https://blogs.ubc.ca/mtsuimarketing/
After reading Michael Tsui’s blog post, regarding the ways in which numbers affect marketing with his argument ‘Get the word out there that a lot of people are using your product! People follow people naturally, so let them do so!’ I had to agree that he had raised an excellent point.
In another course that I am currently taking, we are studying the ways in which people’s behaviour can be influenced. The idea raised by Michael, also known as social proof I believe could be extremely effective when it come to marketing strategies. As Michael suggests, it states that one important means by which people decide what to do or believe i.e. what products are good and therefore must be purchased, is to look at what other people are doing. Thus, it is clear that we decide what is correct by observing what other people think and do. This tactic therefore could be extremely useful, as if marketers are able to tap into a certain target market then it is probable that they will be able to influence the buying behaviour of similar others. This often proves true as indeed, the condition under which social proof is most powerful is when the people targeted are similar; we are more inclined to follow the lead of similar others. Perhaps this is how the latest trends are set, how marketers often tactically manipulate the ‘craze’ surrounding the new ‘must have’ products. This idea is touched upon in Michaels post, yet I believe the idea can be expanded further. If you drive into a golf club, you are often greeted by a sign stating ‘members only.’ This suggests that it is popular, a good thing to do, everybody is doing it so instantly you want to join this one, follow the trend, get in with the other members. The club next door which is ‘open to the public’ no longer seems as desirable, as it not appear as popular but more importantly there is no exclusivity, the product on offer does not seem scarce and difficult to get a hold of.
Not only do we like to follow the lead of others, often with regard to our purchasing behaviour, our desire to obtain the product or service is simply heightened if we are aware that our desired commodity is scarce. Again I believe that marketers can use this tactic to their advantage. It is a well known fact that people assign more value to products and opportunities when they are less available as psychologists have found that the possibility of losing something is a more powerful motivator that of gaining something. This is extremely useful information for a marketer as often firms are able to use this to their advantage through the use of effective manipulation techniques such as ‘limited numbers’ and ‘deadlines.’ Think how many times you were about to put those shoes back, until you found out they were the last pair in the store…!