Whether it’s air fryers or AI, the adoptability of new ideas and tech comes down to understanding consumer behavior and how well a product is marketed, argues British advertising executive, author, and behavioral scientist Rory Sutherland on this week’s episode of bigcitysmalltown.
Podcast host Bob Rivard left the comfort of a quiet studio this week to host a fireside chat with Sutherland in front of a live audience at the Geekdom Events Center inside the Rand Building, where the two storytellers jumped into a lively and humorous conversation about San Antonio’s weaknesses and strengths as a city.
The discussion opened with Sutherland sharing his fondness for Texas and the American Southwest, citing its charm, warmth and distinct identity.
Reflecting on his family’s agricultural roots and quirky cultural parallels, Sutherland emphasized his affection for the region’s character and expressed interest in helping tackle local issues, starting, as he joked, with a brief on garbage collection and illegal dumping.
Sutherland also discussed the success of the “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign, how language can alter behavior, and the dangers of assuming people act rationally.
“There’s a colleague of mine in London who’s actually an anthropologist,” Sutherland said. “He’s American, but he’s made a study of the whole campaign, and it’s just a remarkable case of … a very cunning use of language.” By tying Texans’ identity to being anti-litter, the campaign succeeded, he goes on to explain.
Sutherland also pointed to other examples from his book “Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life” and other anecdotes from advertising to explain how subtle cues can be more effective than direct commands.
Throughout the discussion, Sutherland illustrated how understanding human behavior, not just logic, is key to influence and innovation.
He extended this thinking to urban identity and tourism, noting how cities like San Antonio struggle with inferiority complexes despite offering what he called rich, authentic experiences. He pointed to Chicago as an example of excellent architecture that often gets pushed aside by the more well-known New York City.
He says as a Brit, he’s not impressed with cities like San Francisco, Boston and New York because “they’re kind of like trying to be European cities.”
“What I like are American cities that are entirely their own thing,” he said.
By showcasing what makes your city different rather than highlighting how it’s the same as other big cities, that’s how San Antonio can succeed in marketing itself, Sutherland went on to say.
“I was going to write a tourist book, funny enough, which San Antonio would definitely be featured in, which is basically, ‘How to visit the third most obvious destination in every place,’ because I think we’re coming to a point where the third most obvious place to go is often more interesting than the most obvious,” Sutherland said.
He noted that when everyone tries to copy successful places, a lot of sameness happens, which no one remembers, but it’s different experiences — whether that’s a free cookie from the Double Tree or an electric tea kettle — that stick out to humans.
That’s why cities that are unique, like San Antonio, are going to quietly win in the long run, Sutherland says — because people will get bored with big cities where the “winner takes all” effect is happening and will seek out the places that are different.
“So the same thing happens in tourism, where sometimes quite arbitrary things will create a kind of tipping point, and this winner-takes-all disproportion takes over,” he said.
Ultimately, the discussion, which was closed out with a Q-and-A from the audience, highlighted the crucial role of understanding human psychology in crafting effective solutions.
Asked by one audience member, “What is the third best city to visit in the British Isles?” Sutherland pondered for a moment before responding London and Edinburgh are probably one and two, but the third would be the English countryside by car. He argued it’s better to travel to new places by car rather than fly because you get to experience views and stops that others often do not experience off the beaten path.
Whether in marketing, urban planning, or technology, he argued that the key to success lies in designing environments that facilitate the adoption of new behaviors and make them socially acceptable.
“The opposite of a good idea can be another good idea,” he said.
