Nancy Harhut

Nancy Harhut is a recognized expert in behavioral science and marketing, serving as co-founder and chief creative officer of HBT Marketing. HBT Marketing is a consultancy specializing in the application of human behavior techniques in marketing, with clients including H&R Block, AARP, and Transamerica. Harhut focuses on integrating creative strategy with decision science to drive customer response. Before co-founding HBT Marketing, she held senior creative management roles at Hill Holliday, Mullen, and Digitas.

Harhut has been named an Online Marketing Institute Top 40 Digital Strategist and a Hatch Top 100 Creative Influencer, and she has received multiple International ECHO Awards for marketing effectiveness. She has developed integrated campaigns for startups and major brands such as AT&T, Nationwide, Bank of America, and H&R Block.

Harhut’s interest in behavioral science began early in her advertising career after reading "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Robert Cialdini. She has since applied behavioral science principles to marketing for more than a decade, authoring her own book on the subject. Her approach has contributed to significant results, including generating $68 million in incremental revenue for Nationwide, establishing seven controls for the GM Card, and creating one of H&R Block’s most successful campaigns.

Harhut is the author of "Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses." The book has received recognition in the marketing industry, earning the American Marketing Association Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award, the National Indie Excellence Award in Marketing & Public Relations, and the NYC Big Book Award in Marketing & Public Relations. The book covers behavioral principles such as autonomy bias, social proof, loss aversion, and cognitive fluency, providing marketers with strategies to create more effective campaigns.

Harhut has been acknowledged for her work in B2C, B2B, and nonprofit marketing, including being named one of the 10 Most Fascinating People in B2B Marketing, a Social Top 50 Email Marketing Leader, and a Top 40 Digital Strategist. She is a member of the International ECHO Board of Governors and the Echo Academy of Direct Marketing Arts and Sciences, and holds certifications in social media and search marketing from the DMA. Her articles and insights have appeared in Admap, US Ad Review, Target Marketing, DM News, Graphis Magazine, B@B Magazine, Who's Mailing What, Copywriting Insider, and Rachael Ray Every Day.

Harhut specializes in combining creative techniques with behavioral science to prompt response across digital, print, and in-person channels. She is known for delivering practical, actionable advice in her presentations. Harhut has spoken at events in London, Sydney, Moscow, Madrid, Stockholm, Sao Paulo, Berlin, and throughout the United States, including multiple engagements at SXSW and HubSpot's UNBOUND marketing and sales event.