--- title: "The100: self-reinforcing cultures and goats cheese chasers" description: "We’re back (panic over). Popping bubbles Years past, we’ve talked quite a bit about empathy and understanding the consumer better. You know: the echo chambers, the disparity between what you think and what others think, on why we understand people not-like-us less and less. There is a classic example that’s in the news now: the In/Out …" image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(37).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: self-reinforcing cultures and goats cheese chasers - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: self-reinforcing cultures and goats cheese chasers - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Alistair Vince](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince) 01/11/2019 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers#postComment) 1 Minutes We’re back (panic over). ### Popping bubbles Years past, we’ve talked quite a bit about empathy and understanding the consumer better. You know: the echo chambers, the disparity between what you think and what others think, on why we understand people not-like-us less and less. There is a classic example that’s in the news now: the In/Out (shake-it-all-about) referendum on Europe by the UK – stay awake please. **When *Vote Leave* won, many on the *Remain* side were left scratching their heads as to how it happened.** This long but fascinating [30 min talk from](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDbRxH9Kiy4&feature=youtu.be&t=180)[Dominic Cummings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDbRxH9Kiy4&feature=youtu.be&t=180) \[*Vote Leave* Campaign Director\] has some real gems in it that are applicable to businesses in every country: > “I started to do some market research to figure out what does the country actually think about this issue because I knew \[…\] that how London thinks and how the media think and how the world of communication professionals think is not necessarily at all how the public thinks.” He continued that within the *Remain* Campaign, there was a  *“Self-reinforcing culture”*  and they *“…relied on M&C Saatchi and various big advertising agencies who did a fairly rubbish job and lived in the bubble.”* Sound familiar? It’s no coincidence that our Consumer Closeness programmes were the fastest growing project type in 2018. [Fancy a chat? 🙂](mailto:alistair@watchmethink.com?subject=Consumer%20Closeness%20(The100)) ### **Petty brilliant** Given the utter mess that is Brexit, is it all glum in the UK? Tish tish, you should know us better… ICYMI, here are brilliantly typically British responses (and some delightful visitor interjections) to [a request from the New York times on experiencing petty crime in London](https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1073163135312384001?s=03). ### **I predict there will be predictions** It’s always a tough thing to do, but Ray Poynter has a great list of [predictions and themes for market research for 2019](http://newmr.org/blog/predictions-2019/). I’d draw your attention to numbers 4 (ahem, we can do already), 8 and 9… but maybe I’m biased 😉 For some fun prognostications, try these from [Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/2019-the-year-of). Seriously good. Goats cheese chaser anyone? ### **Moving onto Thin Ice** If you ever wondered how they make those laser sounds in all those sci-fi movies[ this is both weird and beautiful](https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/the-sound-of-ice-nordic-skating-on-thin-black-ice-sounds-like-lasers). To confirm, you wouldn’t catch me on thin black ice.  [I’ve watched the Omen 2](https://youtu.be/EsJaHykEdg0?t=40). ### **Maps** Oh yes \[rubs hands\]. A New Year, but our love of maps hasn’t dwindled. These [population mountains](https://pudding.cool/2018/12/3d-cities-story/) – *“a story about how to perceive the population of cities”* – are something else. Keep scrolling down, the mountains just keep on going up. Or on the lighter side, [these ‘terrible’ maps](http://literaryreference.tumblr.com/post/180993980610/terrible-maps) tickle me pink. A sample: Till next time…   --- #### 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-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers&text=The100:%20self-reinforcing%20cultures%20and%20goats%20cheese%20chasers) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers&text=The100:%20self-reinforcing%20cultures%20and%20goats%20cheese%20chasersdescription=We’re%20back%20(panic%20over).&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/Untitled%20design%20%2837%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. 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[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" : "2025-12-03T09:38:31.803Z", "datePublished" : "2019-01-11T12:51:51.000Z", "headline" : "The100: self-reinforcing cultures and goats cheese chasers", "image" : [ "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(37).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-self-reinforcing-cultures-and-goats-cheese-chasers", "@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" } } ```