It's not real!
It’s Not Real is the podcast that takes a scalpel to the stories we tell ourselves. Hosted by Dr Paul Harrison, consumer psychologist, academic, and media commentator, each episode unpacks the real evidence behind why we do what we do, how the world actually works, and the myths we cling to in order to make life a little easier. From marketing spin to social norms, from economic fictions to psychological blind spots, It’s Not Real cuts through the noise with sharp analysis, candid conversations, and a healthy dose of skepticism. Because sometimes, the things we believe… just aren’t real.
Episodes
30 episodes
30: In the Lap of Luxury (Talking Shop Reboot/Repeat)
In this fourth episode of our special six-part reboot of Talking Shop, the 2015 ABC podcast I co-hosted with Kirsten Drysdale, we explore the irresistible pull of luxury goods. From Belgian chocolate and French champagne to understated...
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22:44
29: The Paradox of Ethical Consumption (Talking Shop Reboot)
In this third episode from Talking Shop, the ABC podcast I hosted with Kirsten Drysdale in 2015, we dive into the complexities of ethical consumption; why it’s so hard to define, and even harder to practise. We explore the contradictio...
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25:30
28: Cashless (Talking Shop Reboot)
This is the second of six Talking Shop episodes from 2015, where Kirsten Drysdale and I explored the evidence behind marketing. Just like on It’s Not Real, we uncover how subtle influences shape what we think is real, especial...
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20:12
27: Buying Happiness (Talking Shop Reboot)
In this first of six special episodes, we revisit Talking Shop, the 2015 ABC podcast I hosted with Kirsten Drysdale. The themes we explored — how businesses shape our choices, the psychology behind persuasion, and the tricks of the tra...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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25:30
26: Special Christmas Edition - Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly to Soften Service Failure Evaluations
In this special edition of The Marketing Lab, I have a quick chat with Associate Professor Josh Newton about his research into how the mere presence of Christmas decorations lead people to soften their evaluations of a personally experienced se...
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8:34
25: Authenticity, Small Business and the Indian-Australian Experience
In our final episode for 2021, our guest is Uppma Virdi, Deakin Alumni, Head Spice Dealer, Founder and CEO of Chai Walli, a female-centric, female owned small Australian business who are passionate about ...
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27:26
24: Moral Peacocking and the Tragedy of Social Media
Whether you use it to stay connected or as part of your marketing strategy, social media is integral for communication. But what happens when everything goes horribly wrong, like it did for Justine Sacco when sent her one-hundred-and-seventy tw...
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52:06
23: Start-Ups with an Ethical Motive
In this episode of The Marketing Lab at Deakin, we talk to Gordon Renouf, Co-Founder & CEO of Good On You, the world-leading source of trusted brand ratings, articles and expertise on ethical and sustain...
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42:46
22: Modelling Your Way Out of Trouble
In this episode of The Marketing Lab at Deakin we talk to Dr Ali Tamaddoni from Deakin's Marketing Department about how we can use models and machine learning to understand why people change brands and also how religiosity influences online rev...
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41:39
21: Competition, Regulation and Consumer Protection
We often think that marketers simply have to sell stuff to consumers, but marketing also requires an awareness of the context in which the business operates. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission promotes competition and fa...
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35:49
20: Listening to First Nations' Voices
This week (4 - 11 July) is NAIDOC week in Australia. NAIDOC is a celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s an opportunity for all Australians, not just the Indigenous commu...
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41:02
19: Food Marketing and Wellbeing, Part Two
Marketers are often portrayed in an unsophisticated way - that they are evil manipulators that are trying to get us to buy things we don’t want. But there are areas of marketing, like macro marketing and social marketing, where marketers are at...
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50:42
18: Food Marketing and Wellbeing, Part One
In this episode of the marketing lab, we talk food marketing and wellbeing with Alice Zaslavsky (Alice in Frames), and Deakin Alumnus, Moreen Kamau (Deliveroo) and Dr Michaela Jackson (RMIT). Food is such a critical part of culture, wellbeing a...
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44:45
17: The Marketing Lab: What's it all about?
In this episode of The Marketing Lab, we explore the arcane world of universities, university departments, and research. Paul and Gini talk with Professor Andre Bonfrer, Head of Department at Deakin Business School's Department of ...
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43:50
16: Membership, Loyalty and Stakeholder Engagement
In this episode we explored the murky world of loyalty, stakeholder relation and engagement. I was joined by Alexandra Crow, the Head of Corporate and Stakeholder Engagement at the Richmond Football Club, Tanya Gallina, the General ...
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59:01
15: The Power of Language
In our reimagined podcast, The Lab at Deakin, Paul and Gini (Virginia) Weber interrogate the power of language, how butter is made, and whether you really are politically correct or just being some ill-defined misanthrope.The Marketing ...
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32:27
14: Performing roles, self-complexity and responsibilisation
Living is hard, but in the end are you totally responsible for your wellbeing, or should governments and businesses also care.In this episode of Listen to this, Paul and Gini tackle the conundrums of accidental subjectification in socia...
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39:37
13: The Scientific Method, Embracing Uncertainty and the limits of Research and Science
In this episode of The Lab at Deakin, we take a deep dive into the scientific method. What it is, why it's important, and how we need to embrace it if we are going to progress. On the journey we talk about Star Wars and the Sith, Brett Sutton, ...
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54:59
12: In the lap of luxury: Talking Shop
From the archivesWhat’s your favourite luxury item—Belgian chocolate, French champagne, one of those plain but very expensive English trench coats?Paul Harrison and Kirsten Drysdale look at the psychology of expensive bran...
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22:44
11: Crisis management, the benefits of honesty in difficult times and how to build your reputation when things look grim
How do you manage an airline engine failure, a potential prime minister with a penchant for visiting strip clubs by accident, or a Covid crisis? In this episode of Listen to this, we talk to Deakin University's Adjunct Professor of ...
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1:25:35
10: Trust in social media, the new “normal” and conspiracy theories
We're being told that the new "normal" is coming, but I still haven't worked out the old normal. Who is in charge of all these normals... Could the world's populist leaders be suffering from actor-observer asymmetry and which conspiracy theory ...
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49:42
9: Merging the Digital World with Behavioural Insights
In this episode of The Lab at Deakin, Paul is joined by Gemma Anderson, Director of Performance and Growth, Deakin University and Dr Gini Weber, Chair of the Psychology and Marketing program in Deakin Business School. Paul and his guests discus...
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59:05
8: Truth, adaptation and ScoMo messaging
What is truth in the era of CoVid-19? How can businesses adapt? And what is an agentic male response to ScoMo? Those questions and more will be answered in this episode of Listen to this...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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45:50
7: Unselling and Demarketing - Interview on ABC Radio
If we think about the product offering a range of benefits, we can see how this might also be communicated through packaging and the service environment. Aesop, for example, has changed the way that companies package and sell beaut...
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20:09
6: Hitting them where it hurts - advertising boycotts, Alan Jones and climate change activism
In this episode of Listen to This we look into how young people can change the course of history, how advertisers should probably choose where to put their money, and the ins and outs of ethical behaviour in marketing.
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45:23
