Hello World

Hello,

My name is Jordan Daul. I am a junior here at Cardinal Stritch University and I am majoring in Communications. I have very little experience in terms of graphic design so the information within this class will all be new to me. When I am not in the classroom, I am either participating in cross-country/track & field, hanging with friends, or I am working at either the dorm desks or Men's Wearhouse. 

Law of Scarcity

The Law of Scarcity is stated within the book, “that the more scarce an item becomes, the more the item increases in value, and the greater the urge is to own it. Scarcity drives people to action, making us act quickly for fear of missing out on an opportunity.” In my own words, it is when there is a low quantity of an item that is projected to sell fast, there is more of an urge or emphasis to acquire it right away. I think this law is indeed effective because if there is a product that someone wants to buy but is at a small quantity, they may be pressured into getting it right away without waiting because that product may be gone or the deal may go away.

My first example of the law of scarcity is Black Friday shopping. During Black Friday, many shoppers have quick triggers when it comes to buying products because the quantity is small and the discount will only be there for that day. It is not a time to think over the purchase and hope that if you leave it, it’ll still be there later for purchase.

My next example is this store Billiards in my hometown of Pewaukee. This store had many entertainment couches, tables, and overall a lot of nice things to help fill out an apartment or house. For a while they were running well and then they had a going out of business sign and everything must go banner across their store. Now they actually had this banner taken up and down a few times before officially going out of business. By having the going out of business sign and everything must go banner, it shows customer that their quantity items are beginning to decrease at a discounted price and that they should act soon before something that they may want is gone.

My last example is when I tried getting an apartment with some friends for next year. For next year, myself and others wanted to live in Coventry. There were only a few openings left so we had an urgency to act quickly before someone else gained interested and would begin leasing. We were going to sign it but due to poor communication and not having enough people, the idea of living as a group in Coventry faded.

Today, I can be seen continuing to be effect by this law whenever there are sales or a limited quantity of a product being present. In addition, I will try and find a way to incorporate this law into my workplace to potentially drive in more sales and to not leave clients empty handed when leaving my store.

Law of Social Validation

The Law of Social Validation is stated in the book as “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.” In my own words, it is changing our outcome on different situations based on group actions and perceptions. This law is effective many times and can be seen whenever an individual enters a group setting.

My first example can be seen at many sporting events, specifically baseball games. When I typically go to baseball games, I go in with the feeling of relaxing and with my type of personality, I don’t engage much into the game atmosphere. If people begin to all of a sudden do the wave and when it approaches me, I change my perception and try fitting in with the crowd by doing the wave as well.

My next example is social validation at work. Just recently, I went on a date with Madison to the Cheesecake Factory and upon arrival, there were many open sections to sit within the inside of the restaurant. When taken to our area to eat, we went past the inside section and we sat in a booth outside the restaurant next to a window. Sitting near the window, people will be able to look through the window at what we are doing and get a feel for what the atmosphere is like in the restaurant and they may stop in.

My last example is social validation and marketing which I may use time and time when helping pick our tuxedo styles. At work, some clients may not know what is “in” as far as clothing for prom or what sorts of looks are appropriate for weddings. By using social proof and telling clients what typically normal people have looked like or what sort of tuxedos are a hot trend is enough to get them to listen to me. With social validation, clients don’t need physical proof. “Perceiving that a product is popular is often all consumers need to go out and purchase it.”

Today, I will continue to be effected by this law whenever I go to a sporting event with people. Chances are that when someone cheers about something, myself and others will join together because it is the group norm.

 

Law of Contrast

The Law of Contrast as stated within the book is explained when persuaders “explain how we are affected when we are introduced to two different alternatives or options in succession.” In my own words, it is when we are faced with different scenarios, how people react and are affected by those different situations. Throughout life, I have used the ability of contrast many times when dealing in a work setting and have also been a victim of contrast when I am shopping. Overall, the law of contrast can be located in various situations and it can be an effective tool when persuading others. Throughout the semester, I will continue to use this law more in the work setting. When working with clients and I am discussing something, I will downplay things a tad until they see the final price for their product which I hope will bring satisfaction to them.

My first example of contrast is seen in school but specifically my Consumer Economics/Personal Finance class. Everyday coming into class, I have the mindset that class will be boring and I always come in with a bad mood because the class is typically boring to sit through. However, as class begins, my professor may start class off by saying class will be short today (about 30 minutes). By stating class will be shorter, it changes my reaction of class and gets me excited and I tend to pay attention more in class.

When going shopping for different foods such as packaged chip bags, I always try to make sure what I buy is worth the purchase. When buying a large package bag for a good price, I always feel great and think I got a good buy. However, when I go home and open the bag of chips, there is a lot of empty air space. Having lots of empty air space changes my mood from happy to angry because previously I had thought I made a good purchase of buying a full bag rather than now about a half a bag. Many times companies will put their products in big packaging but the product quantity doesn’t match the packaging.

My last example is when I am at work, I will usually list a price of a packaged tuxedo a little bit higher than the initial cost. Once I have helped the client pick out their tuxedo outfit, and have entered the information into the computer and enter in any coupons, the final price will usually come out less than the initial quote I gave them from before. When hearing the news that the cost is lower than what I had initially told them, this gives the client the idea that they are getting a better deal and they will be excited to pay less money.

Today, I tend to use the law of contrast when shopping. When shopping, I will typically look at an item of two different brand and contrast the positives and negatives of each in order to make my final decision of purchase.

Law of Expectations

The Law of Expectations is stated within the book that it “uses expectations to influence reality and create results.” In my own words, it is creating expectations to potentially alter the way the original thought of our reality would be and to create results from it. Throughout my life, my use of the law of expectation has been evident in the workplace but mostly occurs within a school setting.

When at work and working with a gentleman on picking out a tuxedo style for him for his wedding day is a big deal. When deciding on a tuxedo, how it looks, cost, and how it feels are the biggest factors to look at. In my job, I try to eliminate the mindset of cost of the tuxedo and have them more focused on how they feel and look. When I try a tuxedo on a customer I will ask, “you’re going to love the way this tuxedo looks when you’re standing next to your bride.” By using presuppositions, I act as though that they had already purchased the tuxedo, get them away from a sales mindset, and put an image in their head of them standing next to their bride.

My next example is time expectations within the law of expectations. In many classes but specifically Intercultural and Group Communication were I was both assigned within the first few weeks of classes a course project, time expectations was evident. Because the deadline for both of those class projects was a semester length of time, my urgency to work and complete them were very low and it took me till the last few weeks of school to finally start working on them. If throughout the semester there were checkpoints were I had to present so much information to the professor, my expectations and urgency to work on the projects would be much higher.

My last example is a placebo experiment that was conducted with Dove. A psychologist asked patients how they felt about themselves and their confidence with how they looked. All of them replied they wish they were prettier and if they were, they would have much more confidence to try and conquer new things. After sharing their stories, the psychologist gave everyone a product by Dove which was a patch that would go on their arms and would eventually make them look and feel prettier. Coming back to meet with the psychologist, they all said they felt prettier and had more confidence. With that being said, the psychologist told all the patients that the patch they were wearing was nothing special and it was just an ordinary patch. The confidence that the patients felt was within them the whole time but being told before what the patch would do, the patients felt that the patch actually did something.

Currently in my life, I have continued to showcased this law after I was told what the law was. Being asked about living arrangements for next year, I blew it off for awhile and left there was no expectation to get it done. With the deadline now for next year approaching, there is a great deal of concern and I am moving 100 miles a minute to figure everything out so that I don't afford to live in the dorms again.

Law of Balance

The Law of Balance is stated within the text that logic and emotions must be blended and balanced. Emotions will trigger action, whereas logic will justify the agreement. 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. In my own words, the law of balance is mixing together both logical and emotional thinking when trying to figure out a particular situation. In my life, I have used this law to persuade others but mostly, I am a sucker and I tend to spend money when I really shouldn’t.

After a long day of school and then going to work right after, I get exhausted and hungry. By the time I get back to school, the café and the union are always closed so getting food from the school is not an option. Knowing I have some food back in my room which would be the logical and the economical choice, I will at times think emotionally and decide to go to a fast food drive through because I may not have the desire to cook something up for myself and it is a quicker alternative to satisfy my hunger. After work and driving home, I pass many restaurants that make me think emotionally rather than the right choice of being logical and economic.

Within the law of balance, testimony is a component in it and it can be seen during many commercials. A testimony can be a quote, an interview, or an endorsement from credible person. In the new McDonalds commercial starring LeBron James of the Miami Heat, they explain how the best of the best are in this particular room and they all get to eat this new sandwich because they are the best. From there, they explain McDonalds has everything for everyone and LeBron states about the new sandwich, “they should serve this to everyone.” Using a famous and well known character, it makes the advertisement more appealing and that anyone can eat this sandwich because we are all considered the best and worthy of it since LeBron James says it’s okay.

My last example is the use of statistics within the law of balance. The one example that sticks out in my head when I think of statistics is gum and the statistics written on their packaging. On their packaging, they usually have the words something like, “4 out of 5 dentists recommend chewing after eating.” By showing this on their product, I always feel comfortable chewing their gum and know it is healthy and will be good for my teeth.

Currently in my life, I have continued to showcase this law mostly when I am at work. When dealing with prom kids, many parents and kids will ask, "how many kids do you see looking this way" or "what is the percentage of kids picking this particular style." Being asked those questions, I respond with the law of balance and may say something like, "8 out of 10 kids may pick this tuxedo because it has been popular as of late."

Law of Association

The Law of Association is defined as the mental triggers and anchors that will generate the right feelings, emotions, and thoughts to create a persuasive environment. In my own words, it is being persuaded in some way that sparks us in a personal matter. Throughout my life, I have tried using this law to get people to go with me to certain places and when trying to achieve this, I will try to trigger them mentally with positive memories. When I use this law on people it either comes out positive or negative depending on what the past memory meant to that particular person I am persuading. Besides me trying to persuade people with this law, I myself have been on the targeting side by being persuaded by people and them trying to trigger my past memories.

Throughout the world, this persuasive trick has been used in many mall stores and one in particular that uses this law is Express. When shopping around in the mall, Express likes to play upbeat popular music which does a great job drawing people into their stores. In the “Maximum Influence” book by Kurt W. Mortensen, it is said that “shoppers who are exposed to music shop 18 percent longer and make 17 percent more purchases than shoppers in stores not playing music.” In addition, because the store plays music with a higher tempo, customers are more happier and animated when shopping. By using music, I believe it has made Express successful and I do know that whenever I shop, there are always people within their stores.

Advertising and marketing do a good job with the law of association and throughout many alcoholic beverage commercials, association is used. Recently during the past Super Bowl, there was a commercial for Bud Light that took one average guy off the street and put him through a bunch of amazing events and throughout all the events he went to, Bud Light was present. Within the advertisement, the goal they were trying to address to the audience is drink Bud Light and maybe events like the one you just saw may happen. Even though the audience knows that it is just an advertisement, they hope that by association it may arouse the audience and have the images stick in our minds and possible trigger future purchases. This commercial was definitely successful and one of the most talked about commercials of the Super Bowl. I believe that because of their advertisement and marketing for it, gross revenue will increase.

My last example is when I am in my room and Madison wants me to go out with her but I am not feeling up to it, see tries using the law of association to get me out. When she wants me to go out with her to a particular party and I am not feeling up for it, she will try saying that after we go out; we will stop at Oakland Gyros for food. When see states food at Oakland Gyros, it immediately triggers my memories of it and every night I go out and we get food at Oakland Gyros, I always have fun. When Madison uses this tactic on me, it more than likely turns out successful for her and we both end up having a good night with one another.

 

Throughout life thus far, I have continued to be affected by this law by commercials and what my peers say around me. I have seen advertisements of particular products or stores have appealed to me and I have visited them because of curiosity in association.