Cunning and interesting marketing: what, how and why? the most common tricks of clever marketers. HBO television channel

The trade battle between sellers of various goods and services and consumers will never stop. Consumers want to pay less and not buy things they don't need, merchants want the exact opposite, and they usually get what they want. They have a lot of tricks with which they force buyers to part with their money "voluntarily and with a song."

Here are the top 7 marketing tricks to get shoppers to buy more products in stores.

If the buyer is given a choice between a deliberately unprofitable option and a more attractive option, he will choose the latter. This marketing technique is called the "bait effect" or "asymmetric superiority effect".

Professor Dan Ariely once did a study that illustrates the power of the effect. Using his students as test subjects, he divided them into two groups. Both groups were offered subscriptions to The Economist. Group A was offered a web subscription for $59 and a combined web and offline subscription for $125. 68% of his students chose the cheaper web option.

For the second group, the professor offered a $59 web subscription, a subscription to printed edition for $125, and a combined web and print subscription for the same $125. This time around, 84% of his students chose the third option, thinking they were getting a lot of value for their money. That is, after the introduction of the “bait”, sales of the desired product increased by as much as 30%!

Of course, the price “bait effect” is not the only factor influencing buyer choice. Is there some more specifications, materials from which the product is made, and other properties. However, if the buyer is primarily interested in the price, then the “bait effect” can play a decisive role.

6. Using small tiles on the floor

The popularity of online shopping has forced brick-and-mortar stores to look for new ways to keep their profits.

A recent study of more than 4,000 shoppers by Professor Nico Heyvink of the IESEG School of Management in France found that closely spaced horizontal lines on the floor slow down the pace of shoppers walking down the aisle, encouraging them to browse and buy more products. If there are large gaps between the lines, then buyers move faster and spend less. Therefore, in many stores, small tiles are used where more expensive products are placed, and large tiles are used in areas where “congestion” is to be minimized, such as at the entrance.

5. Price with ".99"

A 2005 study from New York University found that ending a price with ".99" has a huge impact on buyers. This price is perceived as lower than the round figure. Scientists explain this effect by the fact that we read from left to right, and the first digit in the price resonates with us the most. Unconsciously, our brain perceives the price of "499 rubles" closer to 400 rubles than to five hundred. Also, a price ending in ".99" makes us think the item is on sale, even if it isn't. The power of "magic nines" in value was demonstrated in a groundbreaking study by professors from the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The researchers took the same subject women's clothing and gave him different prices: $34, $39.99, and $44. Surprisingly, the $39.99 item was the most popular among shoppers, even though it was $6 more expensive than the cheapest option.

4. Rude salespeople

It is believed that the seller should be extremely polite and friendly. However, researchers from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia say otherwise. In their opinion, the ruder the staff in luxury stores, the greater the profits. Basically, people who shop at luxury stores want to fit in with the high society. Such buyers believe that the seller is behaving dismissively, because they do not yet have status items, and they need to quickly acquire them in order to become part of the elite. It should be noted that this principle does not work for the mass consumer in ordinary stores.

3. Scarce products

“Hurry up, the quantity of goods is limited,” advertising beckons us. Most often, it is limited only by the imagination of sellers, because such words are an effective trick to attract customers. It makes buyers think that there is high demand for a product that is in short supply.

The effect of the "rarity illusion" was demonstrated in 1975 in a psychological study. During the experiment, the researchers showed the subjects two identical jars of cookies. One jar had 10 cookies, and the other only two. The subjects rated the cookies in the almost empty jar as more valuable, because there were fewer of them left. Think about this the next time you shop online and see a pop-up on your screen: “Only 10 items left in stock. Buy Now!

2. Use of many adjectives

In second place in the ranking of marketing ploys that make customers buy more than they need is a little trick commonly used in restaurants.

There are two types of menus: one simply lists the dishes, the other describes each dish in detail. Compare "Caesar salad" and "Chicken Caesar salad with fresh lettuce, shrimp and cheese, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with cherry tomatoes." Restaurateurs don't just write these descriptions to let people know what they're eating. Detailed menus with lots of adjectives boosted restaurant sales by 27%, compared with restaurants that used menus without elaborate menus, according to a study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Illinois.

1. Eye contact with children's eyes

And the first item on the list of ways that sellers get buyers to shell out is a marketing gimmick associated with small buyers. In 2014, scientists at Cornell University and the Harvard School of Public Health studied 65 different cereals in ten different grocery stores. They took into account their position on the shelves and found that children's cereal was placed on the shelves just above children's eye level. But why not at eye level? The fact is that the gaze of the characters on the cereal boxes is directed downwards. So if you place the box just above eye level, the kids will feel like their favorite character is looking right at them. The researchers concluded that a cereal box was 28% more likely to be liked by customers if the character on the box made eye contact with them.

How often do you buy more products than you actually need? You go to the store for bread, but you leave with a bunch of groceries that will most likely go from your refrigerator to the trash can. What excuses come to mind at this point? Perhaps the store had a sale, or you just wanted to grab a bite to eat? In fact, the fact that you are buying unnecessary products is the merit of marketers who know exactly how to increase sales. And today we will reveal to you their tricks so that you no longer throw money away.

1. Celebrities in commercials

"They eat it too!" That's what you think when you look at a banner that shows a smiling athlete or actor with a hamburger, a bottle of Coke, or a bag of chips.

Subconsciously, we want to live the same lifestyle, so we buy products that we like to advertise, even if we don’t need them.

2. Relaxing music

Have you noticed that classical music often plays in restaurants? Scientists have proven that this "helps" people spend 10% more than if they ate in silence. In supermarkets, the music trick also works. You sing along to a familiar tune you hear in the store and fill your shopping cart with junk.

3. False benefits

What immediately catches your eye when you enter the store? Of course, these are attractive prices and discounts. But, as a rule, discounts do not give you any benefit.

For example, on one shelf you may notice a bright price tag and a "Discount" sign, and on the next shelf you can see a product with a regular price tag (but the price for this product is higher or lower). However, when calculating, it turns out that the second product is cheaper than the one that is discounted that day.

4. Healthy eating

Popularization healthy lifestyle life has also affected food brands. Producers understand that if the consumer considers food organic, the likelihood of a purchase will increase.

Unfortunately, claims about the benefits of products are often not true. And labels like "Non-GMO" or "100% Organic" only increase the price of products, not their benefits.

5. Goods in front of your eyes

Marketers know that in order to make products more attractive, they must be placed in a special way. They use special eye-tracking programs to determine the most "popular places" where people tend to focus their attention. It is in these places that the most expensive and attractive goods are placed.

6. Delicious smell

Smell data goes directly to our brains, triggering the emotions associated with them. This trick is used to create a connection between your idea of ​​a product and a specific scent. American scientists argue that "warm" smells make people buy more goods, while "cold" ones prevent customers from spending extra money.

Many supermarkets heat up something tasty in the microwave (like fried chicken) and spread this smell everywhere.

7. Addictive Dietary Supplements

We all know that sugar is addictive. But there are many other "mysterious" substances that you can become addicted to without even knowing it. Here is a list of additives that are addictive:

Monosodium glutamate. The scientific debate about the effect of this supplement on the human body has been going on for a very long time, but so far there is no significant evidence of its harm. The additive is needed in order to enhance the taste of the product, and this is what makes us want more.

Sugar substitutes and sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, neotame, sucralose, sugar alcohols, etc. They do not contain sugar, but are sweeteners. Research shows that these supplements stimulate your appetite and increase your desire to eat foods that contain carbohydrates.

High fructose corn syrup. It increases our cravings for fast food and leads to the formation of abdominal fat.

8. Resize

Did you know that the standard serving of french fries has doubled in the last 40 years? Other manufacturers are also increasing serving sizes, and with them prices, even though we may not even suspect that we have begun to eat more. Although sometimes the opposite happens: the weight of the products decreases, but the price remains the same. And this feature applies to all products: milk (900 ml instead of a liter), butter (180 g instead of 200), etc.

9. Foreign language

Research among bilinguals who know English language and Hindi showed that native language labels on product packages reminded shoppers of friends and family, while labels in foreign language evoked emotions associated with the atmosphere of this country. It turns out that we often consider foreign goods more prestigious, thereby justifying their high cost.

10. Open kitchen of the culinary department in the supermarket

Marketers love these commercial tricks! Customers believe that the store has nothing to hide, and subconsciously begin to trust it more.

11. Reduced prices

Psychologists say that we are more willing to buy goods that have fallen in price. However, stores most often set discounts for products that are expiring.

Stores are also trying to draw the attention of customers to a reduced price. Thus, they say that their prices are more attractive than those of competitors. However, more than expensive goods which you will definitely buy. As a result, the store wins.

The trick of lowering the wholesale price compared to the retail price also works well, although not every customer may notice this.

12. "Geography" of the store

You may think that the goods in the store are placed randomly, but this is an illusion. Most popular goods usually placed in the middle, not at the entrance. And as you go there, along the way you fill your basket with products that you never thought of buying before.

In addition, marketers take advantage of the fact that most customers are right-handed. That's why the so-called "impulse" positions are on the right. We take these goods along the way without even thinking about it.

13. Products in the picture

Usually, very attractive images are placed on the packaging of goods. This is the work of stylists who make food more beautiful in the photo so that you immediately want to buy it. And this trick usually works. We often don't notice the small print on the packaging that states that the image is just an example of serving.

14. Create a more attractive product look

Psychologists have noticed that the drops of water shown in the photo make us want to freshen up. In addition, the composition of products written in large type seems to be healthier and more trustworthy, so people tend to buy such products again and again.

15. Positive emotions

Modern marketers do not sell us products, but moods and lifestyles. They display wonderful pastries and create a festive atmosphere. They also create a feeling of a safe place: lighted space, delicious smells, friendly vendors and colorful wrappers.

When going to visit our friends, we often go for a small gift or a souvenir so as not to come empty-handed. And as a result, we leave the store, loaded with huge packages, with a lot of unnecessary purchases. Why is this happening? What pushes us to such rash purchases? Maybe magic?

But there is no mysticism or magic in this - this is a properly built, carefully thought-out and planned marketing. It is on all these tricks of sellers that we come across: we go to the store for a cake, we see a lot of “profitable” offers and we can no longer stop.

The 13 Most Common Tricks of Smart Marketers.

Forewarned is forearmed!

1. Association of red with discounts

All supermarkets outside have many posters, advertising banners, "shouting" about the variety of discounts and promotions. Discounts are always highlighted in red. Our subconscious mind plays a cruel joke with our consciousness - as soon as we see a red color, we immediately, automatically rush to this product. But how? After all, it's a discount!

Do not rush, you do not need to immediately grab a "profitable" product - most often this discount is small or non-existent.

2. Carts too big

If you think that large supermarket carts have only been invented now, then you are deeply mistaken. Marketers have been working on this issue since 1938! Over the past decades, the cart has doubled in size and is now much larger than the "consumer basket" of the average family.
How does this trick work? The customer wanders through the endless aisles between the shelves with a half-empty cart. In his subconscious, the thought is ripening that something needs to fill the “emptiness”. As a result, a lot of unnecessary products in the refrigerator.

If you do not want to make unnecessary purchases, never take a cart - a small basket is enough, which, by the way, are always in an “uncomfortable” place. This is also made on purpose. Do not be lazy, "get" the basket, and then your wallet will not be empty so quickly.

3. Vegetables and fruits always “meet” the buyer at the entrance

Another clever marketing ploy.

Not so long ago, the willpower of buyers was tested. It turned out that as soon as the buyer sees something that seems useful to him, he immediately forgets that there are harmful products.

Store owners immediately took advantage of this advantageous opening, and now they have “healthy” vegetables and fruits at the entrance.

There is a clear relationship: the more the buyer spends his money on “useful”, the more he will allow himself to purchase harmful products (chips, crackers, beer, soda, etc.).

4. Why are bread and milk so far away?

Essential products are always located in supermarkets at the back of the store.

This display of goods and the location of the shelves is not at all accidental: before you get to the product you need, you will pass by "mountains" of goods that you do not need at all. But on a subconscious level, you still want to buy something.

5. Creates the illusion of fresh vegetables and fruits

You have probably noticed that there are no dirty, unwashed vegetables and fruits in the supermarket. All of them are polished to the perfect "picture" shine and beckon the gullible buyer to put at least something in the basket.

Shopkeepers even go so far as to periodically spray these products with water, despite the fact that this way they will spoil faster. This is a banal incentive for the buyer to purchase fresh goods.

Do not be fooled by such tricks, vegetables and fruits in supermarkets are often treated with certain substances in order to maintain their presentation.

6. Aromarketing

All supermarkets are actively using scent marketing to increase the purchasing power of their customers. Each department has its own "smell", because the human nose has certain expectations for each of the store's departments.

For example, the aroma of freshly baked bread will push him to buy something in the confectionery department, and the gentle subtle smell of perfume will not allow a woman to leave the cosmetic department without a purchase. The fact is that as soon as we hear pleasant aromas, dopamine, the hormone of pleasure, begins to be actively produced in our brain. We immediately begin to feel the anticipation of a good shopping experience and buy something that we would not even think of buying in another situation.

Advice to buyers: enjoy the aromas, smell all these fragrances, but do not forget that you are being subtly manipulated into buying unnecessary goods. Be sure to go to the supermarket with a list of necessary purchases. And most importantly - do not forget to read it periodically. All marketers and merchandisers are powerless in front of a client with a shopping list.

All sorts of tastings are often held in supermarkets, and mostly in the afternoon, in the late afternoon, when a tired, hungry and angry stream of customers pours into the store. Lovely, smiling girls and helpful guys offer to taste juicy sausage, the freshest cheese, the most tender bacon. Well, how can you stay here? The natural reaction of someone who tasted this "yummy" would be to go and get something for themselves at home. And what is most interesting, few people pay attention to the fact that the cost of this product is much higher than he could afford to spend. People already notice this at home when they review the check.

Never go shopping hungry.

Without exception, all supermarkets are actively using this cunning and beneficial trick for them.
With the help of music, you can easily manage the flow of customers. For example, if the owner wants to increase his sales, then slow, calm music will play in his store. What will happen to buyers? They will begin to linger at the shelves, they will have a feeling of comfort, measured slow music evens out the pulse of a person. As a result, the customer spends more time in the store.
At peak times, active, rhythmic music always plays in supermarkets. This is another smart marketing ploy - people are encouraged to make purchases as quickly as possible and leave the store. As a result, a person "rakes up" a bunch of goods that he did not need - the rush has done its job.

An interesting fact: a certain musical direction can regulate the sales of a particular product. Marketers conducted an amazing experiment: in the wine department, which sold Australian, Chilean, French and Italian wine, the week included only french music. The results stunned everyone: the number of sales of French brands of wine amounted to 70% of the total turnover in 7 days!

9. I'm in a hurry!

In expensive departments, the floors are laid out with small tiles. As a result, when you pass there, the cart starts to rattle louder, as if hinting that it is empty. The natural reaction of a person is to fill it up, and also slow down a little, because it goes too fast (it seems to him). Such a slowdown in an expensive department plays into the hands of the store owner - an expensive purchase is made, a profit is received, which means that marketing has done its job.

10. Successful left-right formula

Traffic in supermarkets is most often organized counterclockwise.

The buyer is forced to turn left all the time, and his eyes always fall into the middle of the right side. As you probably already guessed, they often post either expired goods or expensive ones. No, no, but one of the visitors will buy it.

11. Obfuscation with complex prices

Stimulation of buyers for large purchases occurs due to the "confusion" in prices. These cherished “0.99 kopecks” warm the souls of many buyers, it seems to them that a penny will help save a lot: a penny on that product, on the second, that’s a ruble.

American scientists have proven that the highest demand for a product from a buyer occurs when he sees a price tag ending in "9". The explanation for this is simple - a person always reads from left to right, and when he sees the price of 1.99 rubles, he perceives the first digit - 1. On a subconscious level, such a price will be perceived as one that is closer to 1 ruble than to 2. In other words, those price tags that end in 9 are always associated with the buyer with a bargain price.

And often in stores you can see price tags with the old price crossed out (written in very small letters) and with a brightly highlighted new price. Take a closer look and do not be too lazy to calculate the difference - you will make a lot of discoveries for yourself.

12. Little things at the checkout

At the cash desk there are always stands with various pleasant little things: chewing gums, condoms, chocolate bars, cookies, packaged coffee and other “goodies”, the price of which at first glance is quite low. While we are standing in line, we involuntarily pay attention to all this. The thought immediately arises in the brain that this bar, for example, is incredibly tasty, or this one has ads beautiful. And something from the shelf migrates to the basket.

13. Window dressing and gifts

Storefronts are designed by professional designers who are trained in marketing strategies. They make us stop and admire all this beauty. Of course, the idea that this particular product is beautiful, it is advertised, which means it is popular, is postponed in the brain. It needs to be bought.
The display of goods on the shelves takes place according to the principle - all the most beautiful (read - expensive) and with an expiring shelf life is at the beginning. The buyer does not want to bother to dig and look for something in the bowels of the shelf, so he will take the product or product that lies on top. And the phrase “The second product as a gift!” also attracts. For example, nuts or crackers are often “free” for beer, and juice or a bottle of soda for cookies.

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Red Bull Energy Drink

When the drink was brought to the general market, its main competitors were Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Everyone had a similar concept: they toned and stimulated.

Then Dietrich Mateschitz took a risky step: he artificially inflated the price by 2 times compared to competitors, reduced the volume of containers resembling a battery in shape, and began placing cans in stores not in the beverage department, but in any other.

Taxi Mike

A striking example of incredibly simple and effective marketing is the promotion of the Canadian taxi Mike. Instead of publishing brochures about himself, Mike prints real guides to cafes, bars and other places in the city. That is, all those entertainment places that Mike will help get to.

HBO television channel

HBO's marketing campaign ahead of Game of Thrones season 3 was seriously thought out, consistent, and massive. The main theme of the new season was the big shadow of the dragon, which caught people's eyes over and over again. First on the covers of magazines, then on the pages of newspapers, it was even projected onto buildings, creating a sense of the reality of what was happening. Thus, not thinking about the dragon and not waiting for the release of the new season was simply impossible.

Marlboro cigarettes

The whole point was that consumers pulled cigarettes out of soft packs without taking them out of their pocket, which means that others did not see the brand. Unacceptable disgrace!

Flip tops - that's what the current cigarette packs are called - had to be taken out, and the new one always attracts attention.

Manufacturer of furniture and household goods IKEA

Curved paths, along which you have to go around the entire store, were invented for a reason. Walking through them in this way, you see each product at least 3 times, and from different sides. Subconsciously, this increases your desire to buy a product, even if you did not need it initially.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles

The manufacturer of the most famous bikes in the world has been holding the 1st place in terms of the number of "branded" tattoos for decades. It all started with the fact that Harley announced impressive discounts on bikes for those who come to buy a motorcycle with a tattoo in the form of their logo.

Alka-Seltzer medicine

Pampers diapers

Procter & Gamble's lead chemist, Victor Mills, who helped his daughter take care of the children, had to repeatedly pull wet diapers from under his grandchildren, wash and dry them. Of course, he did not like the process, and he wanted to somehow make his life easier. Then the idea of ​​a disposable "diaper" came to mind. After several experiments with different materials, Mills developed a new product for P&G, which they began to produce under the Pampers trademark, which became a household name.

Chocolate bar Snickers

In Russia, the first Snickers chocolate bars appeared in 1992 as a snack that replaced a full meal. For a long time, the former Soviet consumer could not get used to the fact that for lunch instead of soup you can eat a chocolate bar, and bought Snickers as a "sweet tea". After BBDO Moscow took over the creative service of the brand, Snickers was already defined as a delicacy for teenagers, who, for the most part, like sweets and do not like soup.

Starbucks coffee shop

Not so long ago, Seattle’s best, a coffee shop chain competing with Starbucks, appeared in the United States. She began to position herself as "not-Starbucks", doing everything in reverse: not this coffee, not this furniture, not this music, not this atmosphere, not this service. The coffee shop attracted those customers who did not like Starbucks for some reason.

And the Starbucks chain did an impossibly simple thing: it just bought a competitor that interfered with it. And this is a completely expected move. But after buying Starbucks, he did not close coffee shops. Rather, on the contrary, he became even stronger to do everything in it not like in Starbucks, intensifying the competition between these two brands even more.

As a result, people who liked Starbucks went to Starbucks and carried money to its cashier. And those who did not like this coffee shop went to Seattle's best - and also carried money to the cashier ... Starbucks. Thus, the company not only coped with the flow of part of its client audience to a competitor, but also captured an additional audience of Starbucks haters that it would never have received otherwise.