more trust than simply calling it the best, and why copy that converts might look very different from copy that sounds cool. 00:00 The story behind Schlitz Brewing 01:00 The difference between sounding good and selling 02:00 Why Sarah picked a history episode 03:00 How Schlitz started losing market share 04:00 What Claude Hopkins discovered at the brewery 06:00 Why experiencing a product matters 08:00 How understanding customer pain points builds trust 09:00 The curse of knowledge in marketing 10:00 Making product claims more believable 11:00 Why being first to prove a claim matters 12:00 How showing the work builds perceived value 13:00 Using specific details to justify a higher price 15:00 Why longer copy can convert better 18:00 Connecting product benefits to customer identity 21:00 The psychology of quality signals 23:00 Why product titles can influence buying decisions 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube:...

Can Nate Guess the Brand?

Oct 7, 2026 15 min

Sarah puts Nate through a brand-guessing game using four types of clues: behavioral, cultural, micro, and macro. The bigger lesson is how creative strategists can use the information they already notice in everyday life to understand brands, spot advantages, and find opportunities in the market. They break down three brands, including Grind, Starface, and Patagonia, and talk about why you don't need to stare at a spreadsheet every five minutes to understand what's happening in your category. Sometimes, you just need to pay attention. 00:00 The Libra sweatshirt mystery 01:00 The brand-guessing game 02:00 The 4 types of customer clues 04:00 The first brand: behavioral clues 05:00 Can Nate guess the brand? 06:00 Why a little data can go a long way 07:00 Brand #2: culture and pop culture 09:00 Why you can know a brand without knowing its name 10:00 Brand #3: the power of cultural clues 12:00 Why creative strategists need to hold information in their heads 13:00 How to find your brand's advantages 14:00 Avoiding brand blindness 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Want to BOOST sales by 32%? Don't Run Discounts. Try This.

Oct 2, 2026 18 min

Sarah and Nate dig into the psychology behind showing two products, variants, or offers side by side, and why giving people a choice can make the purchase feel easier and even more premium. They get into decision fatigue, product comparisons, upsells, apparel, Black Friday offers, and the surprisingly useful lesson e-commerce can steal from a good car salesperson. Because apparently, our product pages have been making customers do way too much thinking. 00:00 Welcome back to Brain Driven Brands 01:00 The science quiz: 32% more conversions 03:00 Why two options can outperform one 05:00 Turning "Should I buy?" into "Which one?" 07:00 What a dual PDP could look like 09:00 Using behavior to understand customers 10:00 Why comparison can make buying feel premium 12:00 The Lucchese boots example 13:00 Could customers choose what to compare? 15:00 Dual PDPs for upsells 16:00 Basic vs. premium offers 17:00 What e-commerce can learn from one-on-one sales 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

DTC vs. B2B Marketing: Why the Buying Psychology is so Different

Sep 23, 2026 30 min

Rabah Rahil joins Sarah and Nate to unpack the psychology behind B2B SaaS buying, from "don't get fired" decision-making to buying committees, long consideration windows, and the role of trust and brand affinity. They also get into why marketing and sales serve different jobs, why a great product needs to come before a big marketing push, and why paid ads are only one way to distribute a message. 00:00 Meet Rabah Rahil 01:00 The psychology of B2B SaaS buying 03:00 Why SaaS buyers are managing risk 05:00 How SaaS buying committees change marketing 07:00 Why B2B SaaS needs omnipresence 09:00 The story behind a consumer purchase 11:00 What B2B SaaS can learn from brand marketing 13:00 The three stages inside consideration 15:00 Why you can't control the buying timeline 17:00 Marketing, sales, and brand affinity 20:00 Why more salespeople won't fix weak pipeline 23:00 Build the product before the marketing machine 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg Guest: Rabah Rahil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabahrahil/ Twitter: https://x.com/rabahrahil

5 Things Great Static Ads Have in Common

Sep 16, 2026 26 min

Seb Valiente, founder of Growth Pod, joins Sarah and Nate to break down how his team turns messaging into static ads that actually make people stop and feel something. They get into the difference between clarity and scroll-stopping visuals, why most teams struggle with the idea itself rather than the prompt, how to hire for creative thinking, and why static ads can still be some of the most dependable creative in an account. Seb also shares a practical framework for building a visual from scratch, including how to use references without simply copying what already exists. Timestamps 00:00 Meet Seb and Growth Pod 03:00 Why Seb's static ads stand out 04:00 The "after-work wind down" ad 06:00 Clarity vs. scroll-stopping creative 08:00 Why messaging comes before visuals 09:00 AI is only as good as the person using it 11:00 Why creative instinct matters 13:00 Can you predict which ads will work? 15:00 How Growth Pod matches headlines to visuals 17:00 Why marketers should pick one thing to communicate 19:00 Where static ads fit next to video 24:00 How to build a static ad from scratch 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg Guest: Seb Valiente Twitter: https://x.com/Sebastian_DTC Website: https://growthpod.ca/

What Happens When Your Brand Stops Relying on Meta Ads?

Sep 11, 2026 20 min

DTC brands have spent years building around Meta. But what happens when you stop treating Meta as your only growth lever? In this episode, Sarah and Nate break down how brands can reach customers through YouTube creators, IRL events, organic content, mascots, and other ideas that don't depend on another Meta campaign. They also share examples from their own work, including a YouTube strategy that generated an average 6x return, a client that cut CAC from $110 to $35, and why sometimes the smartest move is simply giving your team a week where they're forbidden from thinking about Meta. 00:00 Why Nate's having a rough week 02:00 How susceptible are we really to ads? 04:00 The people who actively avoid advertising 06:00 What happens if Meta disappears? 08:00 Cutting CAC from $110 to $35 10:00 The $2M celebrity marketing decision 12:00 Finding customers outside the Meta ecosystem 14:00 Nate's three off-Meta tactics 16:00 The YouTube creator strategy 18:00 Why IRL events can create brand evangelists 20:00 Sarah's mascot strategy 22:00 Building multiple organic content channels 24:00 Bringing physical marketing back 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

5 Popup Tactics That Can Increase Your Lead Opt-In Rate

Sep 3, 2026 17 min

Pop-ups can do a lot more than collect an email. In this episode, Sean from Alia breaks down how smarter timing, personalization, and offers can help brands get more leads without simply giving away bigger discounts. We get into why Alia became so focused on one thing, how a simple positioning change helped the company take off, and what happens when you treat every pop-up like a one-to-one experience. Then we get tactical: smart triggers, repeated exposure, A/B testing, mystery discounts, and other ways to give people a reason to opt in. Timestamps 00:00 Sean's $60M exit and what changed 02:00 How Alia got started 04:00 Finding a business inside a college project 06:00 The entrepreneurship class that gave him a C- 07:00 Why owning the work changed everything 09:00 A year with almost zero traction 10:00 The positioning pivot to "pop-ups" 12:00 Building one-to-one pop-up experiences 14:00 How positioning created clarity 15:00 What changed after the acquisition 17:00 The future of smarter pop-ups 23:00 The mystery discount tactic 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter LinkedIn Tactical and Practical Podcast CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: Tether Insights Twitter Linkedin Instagram Watch me on YouTube Guest: Shaan Arora Twitter LinkedIn Website: aliapopups.com

Your Customers May Be Using Your Product in Ways You Never Planned

Aug 27, 2026 17 min

Q-Tips have a weird history. They started as a clever solution for cleaning babies, then became something millions of people use inside their ears, even after doctors warned them not to. This episode gets into how that happened, why earwax became a "problem" people wanted to solve, and what Q-Tips can teach us about consumer behavior. We also get into "desire lines," category psychology, changing consumer habits, and why marketers need to pay attention to how people actually use products. 00:00 Why creative strategy is attracting younger talent 02:00 Why pretending to be a veteran can hurt your career 03:00 The 16-brand test behind a creative strategy 04:00 The strange origin of Q-Tips 05:00 How the original Q-tip was invented 06:00 How advertising turned hygiene into anxiety 07:00 Why earwax became the villain 08:00 When doctors started warning people 10:00 The 92% Q-tip behavior problem 11:00 What "desire lines" reveal about consumers 12:00 How changing lifestyles create new markets 14:00 What working from home means for hygiene brands 15:00 The next enemy marketers might have to solve 16:00 What marketers can learn from natural behavior 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The 3-Pillar Framework to Scale Any E-Commerce Brand (Feat. Abir Syed)

Aug 12, 2026 41 min

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 gap-3 [&_>_*:last-child]:mb-0 print:block print:[&_>_*_+_*]:mt-3 standard-markdown"> Most eCom marketers are optimizing for the wrong number, and a real CFO explains exactly how to fix that! Our good friend Abir Syed has a rare take on how to scale brands: he's run an eCommerce brand, built a performance marketing agency, and now runs a fractional CFO firm specializing in eCom. In this episode, he breaks down why MER is basically useless, what cohort profit actually tells you, and the three-pillar finance framework that gives marketers and CFOs a shared language for growth. Nate also gets uncomfortably personal about his own brand's cash flow situation. You'll walk away understanding how to set real scaling targets, why over-revving your marketing engine costs you money, how to predict LTV decay as you shift from organic to paid customers, and what questions to actually ask your finance team. 00:00 Why selling out early isn't the flex you think it is 01:45 Introducing Abir Syed — the CFO who hates accounting 03:30 Why 80% of your business story lives in the finances 05:30 The #1 thing to get right before anything else: inventory costing 07:00 Why MER is a useless metric (hot take, but hear him out) 08:30 How dropping MER led to 130% growth in one year 09:15 Cohort profit: Abir's favorite metric explained 13:00 Over-revving the engine — the hidden way brands lose money scaling 16:30 Incrementality testing vs. the scaling target table 18:00 LTV decay: what happens when you go from organic to paid acquisition 20:00 Paid customers get stolen by ads — a concept that breaks your...

The Headline Formula That Works on Every Type of Customer

Jul 30, 2026 12 min

This headline formula works for every customer...confident or not! This week, Nate breaks down a single copywriting structure he's tested across every brand he's worked with: "Our [product] is [adjective] and [adjective], just like the [customers] who use it." Sounds simple. The psychology behind it pretty complex though! We dig into why this format hits differently, how it flatters the buyer who already sees themselves that way, and motivates the one who wants to. Plus: how to pick the adjectives that actually do the heavy lifting, why customer reviews are the starting point (not the finish line), and how the winning words from a headline test should be dictating your next photo shoot. Timestamps 00:00 Intro — Q4 is closer than you think 01:00 The headline format Nate's used with every brand 02:00 Sara's first reaction to Nate's watch copy 03:00 The full formula breakdown with examples 04:00 Why it works for both confident and insecure buyers 05:00 Picking adjectives that aren't "good," "great," or "best" 06:00 Using Claude + a thesaurus to find rich descriptors 07:30 Flattery as a copy strategy (done right) 08:30 Rugged vs. polished — how headline tests changed their photo shoots 10:00 How winning adjectives should inform your entire funnel 11:00 Homework: write your own versions and test them 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

7 Pricing Psychology Tricks That Work on Smart Shoppers

Jul 16, 2026 22 min

Get ready for a good show today...we're going through 7 pricing psychology tricks that work even on savvy consumers! Backed by real studies, from why discounts can make a painkiller feel less effective to a 1-cent pricing hack that made 25% more money on eBay. In this episode, we break down the research behind charm pricing, price anchoring, credit card spending, partitioned pricing, and more — plus real test results from their own brands, including a $777 bundle that outsold a $699 control and a free-shipping test that flipped conversion rates. 00:00 Cold open: we've been sleeping on this topic 00:02 The most impactful lever most brands never test 00:03 The Price Placebo Effect: the energy drink study that messed with their heads 00:06 Why running sales year-round can quietly kill your product's perceived quality 00:07 The Nine-Ending Paradox: why $39 outsold $34 by 24% 00:08 Real case study: the $777 Jack Daniels bundle that beat the control price 00:09 The Phonetic Length Effect: why $999 feels bigger than $1,000 00:11 Personal price anchors and the IKEA "4 cups of coffee" pricing trick 00:12 The Credit Card Premium: cash bidders vs. card bidders in a real auction 00:15 Partitioned Pricing: the penny-plus-shipping trick that made 25% more 00:19 The Endowed Progress Effect: the car wash loyalty card study 00:20 Getting "got": a real-time example of a surprise upgrade offer 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

9 Marketer Biases That Are Killing Your Meta Ads

Jul 9, 2026 34 min

We asked 28 marketers what single change in their ad account made the biggest difference — and nobody put creative at the top. What came back instead was account structure, cost caps, better data, and one answer that stopped us cold: doing nothing at all. This episode breaks down the nine cognitive biases quietly running the average media buyer's decisions, from action bias to the expert's curse. We get into why excluding past purchasers dropped one brand's new customer CPA by 40% overnight, why "data-driven" has become a red flag on a resume, and why the last 20% of Meta optimization is worth less than the first 20% of your landing page. If you manage ad accounts, hire people who do, or spend your Sundays reorganizing campaigns you shouldn't be touching, this one's for you. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why excluding past purchasers dropped NCPA by 40% instantly → The two years an account crushed because nobody touched it → Why 85% optimized and understandable beats 100% optimized and muddy → "Data aware, human obsessed" — the hiring filter that should replace "data-driven" → Why measuring by product collection, not by ad, makes diagnosis ten times faster → The case for ignoring your weaknesses entirely and doubling down on strengths ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The no-phone morning walk that fixed our brains 01:20 The Twitter question that broke everyone's assumptions 02:30 A 40% drop in new customer CPA from one mechanical exclusion 03:45 What 28 marketers actually said — and why creative never made the list 05:50 Action bias: why you can't stop touching the account 06:45 "I haven't touched it in three weeks. Why would I?" 08:45 Illusion of control, and whether we should just let Meta cook 11:15 Complexity bias: one CBO campaign, one ad set, two record years 14:30 Metric fixation and the streetlight effect 18:20 Why "data-driven marketer" is a red flag on a resume 21:20 Managing by collection instead of by ad 23:00 The ad account is now a glorified folder syste...

Fewer Ingredients = MORE Sales? (The Data On This Is Wild...)

Jul 2, 2026 17 min

Fewer ingredients. More sales. It sounds backwards — until you see the data. A study across 19 food-and-beverage experiments found people were 21.6% more likely to choose an identical product when it simply listed fewer ingredients. This week we break down why "less is more" is quietly one of the most reliable levers in DTC advertising. We get into how this plays out in real ad accounts — why single-ingredient, single-benefit ads consistently outperform "kitchen sink" messaging, why competing claims cancel each other out in the buyer's brain, and where the rule breaks (spoiler: it doesn't apply to candy). We also map the white space for "clean" CPG, the psychology of un-dyed products, and how to apply ingredient minimalism to supplements, consumables, and honestly whatever you sell. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → The study: why 19 experiments point to fewer listed ingredients = higher conversion → Why simplicity wins at the front of the funnel — and where to hide your other benefits → The one product category where "more ingredients" actually works → The untapped white space in "clean candy" (and why the big brands won't touch it) → How to rewrite a multi-ingredient product into a single-benefit ad that crushes ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Why one specific benefit beats a full ingredient list 01:40 The setup: a tactic that makes people 21.6% more likely to buy 03:30 The quiz — guessing what actually moves the needle 06:00 The answer nobody guesses: fewer ingredients 06:40 The click-rate data (up to 44.2% higher) and why it holds 07:00 "Ingredients you can't pronounce" — how the angle evolved 08:00 The exception: why this rule breaks for candy and treats 08:40 The clean-candy white space no big brand has claimed 10:00 "Simply Skittles" — who's really buying, the kid or the parent? 11:00 Applying it to supplements: why competing claims fight in the brain 12:30 Front-of-funnel simplicity and the acute vs. chronic framing 13:00 The watch ad that sold with just two words...

A Rubber Pickle Caused a Riot (The Heinz Pickle Strategy)

Jun 24, 2026 19 min

This week we break down what might be the oldest example of influencer/offer marketing ever! We get into why a thing you find on the ground beats a thing you're handed, how a tiny wearable pickle pin turned one million people 🤯 into walking billboards, and the bigger lesson hiding inside the story: most marketers think marketing is fishing when it's actually hunting. If you feel stuck on Meta, TikTok, or any platform you can't leave, this one's for you. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why a free thing you find on the ground converts better than one you're handed → The "free + shipping lead gen offer" — invented at a fair in 1893 → How to manufacture social proof so good people stop strangers to ask about it → Why "small, lightweight, and odd" beats expensive swag every single time → Marketing is hunting, not fishing — and why that one reframe changes everything ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Building an office inside an RV (and why your habits slide without one) 01:00 The Q-tip shower thought we couldn't let go of 02:00 The oldest influencer marketing story ever — and the Heinz pickles vs. ketchup debate 03:00 27 million people, the first Ferris wheel, and the single best booth on Earth 04:00 How Henry Heinz got stuck in the attic of the smelliest building at the fair 05:00 "If you can't move as a marketer, what do you do?" — the part that hits if you're trapped on Meta 06:00 The cards on the ground: a free-souvenir lead gen offer run by kid micro-influencers 07:00 The reveal — a tiny green rubber pickle pin 08:00 The Red Bull trash-can trick and the psychology of "everyone's doing this" 09:00 Why a golden ticket you find feels better than a pamphlet you're handed 10:00 The hook that turned a pin into a billboard — and the crowd so big police were called 11:00 Free PR, Super Bowl-level reach, and a souvenir that keeps selling for years 12:00 Free consulting: what to give away at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 13:00 Why "small, lightweight, and odd" wins (whiskey-the...

Why Meta Only Lets 2-3 Ads Win (No Matter How Many You Launch)

Jun 11, 2026 23 min

You can launch 100 ads... Meta's still only going to let 2 or 3 of them win. In this episode, we went down a deep rabbit hole on Meta's new Andromeda update to try and figure out why the mechanism keeps starving 97% of your creative. We also dive into what this actually means for media buyers and creative strategists. We get into why dumping more ad volume doesn't create more winners, why the algo is basically playing blackjack and doubling down after seeing a single card, and why "make organic content that works as an ad" just went from a nice-to-have to the entire game. Plus a real-time (slightly too honest) consulting session on whether to cut ad spend and go all-in on organic. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why only 2-3 ads ever carry your entire account — and the poll data that proves it → The 90-minute window quietly deciding which creative lives or dies → Why launching 100 ads at once is the worst thing you can do right now → The "drip feed vs. bulk post" debate — and why we both landed on the same answer → How a streetwear brand blew up with organic videos that secretly end in an ad ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The 2-3 ads carrying your entire account 01:00 We polled 100+ marketers on how many ads actually win 03:00 The bell-curve math that should work... but doesn't 05:00 Inside Meta's Andromeda update: thousands of robots become five 06:00 The 90-minute gate and the "Lattice Zipper" nobody's talking about 07:00 Meta's playing blackjack — and doubling down blind on every hand 08:00 Why launching 100 ads gets 90 of them killed 10:00 Drip feed or bulk post? The answer that changes how you test 13:00 The streetwear brand whose "organic" videos secretly sell 17:00 A free, slightly-too-honest consult on going all-in on organic 22:00 The last chapter of Meta is closing — what the new era means 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab ─────────────────────────────────── 🎙 CO-HOSTS ─────────────────────────────────── Sarah Levinger 🌐...

17 Things Brands Get Dead Wrong About Millennials

Jun 3, 2026 28 min

In this episode we break down 17 things every brand gets wrong about marketing to millennials, from the skinny-jeans myth to why "this will change your life" is the fastest way to lose us. We get into why millennials aren't in their "prime spending years" the way marketers assume, how the sandwich generation actually makes buying decisions, and why peace — not aspiration — is the emotion that's quietly winning in DTC ad creative right now. If you're building a brand that needs to sell to the biggest consumer group in the country for the next 10-15 years, this is the consumer psychology you can't afford to skip. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why "millennials are 25" is costing brands money (the oldest is 45) → The peace angle that's outperforming aspiration in ad copy right now → How to say "we get it" without the disingenuous "we're tired too" → Why nostalgia is a cheat code — but only if you get weirdly specific → The price-transparency move that turns a $350 sticker shock into a yes → Why the ripped-guy supplement ad and the "skincare girly" UGC both backfire ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The accidental "Nate is a co-host" mixup that started it all 01:50 Rule #1: Stop putting millennials in skinny jeans — we're not 25 03:00 The myth of "prime spending years" (we own 3% of the wealth boomers had) 03:50 The most undertaught generation — and how to educate without condescending 05:20 Midlife reinvention, not crisis: the Aston Martin that got returned 07:20 What we actually want isn't the convertible — it's a three-day weekend 08:50 The "make me feel comfortable buying" shift that's working in copy 09:30 "It's okay that you're tired" — and the one line that ruins it 12:00 The built-in millennial BS detector and why "are you struggling with X?" dies on arrival 14:30 The makeup-ad take: stop making the women too hot 16:50 Nostalgia done right — Tamagotchis, Lego Batman, and baked-in references 18:10 The 3 ingredients every real community needs 19:00 Price transparency...

Reduce Cart Abandonment by 21% with THIS Psychology Tactic

May 27, 2026 20 min

What if the reason customers are abandoning their carts isn't price...it's guilt? New research across 14 million e-commerce sessions reveals that the more pleasure-based items are in a cart, the higher the abandonment rate. (The solution for this is simpler than you'd think.) In this episode, we break down the psychology behind practical vs. hedonic upsells, why cold traffic wants logic before emotion, and how messaging sequence is the most underrated lever in DTC marketing. Nate also just bought an RV and accidentally became the perfect case study for why practical add-ons are a conversion cheat code for e-commerce brands and direct response marketers. Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/suggest-practical-items-to-reduce-cart-abandonment 🎉 Join the community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

What Makes a Good Creative Strategist?

May 6, 2026 17 min

In this episode, we get into the three layers of the job (tactical, exterior, interior), why "taste" is the hardest skill to teach, and the in-house vs agency debate that keeps getting it wrong. If you're a creative strategist trying to level up (or a founder trying to hire one) this is the framework we wish we had years ago. Plus: why the apprenticeship model dying is the real reason the industry can't produce great talent anymore. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why you can teach someone to be adequate at creative strategy, but not great → The 3-tier skill stack: tactical for beginners, business for intermediates, psychology for experts → The one skill that separates good copy from copy that actually moves people → Why an intermediate at your brand will out-perform an expert off the street → The real reason 40,000 people signing up for bootcamps still won't fix the talent gap ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The skill nobody can teach (but every great strategist has) 01:30 Sarah cashes in $1,000 of free consulting from Nate 03:30 What an expert creative strategist actually knows (it's not what you think) 05:30 Where intermediates fall short — and the business knowledge gap 06:45 Copy that sounds cool vs. copy that moves people 08:00 How to actually vet creative strategist candidates when you're hiring 10:15 The Connor Rowan question every strategist should be asking themselves 11:30 Why the apprenticeship model dying is killing the industry 14:00 The agency vs in-house debate (and who actually wins) 15:30 The one piece of advice for anyone trying to level up right now 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab ─────────────────────────────────── 🎙 CO-HOSTS ─────────────────────────────────── Sarah Levinger 🌐 tetherinsights.io 🐦 x.com/SarahLevinger 💼 linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger 📸 instagram.com/sarah.levinger ▶️ youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg Nate Lagos 🐦 x.com/natelagos 💼 linkedin.com/in/natelagos 🎧 Tactical & Pra...

The Psychology Trick That Makes Your Price 26% More Persuasive

May 1, 2026 21 min

In this episode we break down the science behind price font size, why hiding your price reads as "embarrassed about the value," and how to use category psychology and price anchoring to justify premium pricing in crowded categories like supplements, meat snacks, and beyond. We also share a live test we're running this week on Meta ads and why most brands are still pricing like it's 2022. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why bigger price fonts can make your product feel 15% cheaper → The Walmart yellow-tag principle hiding in plain sight → Why most DTC brands shrink their prices (and why that's a confidence signal to customers) → How to anchor a $60/month supplement against "another sleepless night at 3 AM" → Why you should be price testing year-round, not once every 18 months → The "staple a teddy bear to a wall for $6M" lesson on category perception ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The mullet, the headphones, and why Sarah is anxious about AI 04:15 The pricing quiz: what makes a price 26% more persuasive? 05:30 The answer nobody guesses right 07:00 Why small price fonts read like you're hiding something 09:00 The product categories where this works (and where it might not) 10:30 The car dealership test that proves the limit 12:15 Why we're still price testing in 2026 (and you should be too) 14:30 The hot tub infomercial trick: $3/day vs. the full price 15:45 Category psychology — why a Maserati and a Corolla both just "drive" 17:30 Be proud of being the most expensive brand in your category 18:30 Purposeful price anchors vs. the Amazon default 19:30 Reframing your category instead of competing inside it Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/numbers-in-larger-fonts-are-more-persuasive 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab ─────────────────────────────────── 🎙 CO-HOSTS ─────────────────────────────────── Sarah Levinger 🌐 tetherinsights.io 🐦 x.com/SarahLevinger 💼 linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger 📸 instagram.com/sarah.levinger ▶️ youtu...

The New Avatar Framework (How to Build Avatars That Scale in 2026)

Apr 16, 2026 19 min

The customer avatar wasn't invented by a marketer. It was invented by a software developer in 1983 who just wanted to know how someone would click through his app. And yet, we've built entire marketing strategies around it. In this episode, we're gonna question everything we know about avatars so you can too. 😅 We get into why obsessing over WHO your customer is (age, gender, zip code) might actually be the wrong starting point and what we think marketers should be focusing on instead: When → Why → Who. Market to the moment first, understand the emotional driver second, and let the demographic details do the last 5% of the work. From OG watch brand case studies to the Taco Bell drive-through at midnight, this one was just a brain dump of consciousness around one simple question: how should we be building avatars that scale in 2026 and beyond? ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why the customer avatar was designed to understand *behavior*, not predict who would buy → The difference between psychographic avatars and avatars that actually tell you what to do → How the same ad made men and women buy the exact same watch for completely different reasons — and why that's the whole point → The "when" framework: how to map customer wins first, emotions second, and demographics last → Why Taco Bell's "open late" campaign is a masterclass in marketing to the moment, not the person 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab ─────────────────────────────────── 🎙 CO-HOSTS ─────────────────────────────────── Sarah Levinger 🌐 tetherinsights.io 🐦 x.com/SarahLevinger 💼 linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger 📸 instagram.com/sarah.levinger ▶️ youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg Nate Lagos 🐦 x.com/natelagos 💼 linkedin.com/in/natelagos 🎧 Tactical & Practical Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

We're Back! 🎉 And We Need to Talk About What's Happening...

Apr 8, 2026 29 min

We're back from a 3-month break to break down the three "storms" reshaping the industry: Meta's algorithm quietly flipping the paid ads playbook upside down, an AI-fueled brand identity crisis draining trust faster than anyone expected, and something we're calling "AI gentrification" and why it might be the most dangerous shift of all. We're all feeling the pain. But there's a path through and it's not what most people are doing. ⚡ IN THIS EPISODE → Why running more ads is making your performance worse → The organic vs. paid reach gap nobody's talking about (99% vs. ~80%) → How AI is destroying the apprenticeship model in DTC → What "conviction" actually looks like in a brand and why almost no one has it → Our contrarian take on what comes next A Renaissance is coming and it's going to be built by the anti-AI crowd! 👉 Join Sarah's Creative Strategy Community: skool.com/tether-lab Sarah Levinger 🌐 tetherinsights.io 🐦 x.com/SarahLevinger 💼 linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger 📸 instagram.com/sarah.levinger ▶️ youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg Nate Lagos 🐦 x.com/natelagos 💼 linkedin.com/in/natelagos 🎧 Tactical & Practical Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534

We're Taking a Break: What's Next for Brain Driven Brands

Apr 6, 2026 12 min

After years of weekly conversations unpacking consumer psychology, growth strategy, and how brands actually make decisions, they step back to talk candidly about priorities, growth, and what it looks like when your work evolves faster than the containers around it. They unpack why Brain Driven Brands started, what it became, and why it's time to pause and rethink what comes next. Along the way, they reflect on personal growth, career shifts, and the behind-the-scenes realities of running fast-growing businesses without pretending it's all tidy or linear. You'll also hear: Why "packaging" matters just as much as skill when it comes to brands and personal brands What Tether Insights actually does, and why most research misses the real reasons people buy Nate's work scaling supplement brands, building from zero to one, and treating messaging as a growth lever, not "just copy" Why pauses can be strategic, not stagnant This isn't a goodbye it's just a pause for now. A reminder that growth sometimes means stepping back to build the next version properly.

41 Things Every (Senior) Creative Strategist Learns Too Late

Dec 30, 2025 22 min

In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate play a rapid-fire game of Smash or Pass with some of the most overused, misunderstood, and quietly dangerous ideas in modern marketing. We tear into things most teams can't say out loud… and the ones they're afraid to admit: – Why you can't optimize an emotion that was never there – Why most "testing" is really just for the founder's ego – How beautiful creative can hide a serious idea drought – Why iteration can be growth (but usually isn't) – And how creative fatigue is often just leadership fatigue in disguise This isn't a how-to episode. It's a how-are-you-thinking episode. We talk about idea tracking vs. concept hoarding, empathy vs. data, AI vs. taste, speed vs. depth—and why most ads fail because they're answering questions no customer ever asked. If you're running paid media, managing a creative team, or quietly wondering why "doing more" keeps working less… this one will feel uncomfortably familiar in a good way. (Listen for the moments where we disagree. That's where the real insight lives.) Original tweet:https://x.com/SarahLevinger/status/1994428068220273056?s=20 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Our 2026 Predictions: Here's What You Should Bet Money On

Dec 23, 2025 22 min

What's going to happen to DTC in 2026 once the AI noise dies down, tariffs stabilize, and brands stop pretending vibes are a strategy? In this holiday episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate don their ugly sweaters, roast underperforming AI tools, and make real predictions they'd actually put money on. They break down why 2026: Could be a breakout year for disciplined brands Why community is shifting off rented platforms and onto brand-owned ecosystems And why the biggest risk next year isn't effort…it's distraction. You'll hear takes on: • Why brands who "hang out" with customers will win • The rise of on-site social and owned community ecosystems • How AI should actually be used (hint: not for final copy) • Why messaging and copywriting are about to matter more than ever • Dynamic pricing, premium buyers, and letting your best customers spend more • Micro-movies, PDP under-optimization, and where content is heading • Why UGC is evolving into character-driven storytelling • And a hopeful prediction about marketers finally sharing real signal instead of shilling If 2025 felt like learning to ride with training wheels again, this is the conversation about what happens when brands finally stop wobbling, and start moving with intent. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

16 Prompts to Rule Them All

Dec 22, 2025 24 min

In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate pull back the curtain on the exact AI prompts they actually use to generate high-performing ad ideas—the ones that don't sound robotic, generic, or like every other brand on the internet. After revisiting one of the show's most-downloaded episodes, Sarah shares why most AI-written copy fails, how she rebuilt her prompts from first principles, and what happens when you tell AI which psychological mechanisms to use before it writes anything at all. Together, they live-test these internal prompts on a real brand ad (cowboy boots), exploring how different psychological levers change the creative direction entirely—including: First-principles thinking paired with loss aversion Quiet status signaling and open loops Curiosity-driven hooks and reverse psychology Instead of asking AI to write headlines or scripts, Sarah shows how to use it to generate raw ad concepts—and why the last 10% (the human part) is where all the money is made. This episode is part live teardown, part psychology lesson, and part behind-the-scenes look at how six-figure ads are actually born—not from clever wording, but from properly framed ideas. If you care about better creative, higher prices, and ads that don't feel like ads…this one's for you. Sarah Makes Nate Cry With a Prompt Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cVZ3nIE8YUMAlO6Qm0NFN?si=UWSUywsJTmqoz5bkRVgADw 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Stop Chasing the "Why": Here's How Real People Actually Buy

Dec 18, 2025 19 min

For years, marketers have been told to "find the why"...which drives Sarah absolutely nuts. 😅 In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah argues with Nate that this idea of the "one true why" is what broke modern marketing. People don't buy for one reason. They buy for many reasons—depending on mood, timing, environment, identity, stress level, and context. The real driver isn't why someone buys. It's when. Using real-world examples (from whiskey splurges to Starbucks rituals to Rolex buyers at different life stages) this conversation breaks down why over-optimizing for a single "why" leads to brittle brands, shallow segmentation, and wasted creative effort. Instead, Sarah and Nate explore how brands should think in terms of emotional "whens," behavioral states, and consistency over persuasion. If you've ever felt stuck hunting for the perfect insight, this episode reframes the problem entirely…and gives you a more realistic way to build brands, messaging, and creative that actually scale 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

This 2013 Discovery Explains Why Your Ads Won't Convert

Dec 16, 2025 12 min

We unpack a wild 2013 study by economist M. Keith Chen: proof that the language you speak completely rewires how you save, spend, exercise, plan, and even respond to marketing. Germans retire with more wealth, smoke less, and make healthier choices… not because they're more disciplined, but because their grammar collapses the future into the present. English pushes actions into "later." German makes the future feel like right now. On this episode of Brain Driven Brands, we break down how your phrasing might be creating psychological distance without you realizing it ("you will feel better tomorrow") and how a simple tense shift ("your future self thanks you") can snap people into action instantly. We riff on examples, rewrite real campaigns in real time, and even end with a mini-rant about why AI struggles with time itself. If you sell anything to English speakers, this is a masterclass in linguistic persuasion. Tune in. Your future self… thanks you. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The TikTok FYP Rewired the Brain…Now Your Ads Have to Adapt

Dec 11, 2025 16 min

This episode was supposed to be about something else entirely…but TikTok's algorithm had other plans. Sarah and Nate fall headfirst into a conversation about why our For You Pages are changing how people perceive content, other people, products, and the world…and what that means for the ads we create in 2026. From cave-death phobias to zoo-bear attack headlines, we unpack why humans are magnetized to bizarre, emotionally charged micro-stories, and why traditional "polished" ads have no chance against that dopamine roulette. They break down: → How the TikTok algorithm broke the entire marketing industry → What it really takes to stop a scrolling brain trained on chaos → Why identity-based ads are exploding (and why the platforms are rewarding them) → The truth about personas: how more of them, narrower, and built for one emotional moment at a time is the only way to win → The surprising shift from "better" ads to accurate ads…ads that lock onto a universal story the brain can't ignore The episode ends with a simple question that might reshape your 2026 creative strategy: What's the repeatable story your customers will always stop for, no matter the platform? This one is a wonderfully unplanned, unnervingly honest look at where attention is going and how brands can evolve with it. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The Weird Psychology Tactic That's Boosting Conversions by 149%

Dec 9, 2025 14 min

Today's episode cracks open one of the most unintuitive persuasion effects hiding in plain sight: customers are 149% more likely to say yes to an offer… when it's presented as something that wasn't meant for them. Sarah and Nate break down the original Journal of Marketing Research study (2013), walk through real examples from DTC, SaaS, and Nate's own infamous bar-tab email campaign, and show how brands accidentally stumble into this effect all the time. We explore: • why "this isn't usually for you, but…" is irresistible to new customers • how pro-level products trigger aspiration psychology • the difference between unintentional offers vs. unlock offers • how TetherOS and Adapt could test this framing immediately • why this fits under the broader umbrella of "pre-purchase surprise & delight" If you've ever run a "we weren't supposed to do this but…" promo (or fallen for one) this episode makes the science obvious…and profitable. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The 3 Forces Behind Every High-Performing Campaign in 2026

Dec 2, 2025 21 min

Marketers love to argue about tactics: structures, caps, creatives, bids, funnels. But the data from this year paints a different picture: every winning campaign in 2026 will be powered by the same three forces… and almost nobody is preparing for them. In this episode, we pull together the most revealing moments from the show; the ones where emotions spike, buying behavior becomes predictable, and the old rules of persuasion fall apart. You'll hear how valence and intensity shape conversions, why WHEN someone sees an ad matters more than WHO they are, and how abstract language can increase willingness-to-pay by 35% without changing the product. If you want your 2026 campaigns to scale instead of stall, these are the forces you need to master emotion, timing, and framing. Everything else is noise. Sarah Makes Nate Cry Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cVZ3nIE8YUMAlO6Qm0NFN?si=8_gGsWQbR4i7cDvMBfID6A Get People to Pay 35% More Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5iBY6204hJvT69ejFS3MeI?si=HHKyRErhTkuvPU11fCuQhQ Marketers...Think About WHEN Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5yTuYTNUDsGS3obpsiCOr2?si=EY9qh43JRNa3q6BjQ6Kx7g 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The Invisible Enemy Strategy: Why Systems Marketing Will Dominate 2026

Nov 27, 2025 18 min

In this episode, we dig up the wild (but true) story of Borax — yes, Borax — and how a forgotten cleaning brand quietly rewired consumer psychology long before Meta ads, hooks, or CTR dashboards existed. What they did was shockingly simple: they stopped selling "soap vs. better soap," and started selling a system their product could sell itself in… while naming an enemy you couldn't see but desperately wanted to defeat. This one hits everything marketers secretly crave: • How to pick a real psychological villain (not your competitor) • Why "incomplete solutions" convert better than "new solutions" • The hidden power of systems-based marketing • How this translates directly to watches, wellness, supplements, luxury, and your brand right now By the end, you'll rethink your product, your positioning, and maybe your entire funnel. The Orange is a Lie Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brain-driven-brands/id1752169629?i=1000702690496 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

BFCM Week Survival Episode: Anxiety, Pressure, and the Real Talk Operators Need

Nov 26, 2025 12 min

On this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dig into what actually helps most during BFCM week: simplifying your work, limiting decisions, touching grass (literally), planning something fun, rewarding yourself for non-revenue wins, and keeping alcohol out of the mix until the storm passes. It's the conversation everyone in DTC needs during the wildest season of the year and the reminder that none of us are doing this alone. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Consumers Got Weird This Year: 5 Truths Marketers Aren't Ready For

Nov 20, 2025 21 min

This week on Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate crack open 25 Core Identity Maps (CIMs) collected across nearly every category — supplements, apparel, home goods, tech, sleep, skincare — and uncover the five global consumer behaviors defining 2026. These aren't the usual "people want convenience and trust" surface takes. They're weird, psychologically sideways, deeply human patterns emerging across thousands of responses… the kind of stuff your attribution dashboard will never show you. Inside the episode, they break down: Why customers want the feeling of improvement, not the reality of change Why up to 70% of buyers choose identity alignment over product performance Why emotional safety now beats price, logic, or urgency How shoppers are making decisions through emotional math, not rational math And the wildest finding: customers are humanizing objects that reduce stress—naming them, personifying them, treating them like sidekicks Along the way, Nate confesses the uncomfortable self-truth the research exposed in his buying habits, Sarah explains why most marketing overestimates aspiration and underestimates avoidance, and both of them dig into why belonging is quietly becoming the dominant motivator in nearly every market. If you want to understand how real people actually think before they buy — not how marketers wish they thought — this episode is a masterclass in modern consumer psychology wrapped in friendly self-roasting. Perfect for founders, operators, and anyone who suspects their customers are running way deeper scripts under the surface than their spreadsheet can explain. Plus: A live breakdown of how brands should adapt their messaging sequencing to match these psychological shifts — and why one wrong emotional signal can kick you out of a buyer's world instantly. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Pr...

The Worst Ad Takes We've Ever Heard (And Why They Refuse to Die)

Nov 18, 2025 20 min

Some myths haunt the ad industry like immortal raccoons rifling through the garbage. In this episode, Sarah and Nate crack open a tweet that asked a simple question: "What's the dumbest take you've heard about running ads?" Turns out…people had thoughts. They wade through the greatest hits — "never turn off an ad," "you gotta season the pixel," "ads hurt organic," "just follow Andromeda best practices," "DR can't build brand," "scale winners 15% a day," — and then get into the deeper psychology behind why these ideas still survive in 2026. Along the way, they break down: Why founders often accidentally sabotage good ads Why Meta's "best practices" contradict themselves weekly The dark truth about greedy scaling Why employee-led ads outperform founder-led mythmaking The sneaky identity traps that make bad takes so seductive It's equal parts catharsis, strategy, and industry group therapy. By the end, you'll understand not just what the worst takes are… but why people cling to them — and what smart operators are doing instead. Perfect for anyone who loves ads, hates nonsense, and wants their marketing to be grounded in actual sanity. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

You're Not the Hero: Big Brand Truths Small Brands Hate Hearing (Feat. Will Leach)

Nov 13, 2025 35 min

When a PepsiCo-trained behavioral scientist crashes the studio, things get weird…and wildly useful. In this episode, Will Leach walks us through the emotional math behind why customers buy, why brands plateau, and why most marketers have their goals entirely backward. We dig into why value ≠ "saving money," how DiGiorno tricked America by anchoring against delivery pizza, why buyers change personalities between Monday and Friday, and the surprising reason your brand matters way less than you think. Come for the spicy takes on Coke vs Pepsi, stay for the "Batman vs Utility Belt" analogy that will permanently change how you write ads. If you've ever wondered why your logical pitches flop, why people buy cowboy hats during burnout, or how to outmaneuver giants without outspending them — this episode is a masterclass in real human behavior, not the stuff your personas pretend. 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

99% of Marketers Are Using AI Wrong (Including YOU)

Nov 6, 2025 16 min

Most marketers are using AI to replace their thinking instead of sharpen it—and it's showing. In this episode, Sarah and Chase break down why lazy prompting is the reason your creative feels stale, your tests flop, and your "winners" die in two weeks. They'll walk you through 50 wild "what if" experiments that flip marketing psychology upside down and show you how to use AI as a thinking partner, not a content mill. Here's a taste: 🤯 What if checkout pages showed how long you've wanted that product—and how long you'll regret not buying it? 💡 What if loyalty programs rewarded you for not buying something outside your goals? 🧠 What if your product photos had to include one realistic flaw—on purpose? 🧍‍♀️ What if brands made you "prove" you're worthy of a discount? It's a crash course in using AI to break your own biases, surface hidden insights, and create ideas that actually stick. Listen if: you're tired of cookie-cutter AI advice and want to see how behavior science meets chaos in the best possible way. (By the end, you'll never ask ChatGPT to "write me 10 headlines" again.) What If List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Do2K506-V6TrXBK43gLrLGGunjeYL3uicNZXJ0Jh7Wg/edit?usp=sharing 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Boost Your Brand's "Cool" Factor by 20% Using [SECRET PRODUCT]

Nov 4, 2025 12 min

Sarah and Nate dive into one of marketing's strangest scientific findings: launching [secret product] can make your brand 20% cooler. So which product is it? No hints on this one…you'll just have to listen and find out! Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/crazy-mini-products-make-your-brand-cool 👉 Join my community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The 8 Marketing Mistakes We Made in 2025 (and How to Fix Them in 2026)

Oct 30, 2025 21 min

2025 was a weird year for marketers..an avalanche of AI hype, output obsession, and soulless creative cycles. In this episode, Sarah and Nate dissect the biggest missteps brands made this year and what needs to change before 2026 hits. From mistaking outputs for outcomes to realizing AI isn't ready to think for us, they break down why "volume" culture is killing creativity and how to rebuild your strategy around clarity, authenticity, and actual human intelligence. Expect hard truths, some laughter about naming cows "Ribeye," and a challenge to run your own "What Could Go Wrong?" meeting before the new year. It's a roadmap for smarter, saner marketing in 2026…no AI attitude required. 👉 Join the community: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Two Truths and A Lie: Why the Weirdest Ads Work (and Yours Don't)

Oct 28, 2025 26 min

Ever seen an ad so bizarre you couldn't look away? A woman eating a boiled egg for 90 seconds. A cigarette brand that never showed the cigarette. A $40M Burger King campaign about a guy named Herb who'd never eaten there. In this episode, Nate and Sarah play Two Truths and a Lie: 1980s Ad Edition and then break down why the strangest, most nonsensical ads of the decade actually worked. We'll talk about: 🧠 Semantic Closure — why your brain can't stand an open loop. 🧩 Processing Fluency — how confusion turns into curiosity. 💀 Fear vs. Wonder — and why one still sells better than the other. 🎭 The Burger King campaign that cost $40M (and flopped for all the right reasons). It's a crash course in how to make people think about you later — even if your ad makes zero logical sense in the moment. If you've ever wondered why your "clever" creative underperforms, 👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Stop Staring at Me: The Weird Psychology of Eye Contact in Ads 👀

Oct 23, 2025 8 min

In this Brain Driven Brands episode, Nate and I unpack a wild little study that found ads can be 30% more effective depending on where your model's eyes are looking. Turns out, the difference between "I trust this brand with my organs" and "why is she looking at me like that?" comes down to whether your product is utilitarian or hedonic (fancy words for "practical" vs "fun"). We break down why eye contact builds trust for supplements and skincare—but looking away sells fashion and for-funsies products. TL;DR: Your model's gaze might be the cheapest conversion hack you've never tested. 👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

Sarah's $2,000 Haircut: Why "When" Beats "Why" in Marketing Every Time

Oct 21, 2025 30 min

On this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah's bad haircut spirals into a four-week behavioral case study—and an accidental masterclass in consumer psychology. From identity triggers ("am I that kind of person?") to timing misfires and disqualifying sales moments, this story exposes how every brand loses money by misunderstanding when a buyer is ready—not why. In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dissect: → Why "when" your customer feels safe matters more than "why" they buy. → How bias, timing, and trust signals silently make or break conversions. → The $2,000 mistake one salon made that every brand repeats online. If you've ever wondered why great products don't convert—or how to fix the sequence that kills your sales—this is your wake-up call. 🧠 Listen in and rethink every "why aren't they buying?" meeting you've ever had. 👉 Learn more how to become a psychology-based performance marketer: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

How to Turn Hate Comments Into Your Best Marketing Strategy

Oct 17, 2025 21 min

What if your next viral ad came from your meanest review? In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dive headfirst into the world of negative feedback, brand psychology, and emotional resilience—starting with a spicy listener review about Sarah's voice. 😅 From Liquid Death's savage comment campaigns to Domino's "We're Sorry for Sucking" rebrand, they unpack how smart brands turn criticism into currency (and why most founders take it way too personally). You'll learn: → Why consumers trust brands that own their flaws → The psychology behind "reversal bias" and "competence signaling" → How to decide if a bad comment is valid feedback—or just someone having a bad day A mix of humor, honesty, and a little therapy banter (don't worry, Nate's still anti-therapy 😆), this episode will make you rethink how you handle haters—and maybe even thank them for your next creative breakthrough. 🎧 Listen if: You've ever been roasted online, doubted your product, or wanted to clap back at a troll but turn it into a high-performing ad instead. 👉 Learn more how to apply psychology to your ads: skool.com/tether-lab\ CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

🎃 Scary Good Advertising: The Tango Slap, Diamond Shreddies, and the Pepsi Riot

Oct 14, 2025 22 min

In this Halloween-themed episode, Sarah and Nate dive into the wildest (and weirdest) campaigns in advertising history (the ones that shouldn't have worked… but somehow did.) From the Tango Orange Man who literally slapped sales up 33%, to the Diamond Shreddies intern who made millions by tilting a cereal 45 degrees, to Pepsi's 1992 Number Fever fiasco that sparked riots in the Philippines, this episode is a masterclass in how psychology, timing, and cultural context can make or break a campaign. Expect laughter, disbelief, and plenty of "wait, that actually worked?" moments...plus two challenges for listeners at the end. Because sometimes, genius isn't about doing more — it's about seeing differently. 👉 Learn more how to apply psychology to your ads: skool.com/tether-lab\ CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

The OK Soda Story: How One Brand Died Before It Began

Oct 9, 2025 18 min

Coca-Cola once tried to sell apathy in a can. They called it OK Soda — a grungy, "anti-brand" aimed at cynical Gen Xers. The ads were clever, the design was bizarre…and the product died within a year. In Episode 107, we dig into why "anti-branding" almost always backfires, why Liquid Death succeeded where Coke failed, and the psychology of why brands can't thrive on indifference. Inside the conversation: ✅ The real reason OK Soda flopped despite massive hype ✅ Why apathy is the weakest emotion you can build a brand on ✅ The key difference between active vs. passive emotions in marketing ✅ How today's "anti-agency agencies" and "non-beauty beauty brands" are repeating Coke's mistake ✅ Why rebellion only works if you give customers an identity to step into, not out of If you've ever wondered: Why some "anti" campaigns take off while others flatline How to pick the right emotion to anchor your brand around What Liquid Death nailed that Coke couldn't figure out And why fighting your own category is the fastest way to lose… …this one's for you. 👉 Learn how to become a psychology-based creative strategist: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/

The Weird Ad Length That Drove 40% More Traffic

Oct 7, 2025 22 min

What if everything you've been told about the "right" ad length is wrong? In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah and Nate dive into a surprising new study showing that one oddly specific video length outperformed the standard 15–30 second format — driving 40% more traffic and 3X engagement. They break down: Why shorter ads spark curiosity (and clicks) while longer ones stall The real "job" of an ad vs. your landing page Why benefit-first storytelling beats pain-point rambling Live ad-read experiments (yes, in under 10 seconds) Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/keep-video-ads-under-10-seconds 👉 Learn more how to apply psychology to your ads: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/ Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg

When to Use % Off vs. $ Off Discounts

Oct 2, 2025 20 min

We dropped a stat this week that stopped Nate in his tracks: brands can see up to 42% more sales just by framing discounts the right way. No new ads, no extra products...just choosing percent off vs. dollar off at the right moment. In Episode 105, we dig into the psychology behind that lift and why most brands blow Q4 by overcomplicating offers, stacking promos, and teaching customers not to trust them. Inside the conversation: ✅ The science behind when to use % off vs. $ off (and why it changes sitewide vs. single product) ✅ The 5 offer types we see every year — and which ones are worth your testing budget ✅ Why "combo deals" and "sale extended" emails wreck trust long-term ✅ Sequencing tactics (like Nate's "Better Than Black Friday" play) that build urgency without burning credibility ✅ Why sometimes the boldest Q4 strategy is raising prices, not cutting them If you've ever wondered: 1. How to simplify offers so customers don't need a calculator 2. Why half-off deals aren't always the flex you think they are 3. How to build trust during the most profitable month of the year 4. And why less discounting can actually mean more margin …this one's for you. Season 3 keeps pushing, and the data's spicy. 🧠 Source: https://app.sciencesays.com/p/coupons-when-to-give-10-off-vs-10 👉 Learn more about applying psychology to your ads: skool.com/tether-lab CoHost: Nate Lagos Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/ Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534 CoHost: Sarah Levinger Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/ Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/

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Podcast details

Created by: Sarah Levinger
Status: Active
Latest episode: Nov 11, 2026
Episodes: 154
Release period: Weekly
Avg. episode length: 22 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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