--- title: "The100: fantasies, fallacies and chocolate hobnobs" description: “Narcissism described as Strategy” Okay, stand back. This is powerful stuff and not for the faint hearted MRXer. It’s Martin Weigel with his Escape from Fantasy talk – and yes, we’ve now built a shrine for him (hand-hollowed out off the wall using unfurled paper clips)  at Watch Me Think towers. It’s next to Dave Trott’s. … image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(36).png --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: fantasies, fallacies and chocolate hobnobs - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: fantasies, fallacies and chocolate hobnobs - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Alistair Vince](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince) 12/08/2018 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs#postComment) 2 Minutes #### **“Narcissism described as Strategy”** Okay, stand back. This is powerful stuff and not for the faint hearted MRXer. It’s Martin Weigel with his [Escape from Fantasy](https://martinweigel.org/2018/10/15/escape-from-fantasy/) talk – and yes, we’ve now built a shrine for him (hand-hollowed out off the wall using unfurled paper clips)  at Watch Me Think towers. It’s next to Dave Trott’s. Martin happened to present this at our [Truth in Marketing](https://hello.watchmethink.com/the-power-of-finding-your-truth-in-marketing) shindig the other month – am I making those who didn’t come jealous yet? #### **This takes the biscuit** Guinness Surfer won [the world cup of ads](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/11/26/guinness-surfer-wins-the-world-cup-ads) organised by BBH – what you missed it? Yeah, so did most people. It had a grand total of 15,000 votes. So please note that in the [world cup of biscuits](https://metro.co.uk/2017/03/26/and-the-winner-in-richard-osmans-world-cup-of-biscuits-2017-is-6534120/) (yes, biscuits), there were 1.3 million votes. I think we know where the public’s priorities lie. And they’re not in Soho, London. #### **Difference between knowledge and data** I haven’t had a go at the issues with pure data use in a while. So double-win as WMT Shriner Dave Trott does that for me on why [data may be factual but it’s not necessarily the truth](http://davetrott.co.uk/2018/11/data-is-facts-not-the-truth/). #### **Champagne bars, dominatrixes & Bill Gates** All feature in *[The Fallacy of Market Research](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000182y)* (13m). As does Dave Trott 🙂 It’s part of Rory Sutherland’s excellent Radio 4 series *Thought Cages.* In this edition he talks about the need to avoid asking consumers what they want (“faster horses”), why creative people are afraid of the obvious, and the tale of 2 doctors… which is one you’re going to be retelling to others – guarantee it. #### **Brilliance & brutalisation of insights** Neil Perkin runs brilliant events across a multitude of topics and [in this month’s Firestarters](https://www.onlydeadfish.co.uk/only_dead_fish/2018/11/google-firestarters-30-the-brilliance-and-brutalisation-of-insight.html) he had 3 folks up to talk about Insights. Helen Edwards was the most pertinent to us (there are only so many planners you can listen to)… > *“Helen decried the kind of vague platitudes and generalisations that can often pass for insights (‘when my hair looks good I feel good’), saying that we need to work harder to define what a great insight is (like ‘little secrets hidden beneath the surface’ or ‘something that is weird-normal’).”* Her outline of the 4 key areas that make up a great insight are something we should take note of: - revelatory, - directive, - about them (not us), and - be currently unaddressed #### **Godfather of Fake News** You can make a business out of people’s propensity to unwittingly lie (see our tagline for further details), but [here’s a gentleman that makes money from lying outrageously](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_godfather_of_fake_news): > *BREAKING: Clinton Foundation Ship Seized at Port of Baltimore Carrying Drugs, Guns and Sex Slaves* While claiming he’s making a political point: > *“His aim is to trick conservative Americans into sharing false news, in the hope of showing what he calls their “stupidity””* You can make your own judgements on his actions, but first [do you need to make some judgements on yours](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EFHbruKEmw)? #### **“I need more trees please”** As you know we’re all for observation here, and this film does a stunning job of illustrating an issue perfectly. Every second of [this 100 second film](https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/space-nature-uk-100-seconds) is representative of 1% of land-use in the UK. Clever. Beautiful. Informative.   --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs&text=The100:%20fantasies,%20fallacies%20and%20chocolate%20hobnobs) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs&text=The100:%20fantasies,%20fallacies%20and%20chocolate%20hobnobsdescription=“Narcissism%20described%20as%20Strategy”%20Okay,%20stand%20back.%20This%20is%20powerful%20stuff%20and%20not%20for%20the%20faint%20hearted%20MRXer.&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/Untitled%20design%20%2836%29.png) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. Fill your boots. [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 04 September, 2026 #### [The100: Patterns that aren't, time well spent and the knights of Arundel](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) The leadership of sound bites It’s a strange old time in research and insights at the moment, eh?… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 21 August, 2026 #### [The100: Neurononsense, the gym test and the Republic of Olvana](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) Cite me if you can If I had a cent for every time I heard “95% of purchase decisions are… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 07 August, 2026 #### [The100: Discount loops, The Batman Effect and crimes against the Y axis](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) Yellow sticker syndrome Mark Ritson has staged an intervention against price promotions and given… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) - Get started - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/account/login) - [Sign up: Corporate User](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Sign up: Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - Resources - [Terms for Thinkers](https://watchmethink.com/terms) - [Terms for Adhoc Work](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-adhoc-work) - [Terms for Subscriptions](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-subscriptions) - [Terms for Agents](https://watchmethink.com/agent) - About - [Contact us](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [About us](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Privacy policy](https://watchmethink.com/privacy) - [Equality, diversity and labour standards](https://watchmethink.com/equality-diversity-labour-standards) - Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/watch-me-think) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/watchmethink) ![cyber-essentials-plus](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/cyber-essentials-plus.png?width=96&name=cyber-essentials-plus.png "cyber-essentials-plus") ![mrs-logo-cps](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/mrs-logo-cps.png?width=216&name=mrs-logo-cps.png "mrs-logo-cps") ![watch](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/watch.png?width=213&name=watch.png "watch") Watch Me Think © 2025. All rights reserved. ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1498698&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Alistair Vince", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince" }, "dateModified" : "2025-12-03T09:36:21.440Z", "datePublished" : "2018-12-08T09:30:17.000Z", "headline" : "The100: fantasies, fallacies and chocolate hobnobs", "image" : [ "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(36).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-fantasies-fallacies-and-chocolate-hobnobs", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/wmt_logo_rgb_for-web-1.png" }, "name" : "Watch Me Think" } } ```