Author: Karina Karn

For decades, psychologists have investigated how much influence shapes awareness and consciousness. Today, behavioural science and consumer neuroscience provide a clear answer. People notice, process and remember brands not because they are the loudest or the most visible, but because attention is biased by preference, emotion and expectation. Brands that understand this mechanism gain a measurable competitive advantage. Research from the late twentieth century introduced two major systems of attention. Bottom up attention is automatic. It is driven by external stimuli such as colour, contrast, movement or novelty. This is why striking packaging, powerful headlines or distinctive shapes can capture…

For decades, marketers assumed that consumers made choices through rational comparison. Today, behavioural science shows that most decisions begin long before conscious reasoning ever enters the process. Memory recall, visual stimuli and past experiences work together to guide behaviour automatically. These subconscious forces shape preferences, influence attention and determine which brands feel right even when consumers cannot explain why. The subconscious processes thousands of cues every second. Visual input is one of the most influential. Since the mid-twentieth century, psychologists have demonstrated that the brain processes visual information faster than any other form of data. A single colour, shape or…

Most marketers speak about attention, but very few understand the deeper system that determines whether a brand stays in the mind or disappears instantly. Behavioural science shows that every consumer decision depends on how different types of memory work together. Sensory memory, working memory and long term memory each play a distinct role in shaping brand recognition and loyalty. Sensory memory is the first gateway. It lasts only milliseconds, yet it determines whether a stimulus is strong enough to register at all. A distinctive colour palette, a sharp sound logo or a unique packaging silhouette can penetrate this fast filter.…

For decades, marketers believed that consumer habits were fixed patterns formed early in life. Yet modern behavioural science and neuroscience reveal a very different picture. The human brain is far more adaptive than once imagined. Since the late twentieth century, research on neuroplasticity has shown that the brain can rewire itself, strengthen new pathways and unlearn old behaviours. This discovery has transformed not only clinical psychology but also the way brands understand consumer decision making. Neuroplasticity, a term that became widely recognised after the 1970s, refers to the brain’s ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections. These changes…

Long before modern behavioural science existed, scholars attempted to explain how humans make decisions. One of the earliest thinkers was Avicenna (c. 980–1037), the Persian polymath who argued that the mind does not simply receive information. Instead, it actively constructs meaning through perception, emotion and internal imagery. His view that inner states guide outward behaviour remains a powerful foundation for understanding consumer psychology today. Modern neuroscience has expanded Avicenna’s insight with precise biological detail. When a person encounters a stimulus, the brain initiates a rapid sequence of events. Sensory information is routed through the thalamus and then passed to the…

Brand strategy isn’t just about messaging, market share or differentiation. At its core, it’s about mastery, of narrative, of energy, of timing. And that’s exactly what karate teaches. 1. Strike with intention, not noise In a world of startups shouting over each other, real strategy is quiet and deliberate. Karate doesn’t waste movement – neither should your brand. Don’t post more. Don’t shout louder. Hit where it matters. Silence that lands like thunder. 2. Read your opponent before they move Before a punch is thrown, a karateka reads intention. In brand strategy, that’s behavioural insight. Your job isn’t to convince…

Ulysses heard the call of the sea. Founders heard the call of freedom Long before we spoke of “startups” and “exits,” the world had already witnessed its first founder: Odysseus, the mythic king who chose discomfort over comfort, adventure over legacy, and truth over convenience. He left behind a kingdom not because he lacked power – but because something inside him demanded more. A force not unlike what today’s entrepreneurs feel when they leave salaries, titles, or safety in pursuit of something they can’t quite explain… yet refuse to ignore. The Founder’s Inner Compass Startups may pitch “innovation” – but…

In today’s hyper-saturated landscape, it’s not lack of talent or ambition that holds most founders back, it’s decision fatigue, misalignment, and unconscious psychological traps. As a behavioural strategist working with e-commerce founders and purpose-driven brands, I’ve seen how the smallest mindset shifts can unlock massive strategic clarity. Below are 5 traps I see most often — and the psychology-backed ways to avoid them. 1. The “More is More” Myth Trap: Founders try to out-market the competition by doing more, more content, more ads, more noise. Why it happens: Scarcity mindset + social comparison. The fix: Lean into Blue Ocean thinking. Ask: What can I…

Often, the real constraint lies within the founder or leadership team itself: unresolved psychological patterns that quietly influence decision-making, pricing, visibility, and long-term positioning. In business, growth is rarely limited by access to information, strategy, or even capital. More often, the real constraint lies within the founder or leadership team itself: unresolved psychological patterns that quietly influence decision-making, pricing, visibility, and long-term positioning. The Invisible Weight: Psychological Operational Blocks Many leaders operate under unseen internal weights: Fear of increasing prices despite proven value Hesitation to fully step into market visibility Avoidance of critical hiring or delegation decisions Chronic second-guessing driven…

The Missing Layer Behind Pricing, Exposure & Scaling Blocks In the architecture of founder-led businesses, decision-making failures are rarely the result of weak strategy. More often, they are behavioural reflections of an internal imbalance: an emotional containment deficit. Founders tend to operate with high cognitive control – excellent at execution, planning, and problem-solving -but often underdeveloped in emotional regulation and internal stabilisation. This imbalance leaves the “emotional matter” (the invisible, less structured content) unmanaged. When emotional material remains uncontained: Through pattern observation, not speculation, I study how emotional matter – or unprocessed internal material – manifests operationally inside the business…