Episode · My First Million · 2026-07-27
Books mentioned on Killer marketing tricks Amex, Apple and Domino's use on you - Rory Sutherland
Rory Sutherland recommended Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, Obvious Adams by Robert R. Updegraff, Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins, How To Become An Advertising Man by James Webb Young, The choice factory by Richard Shotton, and The Illusion of Choice by Richard Shotton, and discussed Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and The Game by Neil Strauss.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Unreasonable Hospitality
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara is a celebrated business and leadership book that details how extraordinary, personalized service can transform a great organization into an unforgettable experience.
Recommended“Now, I first came across this in Will Guidara's fantastic book Unreasonable Hospitality.”
Where to get it
-
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman explores the dual systems of the human mind that drive how people think, make choices, and commit cognitive errors.
Discussed“And he in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, I don't know if you read that, Sean, but one of his like one of the famous examples was The Economist, I think it was, or something like that.”
Where to get it
-
The Game
The Game by Neil Strauss is a non-fiction book that explores the secretive underworld of pickup artistry and social dynamics.
Discussed“I don't know if you've read The Rules by um I think I think it's called The Game by Neil Strauss, actually, about the pickup artist community. It's quite an interesting book.”
Where to get it
-
Obvious Adams
Obvious Adams by Robert R.
Recommended“Obvious Adams, Robert Updegraff, published in 1960.”
Where to get it
-
Scientific Advertising
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins is a classic business text that treats advertising as an exact, measurable science rooted in consumer behavior and empirical testing.
Recommended“Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins, for example.”
Where to get it
-
How To Become An Advertising Man
How To Become An Advertising Man by James Webb Young is a classic guide on the principles of copywriting and the advertising industry written by a veteran of the agency J.
Recommended“There's a book called How to Become an Advertising Man by James Webb Young, who was at J. Walter Thompson in Chicago for many years.”
Where to get it
-
The choice factory
Richard Shotton's popular book explores behavioral science and counterintuitive psychology in marketing.
Recommended“Richard Shotton has written some superb books called, for example, The Choice Factory or The Illusion of Choice.”
Where to get it
-
The Illusion of Choice
The Illusion of Choice by Richard Shotton is a compelling exploration of behavioral science that reveals the hidden psychological biases and cognitive shortcuts governing consumer decision-making.
Recommended“Richard Shotton has written some superb books called, for example, The Choice Factory or The Illusion of Choice.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Alchemy I call my book because you can turn lead into gold.”
“There's a wonderful story I always tell, which is Richard Thaler, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and behavioral economist, the author of Nudge.”