WINSOME MARKETING BLOG

Let's go deep.

GET ON THE LIST

Behavior

Marketing has entered its absurdist phase—messages that mean nothing, branding divorced from products, campaigns optimized for engagement over coherence. We examine why meaninglessness became a strategy.

4 min read

Absurdism in Advertising: When Meaning Breaks Down in Marketing Messages

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Jan 5, 2026 8:00:02 AM

"Live más." What does that mean? Taco Bell won't tell you. They've trademarked ambiguity, built a brand on linguistic emptiness that consumers fill...

Behavior Digital marketing Communication Advertising
READ NOW
very UX designer knows dark patterns work. Fewer ask whether they should. We examine the ethical boundary between influence and exploitation—and why crossing it destroys long-term value.

4 min read

The Ethics of Dark Patterns: Where Persuasion Becomes Manipulation

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Jan 5, 2026 8:00:01 AM

Your modal window has three buttons. The one you want says "Maybe later" in gray, size 10 font. The one they want you to click says "YES! UPGRADE...

Behavior Ethics Digital marketing Communication
READ NOW
Your audience isn't ignoring you—their brains have habituated to your patterns. Neuroscience reveals why consistent messaging creates neural blindness and how to break habituation without destroying brand identity.

4 min read

Habituation in Digital Marketing: When Repetition Kills Engagement

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Dec 29, 2025 8:00:01 AM

You send the same newsletter format every Tuesday. Same layout, same tone, same call-to-action placement. Open rates decline 3% monthly. You blame...

Behavior Digital marketing Engagement
READ NOW
Subscription models promised convenience. They delivered exhaustion. Cultural anthropology reveals why consumers are rejecting recurring charges—and it's not about the money.

4 min read

The Anthropology of Subscription Fatigue: Why Consumers Are Canceling Everything

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Dec 29, 2025 7:59:59 AM

Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox, Adobe, NYT, Peloton, HelloFresh, Dollar Shave Club, LinkedIn Premium, YouTube Premium, ChatGPT Plus, Calm, Headspace, and...

Behavior Customer experience Subscription models
READ NOW
B2B buyers claim they make logical decisions, but anthropological research reveals the real forces at play: tribal dynamics, status systems, and ancient social behaviors that determine enterprise purchases.

4 min read

The Anthropology of B2B Decision Making: Why Logic Isn't Logical

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Sep 1, 2025 8:00:00 AM

B2B buyers insist they make rational decisions. They create vendor scorecards. They calculate ROI. They demand data-driven justifications.

Sales Behavior B2B Marketing
READ NOW
Discover how brands use behavioral synchrony and unconscious mimicry to create deeper connections, exploring the psychology behind authentic engagement and social resonance.

5 min read

Behavioral Synchrony: How Brands Create Unconscious Connection Through Mimicry

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Jul 17, 2025 10:02:33 AM

When two people fall into conversational rhythm—finishing each other's sentences, mirroring posture, matching speaking pace—they've entered a state...

Branding Behavior
READ NOW
Discover why we buy from brands that mirror our beliefs.

3 min read

Worldview and Consumer Behavior: The Role of Worldview in Brand Loyalty

Picture of Writing Team Writing Team: Mar 31, 2025 3:12:04 PM

We rarely acknowledge how deeply our worldviews shape our purchasing decisions. Beyond features and benefits lies a more profound motivation—we...

Marketing Psychology Behavior
READ NOW
Discover how cognitive shortcuts shape consumer decisions and how to ethically leverage them in your marketing strategy.

6 min read

Mental Shortcuts: How Heuristics and Biases Shape Consumer Choices

Picture of Joy Youell Joy Youell: Mar 18, 2025 10:08:38 AM

Consumers make hundreds of decisions daily, from routine purchases to complex investments. But how do they navigate this constant decision-making...

Behavior
READ NOW
Learn to apply psychological insights at each stage of the buyer's journey for more effective marketing campaigns.

4 min read

Decoding Consumer Decision-Making

Picture of Joy Youell Joy Youell: Mar 17, 2025 6:41:43 PM

Have you ever wondered why consumers choose one product over another when both seem virtually identical? Or why your perfectly logical marketing...

Behavior Behavioral economics ACE Course
READ NOW
Discover how behavioral economics transforms marketing strategies by understanding the psychology behind consumer decisions.

3 min read

Behavioral Economics: The Science Behind Effective Marketing

Picture of Joy Youell Joy Youell: Mar 17, 2025 6:30:05 PM

Traditional marketing approaches often assume consumers make purely rational, self-interested choices—but the reality is far more complex. Enter...

Behavior Behavioral economics ACE Course
READ NOW
1 2 Next