TED Talks are non-profit conferences during where the world’s leading thinkers share and discuss their ideas and thoughts in their field. They are a great resourceful those hungry to expand their knowledge or get some inspiration about a specific topic – and can be pretty useful for marketers!

Whether it’s the fundamentals of branding considered in the context of physics, how to sell condoms in the Congo or how to come up with great creative ideas – here are 5 TED Talks, we believe every marketer should watch:

1. Dan Cobley: What physics taught me about marketing

In this seven and a half minute video, Dan Cobley explains how scientific, physics principles can be used to explain the basic theories of marketing and branding. A fresh and interesting approach that shows marketing from a new perspective.

2. Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man 

“There is no correlation between quality and enjoyment in wine. Except when you tell the people how expensive it is, in which case they tend to enjoy the more expensive stuff more.”

A funny, humorous talk in which Advertising guru Rory Sutherland explains how advertising adds intangible value to products by simply changing our perceptions rather than the products itself.

3. Steve Johnson: Where good ideas come from

A great talk for anyone working in the creative industry. In this talk, Writer Steven Johnson claims that creative ideas thrive in collaborative environments. According to him,  groundbreaking ideas happen when people share and build on each other’s ideas – and we couldn’t agree more!

4. Seth Godin: The tribes that we lead 

Blogger and Entrepreneur Seth Godin specialises in the marketing of ideas in the digital age. In ‘The tribes we lead’, he argues that the Internet has led to the end of mass marketing and revived the idea of human social groups from the past: tribes. He explains how the internet allows us to form communities  and connect with people with similar interests to us – and how these ‘tribes’ can be used to share ideas and values – giving people the power to lead and make big changes. A great, very relevant talk that explores how digital technology influences marketing and consumer behaviour.

5. Amy Lockwood: Selling condoms in Congo 

In this quick-fire 4-minute talk, Amy Lockwood emphasises how important it is to always consider your target audience and their needs and demonstrates how marketing can influence people’s buying behaviour through the example of ‘selling condoms in the Congo’.  A short but effective reminder that you need to truly understand your audience if you want to sell your products effectively.