Darwin, ideas and advertising
Why we buy what we buy, and what Darwin can tell us about it
John Wood is a brand strategist who applies evolutionary thinking to advertising, culture and human behaviour.
About
Our brains evolved for a world of predators, tribes and scarce resources. They now spend their days choosing between ketchups, scrolling past adverts and deciding who to trust. Most of the instincts that kept our ancestors alive are still running the show. They're just pointed at different things.
I've spent 30 years in brand and marketing strategy, and I run JC Strategy, a UK consultancy working with consumer and business-to-business brands. Alongside that work, I write about the evolutionary roots of how we think, feel, and buy, and why the answers are often stranger and more useful than textbook explanations.
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Darwin, Ideas and Advertising
A blog about evolution, behaviour and the business of persuasion. Why we love brands, fear strangers, follow crowds and judge books by their covers, and what that means for anyone trying to change what people think or do.
SubscribeThe book
Hair-Brained
Hair is never just hair. It signals faith, gender, status, rebellion, age and identity, often all at once. Hair-Brained explores what our hair says about us, from religion and art to fashion, the beard, hair loss and the future of hair. Each chapter pairs my perspective with a leading expert voice.
Coming in 2027
Work with me
Through JC Strategy, I help brands understand the people they're trying to reach and turn that understanding into positioning, messaging and creative strategy that works.
www.jcstrategy.co.ukTalks and interviews
I speak and write about evolutionary psychology, behavioural science and branding for marketing audiences and general readers alike. For talks, podcasts or commissioned articles, get in touch.