Rory Sutherland

Deal, Sevenoaks

Author and Columnist at The Spectator

Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Group The Spectator's Wiki Man.

Articles

In defence of the Trump playbook

2 weeks ago | spectator.com.au | Rory Sutherland

The standard explanation for why charges for plastic bags reduced waste is economic. People were reluctant to pay 10p for a bag and so brought their own instead. This is partly true. But it would still be highly effective if the charge for a bag were merely 1p. That’s because charging any amount, however trifling, was sufficient to change the implicit assumptions about normal retail behaviour.
In defence of the Trump playbook

2 weeks ago | spectator.co.uk | Rory Sutherland

The standard explanation for why charges for plastic bags reduced waste is economic. People were reluctant to pay 10p for a bag and so brought their own instead. This is partly true. But it would still be highly effective if the charge for a bag were merely 1p. That’s because charging any amount, however trifling, was sufficient to change the implicit assumptions about normal retail behaviour.
A challenge for the electric car sceptics

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Rory Sutherland

I once heard of a couple who were teachers in their mid-fifties. Having pooled the proceeds from selling both their flats when they moved in together in the 1990s, they found themselves in the happy position of owning a mortgage-free west London house worth more than £1 million. He was originally from Norfolk, and was eager to move back to a larger and prettier country home costing half the price.
A challenge for the electric car sceptics

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Rory Sutherland

I once heard of a couple who were teachers in their mid-fifties. Having pooled the proceeds from selling both their flats when they moved in together in the 1990s, they found themselves in the happy position of owning a mortgage-free west London house worth more than £1 million. He was originally from Norfolk, and was eager to move back to a larger and prettier country home costing half the price. They could then bank £500,000 in tax-free profits, retire early and travel the world.
How emotions shape our decision-making

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Rory Sutherland

Ask any estate agent: most potential house buyers arrive with a detailed list of criteria for their new home, only to end up buying a property which meets almost none of them. The same is true of dating – few of us are married to people chosen on the basis of an initial checklist.
How emotions shape our decision-making

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Rory Sutherland

Ask any estate agent: most potential house buyers arrive with a detailed list of criteria for their new home, only to end up buying a property which meets almost none of them. The same is true of dating – few of us are married to people chosen on the basis of an initial checklist.
The case for cars

1 month ago | thespectator.com | Rory Sutherland

Rob Henderson is justly famous for coining the phrase “luxury beliefs.” These are opinions which are unshakeably held irrespective of any countervailing evidence, either because the display of such opinions confers status on the holder, or else because adherence to them is an article of faith among some social or professional group in which you need to be seen to belong.
Why Texas is the perfect vacation destination

1 month ago | thespectator.com | Rory Sutherland

Business travel isn’t quite the perk it is cracked up to be. For one thing, you have no say about where you go or when (New Yorkers are rude about London weather, but their own city is uninhabitable for four months of the year). Even when the weather is perfect, you often have no opportunity to extend your stay, so most of your time is spent in airports and meetings. The taxi from the airport may be the cultural highlight of the whole trip.
Texas is the perfect holiday destination

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Rory Sutherland

Business travel isn’t quite the perk it is cracked up to be. For one thing, you have no say about where you go or when (New Yorkers are rude about London weather, but their own city is uninhabitable for four months of the year). Even when the weather is perfect, you often have no opportunity to extend your stay, so most of your time is spent in airports and meetings.
Texas is the perfect holiday destination

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Rory Sutherland

Here we go again. For those who drew up the convoluted regulations around police misconduct, the decision to proceed with a disciplinary hearing against the policeman who shot dead the notorious gangster Chris Kaba makes perfect sense. For most people though, it’s utter madness. A trial at the Old Bailey, where footage of the incident was