Persuasive Principle #12: Law of Scarcity

            As it is defined in Maximum Influence, by Kurt W. Mortensen, “The Law of Scarcity states that the more scarce an item becomes, the more the item increases in value, and the greater urge is to own it. Scarcity drives people to action, making us act quickly for fear of missing out on an opportunity” (Mortensen 190). Moreover, if a product is labeled as limited or special it will become more valuable due to its rarity, which will drive people to purchase the product so they don’t miss out. The Law of Scarcity is a persuasive principle I tend to use on my friends and family quite often. I am successful in my persuasive attempts because I make them feel that they need something immediately or they will miss out. Whenever a new movie comes out in theaters I want to see it immediately, so I have to make them feel the same way I do. I explain how great the movie will be and that they need to experience its greatness as soon as possible. I emphasize to them that we can experience amazing feelings of awesome right now, so there is no reason to wait. Furthermore, going to a movie on the first day it releases is special and you only get one opportunity to do so. After creating a fear within them that they could miss out on such a great opportunity their urge to see the movie skyrockets and we go see the movie (Mortensen 190). I would love to practice using the Law of Scarcity in selling a product to someone, but unfortunately I’m not a salesman. Regardless, it would be just as valuable to understand how the Law of Scarcity can be applied in such a situation.

            My first example of the Law of Scarcity in action applies to the majority of the human race. Most of us own a product that runs on gas, such as a lawnmower or car. Unfortunately for us gas is expensive and we find ourselves reminiscing about the days gas was one dollar per gallon. Even if we weren’t alive when gas was such a bargain we often dream of taking part in such pleasure. Gas prices are so high that people wait to their last drop of gas before buying some more. But when the days come when gas prices drop for the short time they do, gas stations are absolutely crowded. This is because people fear that such a rare opportunity will pass them by if they don’t act immediately. They know that the low gas prices will be around for a limited amount of time so they act fast to get as much of it as they can. Gas industries are extremely successful in persuading people because gas is a hot commodity; we do need to go places. By lowering gas prices they are making the gas more valuable, since low prices are scarce, which heightens our urge to buy as much of it as we can before the prices go back up (Mortensen 190-194).

            Since I have made it extraordinarily clear that I love movies I will save us both the trouble of saying it. When a movie I loved in theaters releases on DVD I make an effort to get it on the day it comes out. Once I reach the store I make my way to the movie section where I am always met with two options. The first option is a regular copy of the DVD in its normal casing. The second option is a special edition of the DVD with bonus features in a unique case. Stores emphasize, usually by way of a sign, that the special edition is available for a limited amount of time. If I truly love the movie the store almost always persuades me to get the special edition. This is because the special edition is a rare item, making it more valuable, and increases my desire to own it (Mortensen 190). I fear that if I don’t act fast I will miss out on owning a one of a kind item. If I’m not deeply in love with the movie, however, I am not persuaded to buy the special edition because the stores provide an easy alternative for a lower price (Mortensen 198).

            As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I have two cats by the names of Lola and Lilly. We adopted Lola from the Humane Society and the Law of Scarcity drove us to take that action. Let’s face it we all know kittens are adorable, so when a kitten is promoted on the local morning news channel a lot of people are going to hear about it. This was the case with Lola because she was shown on the news channel and explained to be “ready for adoption.” Obviously a kitten can sell itself, but when so many people hear about it the kitten instantly becomes scarce. Lola became extremely valuable because she was one of a kind, making her more valuable beyond monetary value. Knowing that she was one of a kind and other people wanted her, our urge to adopt Lola grew substantially. We literally went to the Human Society minutes after we saw Lola on television because we were afraid someone might get there before us. Lola’s scarcity persuaded us to adopt her as fast as we could, and fortunately we were able to do so (Mortensen 198).

            As Kurt W. Mortensen has stated in his book Maximum Influence, “The Law of Expectations uses expectations to influence reality and create results” (Mortensen 149). I have continued to practice using this law with a persuasive intention in mind. The other day my mom wasn’t sure if she wanted to cook a new recipe because she didn’t think she would do it right. Since my mom is the God of cuisine I reassured her that she was amazing by saying that it was impossible for her food not to be scrumptious. I put the expectation in her mind that she was a God in the kitchen, and I believe she wanted to live up to that standard (Mortensen 149-150). I persuaded her to cook the new recipe instead of something else, and it was delicious indeed.

Persuasive Principle #11: Law of Social Validation

            According to Kurt W. Mortensen, author of Maximum Influence, “The Law of Social Validation recognizes and builds on our innate desire to be part of the group or part of the majority and that we tend to change our perceptions, opinions, and behaviors in ways that are consistent with group norms” (Mortensen 178). That is, we will shape our actions and beliefs so they correspond with group norms in order to gain a sense of belonging and acceptance. I don’t use the Law of Social Validation when persuading other people because I never try to get someone to go along with a group just to be accepted. In fact, I highly encourage people to be themselves and disregard what the majority is doing or believes. My parents always tell me that it is important to be myself and not a follower; I should be proud of who I am. With that, I would be extremely unsuccessful in using this law because my message wouldn’t be genuine. Of all the persuasive principles, I should learn how to use the Law of Social Validation properly. People often give in to the pressure of group norms to fulfill their desire to be accepted. It is a very powerful tool if you know how to use it correctly, so I hope that I can understand what it takes to apply it effectively.

            Although I don’t use the Law of Social Validation on other people I can recall the many times it was used on me as a child. When I was in the fourth grade my friends and I were into trading card games. The only difference between us was that they brought their cards to school. I was against bringing my trading cards to school because I didn’t want to lose or damage them. Overtime I began to feel left out because whenever we had free time all of my friends would play with their trading cards. In order to feel accepted in my group of friends I conformed to the norm of bringing my cards to school. Without saying a word they persuaded me to bring my cards to school and change my actions in way that didn’t match my beliefs or desires. The feeling of being outside of the group persuaded me to change my behavior to obtain social validation (Mortensen 178-179).

            Another example of the Law of Social Validation in action took place during my time on the school bus as a child. I always sat in the front of the bus because it had a lot of windows, you didn’t have to walk far, and it was clean. Until middle school my friends and I enjoyed our time in the front of the bus. In middle school the older kids were deemed as “cool” and they sat at the back of the bus. So my friends thought they should sit in the back of the bus because they would be deemed cool. One day, as we were making our way to the bus, my friends told me that they were going to sit at the back of the bus. I was confused why they wanted to do such a thing and when they explained their reasoning I remained befuddled. I told them that they could do what they wanted but I was staying in the front; that was cool to me. This shows how my friends changed their behaviors into something they didn’t truly believe in to gain social validation. They wanted to be a part of the majority, who sat at the back of the bus, so they were persuaded to conform to the group norms in hopes of becoming cool. I was not persuaded because I didn’t care if I was thought of as cool, not to mention that I couldn’t comprehend how a bus seat determined your social status. I praise the day I passed my driver’s test and said adios to the big yellow school bus (Mortensen 178-179).

            Just a couple of summers ago my dad and I went to a Milwaukee Brewers’ game. As you may know baseball games have their fair share of characters, to put it nicely. During the sixth inning some gentleman ran up to our section and yelled at us to get our attention. The man claimed that him and his buddies had run around all of Miller Park and convinced every fan to do the wave. At the time I didn’t know if he was drunk or just an ambitious man with a dream, but he had no credibility because no one knew who he was. It wasn’t very likely that a large group of people were going to listen to a random wild and crazy guy at a baseball game. His attempt to persuade us to do the wave failed miserably because it was hard to believe that he convinced the entire stadium to do the wave. Without credibility or believability we weren’t persuaded to go along with the supposed majority. As he was yelling at us I noticed a few people in other sections standing up in what appeared to be the worst attempt at doing the wave I’d ever seen. After about ten minutes the man stormed off upset and let down, which allowed me to return my attention to the baseball game. He would have been far more persuasive if the man came to us with the Brewers’ mascot because everyone knew who the mascot was. Everyone would’ve known that his request for us to do the wave was genuine and for the sake of creating unity among us (Mortensen 187). If a sweaty guy in an oversized costume with a giant mustache came up to me and asked me to do the wave I couldn’t think of a reason not to buy in. Could you?

            Kurt W. Mortensen, author of Maximum Influence, states, “The proper fusion of emotion and logic will speak to both the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind and increase your ability to persuade” (Mortensen 138). Since my last blog entry I have continued to practice using the Law of Balance with persuasive intentions. Recently the weather has transitioned from the sweltering cold to the pleasant and gentle warm air of spring. Excited that the weather had finally permitted it, I decided to play basketball last week. As I was heading outside I noticed that my sister was sitting on the couch and realized that it was the perfect opportunity to test my persuasive abilities. I strolled over to my sister and asked her if she wanted to play basketball, to which she was hesitant to agree. I explained to her that exercise was good for her health and that basketball was fun to play. To take things a bit further I pointed to the window and emphasized that the warm weather had finally come, which called for celebration. After a few minutes of pestering my sister I persuaded her to play basketball by using a balance of logic and emotion. By playing basketball she would get exercise while having fun in the gentle breeze of spring.

Persuasive Principle #10: Law of Contrast

          In Maximum Influence, author Kurt W. Mortensen states, “The Law of Contrast explains how we are affected when we are introduced to two different alternatives or options in succession” (Mortensen 164). If you show a product then present a second product that is different from the first, and those differences are amplified, that contrast will allow you to be more persuasive in selling your product. I use the Law of Contrast quite often because as a human I am always comparing things to choose the best option for me. A simple example of this is when I decide what I want to eat for lunch every day. I weigh the options of choosing one meal over another to determine what the best choice is on that particular day. Factors that play a role in my decision-making are: what I’m doing later, which tastes better, how much of each option is left or will be leftover, and how the food makes me feel. By creating contrast between the two options I persuade myself to eat the one that appears to have the greatest benefit. I also use this law when I persuade my friends and family, such as getting them to go to a movie that I want to see by making their option appear terrible, subsequently making my movie choice appear great. Although I can use this law effectively I want improve my ability to a point where I can persuade people to do something a bit more serious, as opposed to doing miscellaneous things like going to the movies.

            During the 2011-12 season the National Basketball Association experienced a lockout. Instead of the usual eighty-two game schedule the teams only played sixty-six games. The NBA lost a lot of support because the lockout made them look stingy and selfish. It was lucrative enough that a person could get paid nearly nine figures to dribble a ball, but when they demanded more a line had to be drawn. The NBA realized that they were quickly losing support so they discounted a lot of their products to regain their fans. One day I was watching television when a commercial for NBA League Pass came on, which is a sports package that gives you access to all of the games. They made it explicitly clear in big and bold letters that the price of a full season was two-hundred dollars and was brought down to one-hundred dollars. That was such a tremendous difference in price that they persuaded me to buy League Pass. I felt that I was getting my money’s worth by them showing what the product usually cost and the low price they decided to change it to. NBA League Pass emphasized that they offered all of the games, for every team, every night, all season long for only one-hundred dollars. Not only did I get the product for a long period of time at a low cost, but they tripled the value of the product by providing more benefits and bonuses (Mortensen 166). Their ability to use the Law of Contrast effectively persuaded me to buy League Pass and support the NBA.

            A few months ago I went to Best Buy to purchase an electronic device. Once I reached the register I was met by a salesman who greeted me and started the transaction. When he scanned the device he looked to me and asked if I wanted to purchase a warranty. I was curious about the warranty so I kindly asked the young man to elaborate. He informed me that I would get three years of protection, no charges for expenses like shipping, and they would provide a guaranteed fix if anything went wrong. The young salesman persuaded me to get the warranty at that moment because of his ability to use the Law of Contrast. The salesman sweetened the pot by giving me all of those benefits in addition to my device, and I loved every bit of that (Mortensen 166). All of that changed when I asked him how much the warranty would cost me. His request was completely unrealistic because the price of the warranty was fifty dollars, which was almost as much as my device was worth (Mortensen 176). He had gotten rid of the contrast he created by telling me it would cost a lot of money for a lot of benefits. Since it wasn’t worth it to me I wasn’t persuaded to buy the warranty, so I only bought my device. In order to become more persuasive Best Buy needs to lower the price of the warranty to create contrast and make people feel that they are getting their money’s worth.

            The commercials for the Nutrisystem weight loss program utilize the Law of Contrast big time. For starters, they stress the comparison effect by showing pictures of sad, overweight, and unhealthy people. Right next to those pictures are the same people that look happy, slim, energetic, and incredibly healthy. There is a huge contrast between the two people and it is persuasive because if a viewer is overweight they could get the impression that they can transform themselves for the better through nutrisystem (Mortensen 172). They also emphasize the concept of time perception, in that people will lose five pounds in their first week with Nutrisystem, which may take the average person much longer than a week to accomplish. This shows consumers that Nutrisystem is easy and worth their time (Mortensen 175). Lastly, Nutrisystem triples the value of their product by offering additional benefits. Consumers get endless amounts of delicious food, gain a better lifestyle, become happier, and they get to lose weight. All of this can’t go without mentioning that the first week is free and Nutrisystem employs a money-back guaranteed policy if you don’t lose five pounds in that first week (Mortensen 166). There is no doubt that if I wanted to join a weight loss program I would choose Nutrisystem because of their ability to persuade through the Law of Contrast.

            According to Maximum Influence, by Kurt W. Mortensen, “The Law of Association defines the mental triggers and anchors that will generate the right feelings, emotions, and thoughts to create a persuasive environment” (Mortensen 124). Although I haven’t had the opportunity to use this law on someone I don’t know, the warm weather provides a good example of the Law of Association in action. I haven’t felt the warm glow of the sun on my skin in so long that it was almost too good to be true when it finally came. When the sun hit my skin just a few weeks ago I was persuaded to go outside as much as I could. I have so many positive feelings and emotions with spring that I am persuaded to maximize those feelings when and how I can. Picture the following: You touch the doorknob and turn it to venture outside of your cozy home. The first thing that greets you when the door swings open is a revitalizing breeze of cool air that travels through your nostrils and fills your lungs with a refreshing sensation. As you continue to walk the cool breeze softly touches your skin. Your eyes close and it feels as though you are floating in the clouds as the sound of bird’s peaceful chirping guide you along. The clouds take you higher and higher until you are met with the heavenly rays of the sun. Your eyes open and you realize that spring has come. These signs, sounds, and feelings of spring trigger positive emotions and memories within me. Such associations persuade me to go outside and experience more of those feelings while making the most of the warm season (Mortensen 124-125).