In Japan, McDonalds got busted a couple of years ago.
They had some launch of a new burger or something. I don’t remember if it was a Japanese version of a traditional burger like a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, or if it was altogether something different like a squid burger or something.
Anyhow, they were worried that the launch wasn’t going to be successful, so they actually recruited people to stand in line for the “grand opening.”
Since they had such a huge line, it became a big media event, and that helped their sales even further.
It kind of reminded me of when the Beatles first came to the U.S. They were worried that they weren’t going to be popular, so they actually hired some love struck girls to wail away at the airport.
Little did they know there were already plenty of girls ready to pass out from excitement, not unlike a Justin Bieber concert.
If you’re a marketer, then getting such a huge crowd behind your product is a dream come true.
When there’s huge crowd clearly interested in something, it makes selling it much, much easier.
That usually mental back and forth that usually goes when selecting a product is gone. That “wait and see” mindset is vanished, as people are in a hurry to get it while supplies last.
This is the best scarcity you can come up with, the kind that people figure out on their own.
Sure, everybody can slap on a “limited supply” sticker on something, but when you can get people to decide, on their own, that they’d better buy this before it vanishes, then you’ve got some big money on your hands.
The powerful combination of social proof and scarcity can provide a guaranteed profit, no matter what you’re selling.
Luckily, these are only two of the many Mind Triggers, many of which can be combined in plenty different ways, making you and your ideas the most sought after thing in town.
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