Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [82]
Assume that you are advertising a three-day conference to busy people. How should you advertise to increase the likelihood of attendance?
5.4.2. Seek early commitment for time-consuming activities
I was sitting in a meeting counting the hours until I could leave. From my perspective, nothing useful was occurring. People in the group kept talking about how busy they were this year. Near the end of the meeting someone said, “Why don’t we have a meeting like this next year?” I was the lone protestor. Why did everyone else agree? Perhaps they imagined they would not be so busy next year.
When asked to do something in the near future, people are more aware of the constraints and more likely to focus on the negatives. But if asked to participate in something in the distant future, they are more likely to focus on the positive aspects and be optimistic about having the time or resources.
When resistance is expected, it is more persuasive to seek a time commitment well in advance. This principle strikes me as common sense.
Assume that you are trying to raise money for a charity using a direct mail campaign. Which approach would produce the largest amount of donations: a request for “$5 or $10 or $25” or for “$50 or $100 or $250”?
5.4.3. Consider making small requests
The American Cancer Society faced this donation question. One approach is to think in terms of possible objections that donors might make. An obvious objection is that they have limited money for charitable donations and have not budgeted to make another. To overcome this objection, make a small request. This principle is relevant mainly for social causes.
Evidence on effects of small requests
Four pairs of college students went door-to-door seeking donations for the American Cancer Society from 84 adult residents of a middle-income suburban housing area. In the control condition, the solicitors delivered a standard plea: “Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?” Half the time, they added the phrase, “Even a penny will help” to overcome people’s objections that they have limited funds for charities. Of those who were told that “even a penny will help,” almost twice as many donated. The contribution per person was the same for each group: thus, the technique doubled the amount donated (Cialdini and Schroeder 1976).
Back to the question on the charity. Experimenters sent 6,000 mail advertisements for American Cancer Society: for one-third, a control group, no specific amount was requested; one-third were asked for small donations ($5, $10, or $25); and one-third were asked for large donations ($50, $100, or $250). In comparison with the large requests, about 2.5 times as many people who received a request for small amounts donated, and, on average, individuals in each group gave approximately the same amount. Thus, asking for small donations brought in 2.5 times more money than asking for large donations (Weyant and Smith 1987).
This principle runs counter to the practices that many advertisers use. That said, the principle does not always provide better results, so more research is needed on the conditions.
5.5. Brand or company emphasis
Long ago, customers traded with local shopkeepers whom they knew and trusted. What replaces trust when sellers became large and impersonal? One answer is brands. A recognizable brand (or company name) says, “You can trust us; we will be around for a long time.”
From 1894 through 1925, a total of 1,500 companies produced branded automobiles. But by the end of 1926, only 44 were still in business (Goodrum and Dalrymple 1990). Imagine the difficulty that car purchasers of that period faced. Which company should they trust?
In 1921, Raymond Rubicam was given an assignment to create print ads for E. R. Squibb’s over-the-counter pharmaceutical products. After developing many possible headlines, he decided on: “The priceless