The Marketing Millennials How Marketing Psychology + AI Will Boost Your Results Faster and Easier with Bas Wouters, Founder of the Online Influence Institute | Ep. 402
Mar 20, 2026
Bas Wouters, founder of the Online Influence Institute and behavioral design author, applies persuasion science to boost conversions. He discusses how most decisions are emotional, the power of System 1 thinking, and simple tweaks like removing options, shortening copy, and reframing social proof. He also covers using AI to scale behavioral frameworks across marketing.
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Marketers Ignore How Decisions Are Made
- Most marketers optimize ads, creative, or targeting instead of how people actually make decisions.
- Bas Wouters argues this mistake means teams are optimising noise rather than the mental triggers that drive conversion.
System 1 Runs The Decision
- Daniel Kahneman's System 1 (fast, shortcut-driven) makes ~95% of decisions while System 2 (slow, rational) is effortful.
- Bas stresses design should trigger System 1 because most choices are made emotionally and quickly.
Long Decisions Still End With Emotion
- Even long deliberation often ends with a System 1 trigger at the moment of choice.
- Bas uses leasing executive car choice to show social cues or likeability ultimately decide between similar options.