Social Proof … Springsteen … and the Men’s Room
Welcome back, everyone!
This week we’re going to take a little detour from our “regularly scheduled programming” to talk about something that is coming of age in the marketing world these days — social proof.
And this segue really demonstrates the beauty—and power—of a blog, and how it can work to satisfy the needs of its readers. Let me explain …
In my post entitled, “Meet the New Breed of Online Buyer” last week, I alluded to the buying power of a new generation of consumers that are either accounting for or influencing $200 billion a year in online sales. No doubt, as marketers whose goal is to make money writing online copy, we not only need to understand and appeal to this powerful buying group, but also reach them in the most effective ways that influence their purchasing decisions.
Our purpose here this week is not to rehash why social proof is playing a dominant role in today’s marketing efforts, but rather to begin understanding its implications by tapping into the “running conversation” in the minds of the prospects it appeals to.
This change-of-direction came to me courtesy of a few very thoughtful comments made by Bernardo in response to my post last week that got me thinking about social proof in a new way.
In case you missed his response, Bernardo felt that I was wrong on a couple of my conclusions. In paraphrasing his remarks, he offered:
- Rather than caring about quality over quantity, most young adults and kids are consumed with the “image” of a product or service …
- Although they may be isolated by technology, it’s not fair to label this buying group as “loners” …
He also offered examples of ways to use social proof in influencing this group’s purchasing decisions, including:
- Showing that their peers want, need or even envy what you sell …
- Giving your product celebrity appeal …
Again, I want to thank Bernardo for his insightful comments. He prompted me to read more about the topic of social proof during this past week, and it’s indeed a fascinating subject. Admittedly, although I’d been using certain aspects of social proof in my marketing efforts, I never really associated the tagline with the methodology.
So what is social proof?
In its most basic terms, social proof is a powerful shaper of human behavior that’s especially effective in situations where we’re uncertain of what to do. Robert Cialdini, author of the bestseller “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” states, “The principle of social proof operates most powerfully when we are observing the behavior of people just like us.”
Think about that for a moment. Can you name a situation where behavior and/or influences shape the way others might act in a situation? Here are a few to start us off:
- Sitcoms that have canned “laugh tracks” come across as being much more funny than those that don’t … thus making “live viewers” more apt to laugh at lame jokes …
- Nightclubs create an air of exclusivity by roping off the entrance and admitting people sparsely, even when the club is not crowded. The line tells others “there must be something special about that club because look at all the people waiting to get in there!”
- Each holiday season manufacturers hold back production of the latest toy craze to create mass desire and drive up prices … even though they can easily ramp up production in anticipation of the heavy buying season. The result? … Hundreds of people standing online at Wal-Mart 4:00 A.M. on Black Friday ready to maul whoever gets in their way the moment the doors open!
- QVC and Home Shopping Network always display how many items are sold as social proof that that product is desirable … even as customers call in to talk about the products they bought, those “items sold” numbers keep ticking upwards telling viewers that this product is something that everyone wants …
- The Mac commercials: Everyone wants to be accepted as a “regular guy” (like Justin Long, who portrays the Mac) rather than the dorky nerd (like John Hodgman, who portrays the PC). Message: Buy a Mac and be cool like Justin. (Actually, in that commercial we see two powerful motivators: Imagery and celebrity endorsement!)
Here’s one from my own personal experience …
I was at a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Continental Airlines arena (now called the Izod Center) at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Bruce did two sets and during the break between sets there was a mass exodus for the lavatories.
There was a long line of women waiting to get into the ladies’ room, but there was no line at all for the men’s room. I was in there when suddenly a girl—who obviously couldn’t wait on the women’s room line—came into the men’s room and made a beeline for an unoccupied stall.
To all the guys’ surprise, another girl, then another, and then several more followed her. Some were laughing … others looked absolutely petrified … but once they all saw that first girl go through those men’s room doors—a place none of them would venture under normal circumstances—they willingly followed because the promise of quick access to a toilet (the “payoff,” perhaps?) was proven by her action.
Feature: The men’s room has toilets.
Benefit: There’s no line.
Result: Blessed relief.
Very interesting, indeed.
How might the premise of the men’s room story work in selling a product or service? Would the core message be, “when you see others satisfy a need that you share, you’ll do what they do to attain it and worry about rationalizing it later.”?
And that could also tie into the old sales credo that people buy things emotionally and later justify them logically. But that’s a whole other ballgame we’ll talk about at a later date …
For now, let’s consider what Bernardo mentioned when he cited “celebrity appeal.” Of course, this has to do with highly recognizable personalities using or endorsing products and services. As Bernardo stated, MTV does a masterful job at this.
But think about it in terms of the concert scenario. What would’ve happened if Bruce had walked up to the microphone at the end of his first set and said, “All you ladies that need to use the bathroom … I know the lines are a lot shorter at the men’s room!”
Wow. Can you imagine how many women would’ve streamed into the men’s room if Bruce had said something like that? Not all, of course, but I bet it would be much more than just a handful!
It all falls under the guise of social proof, and it’s a super-powerful way to convince people to act a certain way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this phenomenon, and perhaps some examples where you personally witnessed social proof in action, or an idea you have for using social proof in your marketing efforts.
In closing, as I said to Bernardo in my response to him last week, if I’m honored with the task of managing our blog I’ll be reaching out to him in the near future to educate us further on this topic. And that holds true for anyone that demonstrates a working knowledge of whatever subject we may be talking about. After all, as I previously stated this is OUR blog and it’s only through everyone’s interaction that we’ll be able to make it the best it can be, and ultimately make us all Wealthy Web Writers.
Seeya next week!
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John... gret potty story. Let's not forget SEX!! A hugely emotional motivation. As a Dan Kennedy insider at one point he challenged us to incorporate sex into our next sales letter assignment. It was challenging, but kinda of broke down a barrier I discovered I had.
John Wiggill – May 21, 2009 at 9:10 am
Great article John and I can relate to the girl going into the men's room. Your article is well thought out, keeps to the power of one, and you injected excellent examples to prove your point.
Jo Ann – May 21, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for a great post John.
And here's my latest example of social proof that I noticed - teens and wireless devices. My 14 yr old niece has now replaced her cell phone 3 times in 3 months with the same model. Why? Because it is THE phone to have and be seen with in her circle of friends.
No other way to explain it - definitely a social thing rather than resorting to logic.
Jean B – May 27, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Jean...That's a great observation! I'm curious to know what prompted your niece to change the phone 3 times in 3 months. Was it new "gotta have 'em" features, was it peer pressure, or perhaps a marketing campaign that caught her attention? Thanks so much for the reply!
John Torre – May 28, 2009 at 11:03 am
Ooops...left out that detail (lol.)
She has the enV2 phone and it has 2 keypads for texting. The outer keypad has stopped working all 3 times. The cause is probably due to lack of product testing extreme amounts of texts (she sends 8-10k texts monthly) and general abuse.
To answer your ? - it is 60% peer pressure and then 40% "gotta have 'em" features. The marketing campaign only helped her to know the price point - nothing else.
Jean B – May 28, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I can't imagine sending 8-10K texts a month. That averages roughly 285 a day! I'd have to eat and sleep with a phone in my hand...and I probably still wouldn't get it done! Though I must say, I have a daughter that's probably approaching those levels as well. It brings to mind another subject we can talk about here, that of viral marketing. Imagine instead of sending 8,000 single text messages a month, you send one text to 8,000 people? More to come on that...
Thanks for the reply, Jean!
John Torre – May 29, 2009 at 9:34 am