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. 

Law of Obligation

 

The Law of Obligation states that it is “a strong need, even a push, to return a favor when someone does something for us.” In my own words, it is the act of doing a kind dead for someone and having a kind dead returned back to equal the debt. In my life, I have used this law a lot because when someone does a kind dead for me, I tend to feel guilty until I perform a kind dead back. I usually will use this law when I am in need of assistance from someone. Every time I use this law, it has been effective because it turns into a win-win situation. I receive help from someone and when the other person is in need of help, I will return the favor.

In my life, I have used the law of obligation many times pertaining to schoolwork. Throughout this school year, I haven’t had perfect attendance with all my classes and because of that; I will need to ask fellow classmates what had happened in those particular classes that I had t so that I don’t fall behind. In a particular case during the school year, I had a cold and fever that made me unable to go to classes due to the illness and the medication I was taking. Because I was going to miss some classes, I asked Madison if she could take notes and let me know what had happened in the classes I was going to miss. When Madison got sick and was unable to attend classes, I was obligated to help her out as well by taking notes and letting her know what was going on in those classes as well.

Another example that many families and people do is when going to another house for a party or gathering, they bring a dish of some sorts. Thanksgiving is a time where I feel many people are obligated to bring something to the feast. The main house that is hosting and preparing the turkey goes through a lot of work to make sure everything is right for that day. In conclusion, families that are invited usually will bring some sort of dish or desert because since they aren’t hosting, should feel obligated to contribute in some way.

My last example dates back a few months ago when I had attended the midnight premiere of “Anchorman 2.” In the theatre, they were having some complications with starting our movie so they asked us if we could go down the hall and watch the other screening of the movie. Before we went over, the worker gave everyone in the theatre two free movie tickets that we could use at any time. Having two free movie tickets, I felt strongly obligated to return to that movie theatre with or without free movie tickets because it showed customer satisfaction on their part.

Although the law of obligation is a nice win-win situation for both parties, it may not work every time. It may not work depending on the person or type of situation. Currently, I try to use this law of obligation in the workforce or at school. At school, I try being nice and helping out anyone whenever possible because you never know when you may need assistance from them. Lastly in the workforce, I try using my best customer service techniques because if I do, they will get the impressing that we as a company are nice to work with and they will want to bring business back to us in the future.

Law of Verbal Packaging

The Law of Verbal Packaging states within the textbook that “the more skillful you are in the use of language and vocal techniques, the more persuasive you will be.” In my own words, it is being able to persuade others based on our words to create perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions in what we believe in. In my life, I don’t believe I have used this law as much as I should have to persuade others. The reason behind not doing this is because I haven’t thought much of the concept of this law but after reading about it, I will strongly consider using more of it. As stated, I haven’t used this law but after knowing about it, I will strongly use it throughout the semester and in my life during speeches and when I am with customers at Men’s Warehouse. When working at Men’s Warehouse and using this, I believe it will help me be a more trustworthy sales associate and help sell certain products over others.

My first example of the law of verbal packaging is arguably one of the most famous American speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech. In this speech, he does a tremendous job taking his words and shaping the audience’s thoughts and feelings about segregation. He does this by using storytelling to paint a picture in the audience’s head and many vocal techniques. In this speech, the main reason why it is so powerful and notable is by his volume, articulation, pace, use of pauses, and lastly emphasis. Throughout much of the speech, he spoke in a clear and loud tone that flowed well and when main part of his speech approached or the audience would start getting loud, he did a fabulous job emphasizing parts of the speech and raising his pitch. In addition, he did a great job giving pauses in his speech to allow the audience to cheer. Overall, this speech was a great model of the law of verbal packaging and will continue to be showcased to future generations.

When working at Men’s Warehouse, I will at times use the verbal packaging to sell couples on a particular tuxedo over the other choices. After going through the interview process, I will have obtained all the particular information needed to get an idea of what the wedding will be like and a rough estimate on the temperature. When giving the couples a walkthrough of all of our choices, beforehand I will already have in my head which tuxedo(s) are the right ones. Although I don’t want to count out the other tuxedo choices, I usually quickly go through the features of those and maybe point out some negatives of the tuxedo that may appear in result to the information I had received about the wedding. When I finally come to the tuxedo(s) that I feel are appropriate, I will slowly characterize them and try and find attention grabbing words or phrases that will make the couple recognize why this tuxedo is the one to fit the wedding plan. When using this technique, usually it will be beneficial because couples see me as a professional at what I am doing but at some points, it won’t work due to pricing issues.

My last example of the law of verbal packaging is using vivid language and painting the picture to help persuade others. When being trained by Men’s Warehouse to book weddings, I was told many times to use vivid language and paint the picture with couples because it helps them get a clearer picture of what they want to look like as a whole. The first way I use this example in work is when figuring on what color dress shirt the males in the wedding will be wearing. In order to find this out, I ask the bride what color dress she is wearing and go from there. If she responds her dress is ivory or an off white, I will try persuading the couple in choosing an ivory dress shirt because if everyone wears white, in pictures, it will look like the wedding dress is dirty next to the gentleman. The next example I use is when the couples leave out their father or grandfathers from wearing tuxedos. When this occurs, I try and paint a picture of the father walking the bride down the aisle and all eyes are going to be on those particular people in that memorable scene. In addition, when there is a group photo of the wedding, I explain not to have individuals in their suits because they stand out in the picture were instead, the bride and groom should.

 

Law of Dissonance

The Law of Dissonance according to the book states, the idea that “people will naturally act in a manner that is consistent with their cognitions and commitments.” In my words, it is when humans do something that goes against their core values and beliefs and then try to justify why their actions don’t match up in order to stop feeling guilty and uncomfortable. I do not use this law often but the times I can remember, they pertain to my relationship with my girlfriend. When I am doing the same thing as my friends or another person, she will recognize that we both have done the same thing. From there, she will acknowledge my friends or another person but will not me. This makes me upset at times and I will say, “don’t you like me just as much or more? Why aren’t you giving me any recognition?” By doing this, I hope to have her feel a sense of dissonance. Throughout my life, I definitely have used this law as a child but as I have grown up, I haven’t had to encounter any situations where dissonance was used.

My next example is a scenario of a kid trying to be healthy. This kid decides that he is going to start to live healthy and change his eating habits. For a while, he does a good job until he has a bad day of school. When his parents come home from work, they see him lying on the couch eating a container of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Seeing this they ask the kid “Weren’t you supposed to be living a healthy lifestyle and not eating those sorts of foods?” The kid then responds by saying, “Oh well…. I had a bad day today at school and the only thing that makes me feel better is eating a container of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In this particular scenario, the kid is telling lies to change his beliefs but actions aren’t.

My last example is when a father is shopping at the mall with his child to buy presents for numerous people for Christmas. When shopping, a woman ask the father with his child if every child deserves some sort of present for Christmas each year. With his child next to him, he proudly agrees and then the woman ask in response if he would be willing to donate a gift to an orphanage for little children who have no gifts. Being stuck in this situation and agreeing that all children should receive some gift each year for Christmas, he donates a gift. If he were to change his mind and not give a gift, he would be lying and changing his beliefs.

Law of Esteem

The Law of Esteem

 The Law of Esteem states within the book that is “identifies that all humans need and want praise, recognition, and acceptance.” In my own words, it is giving an act of kindness to someone who is deserving of recognition. In my life, I will use this law on a daily as long as I am in contact with other humans.  Every time I use this law, it is effective because the person who I am giving praise or recognition to will usually feel happy from my sincere gesture and will want to find an aspect about myself to give recognition and praise to.

When I am working at the Men’s Warehouse, our company tries a lot to use different methods of this law to make people feel good about their work so that they will continue their work habits. One particular day when I was working, our store was busier than hell with customers everywhere in the store and many of them were there to either book their wedding or to be fitted for a wedding. For multiple hours, I was constantly moving with no break in between the action. After my shift had ended, our store was finally clear of customers and I could finally relax. Before leaving the store, my manager had told me what a great job I did today and gave me a scratch coupon for free merchandise that our company was doing at the time to reward employees of their hard work. When I received my gesture of kindness, it made me feel good about my work that day and helped me continue my hard work.

My next example of this law is when I go out on a date or even a special event that requires dressing up, I don’t like going out until I get the right gesture from someone which helps boost my ego and makes me feel good about how I am looking. When trying on different outfits and I get bad responses from it, I tend to feel bad about myself and will change until a response about my outfit makes me feel good. Lastly, when someone says something hurtful to me about my work or anything, it hurts me inside but also will challenge my ego. When I am talked to negatively, I will try and prove doubters wrong and show that I can accomplish whatever I put my mind to. Overall, this law can either be beneficial towards me or affect me negatively. If someone is expressing a positive gesture towards me everything is good but when gestures are negative, it affects egos and self-esteem goes down. Presently, I have used this law when at school. Many times, I have a lot going on so I will ask someone for a favor on school related work that would help me. In return, if they ask me for help, I will remember the kind deed they did for me and return the favor of helping them out with any school work they need.

Law of Involvement

The Law of Involvement

The Law of Involvement states from the book that “the more you engage someone’s five senses, involve them mentally and physically, and create the right atmosphere from persuasion, the more effective and persuasive you’ll be.” In my own words, the law means that when people see, smell, touch, taste, and/or hear something multiple times in the right environment, they are more persuaded to that object. Throughout my life, I have been persuaded this way many times because when something hits my five senses many times, I may eventually want to try it. The main times I am persuaded this way is when I am looking for something to eat and advertising for food companies will capture one or more of my five senses and drag me in. Personally, this method of persuasion is effective to me and positive for companies because many people like me send our business towards them.

In the mall, many food court restaurants will use the law of involvement to draw customers into buying their food over others. When shopping and taking a break for lunch, many restaurants within the food court will give hopeful customers free samples of their products. By giving customers a free sample, they may either like it or not which will decide if the restaurant will get business or not. Personally, Chinese restaurants at the mall always have had free samples when I am shopping which has brought my business to them. Another example that happens in the mall is stores accessorizing in a way that captures customer’s attention and brings them near the store. From past experience, I have walked by the store “Express” and they always play popular upbeat music which strikes my five senses (hearing)  and creates the right atmosphere which draws me closer to the happy music till I’m eventually in the store looking at their merchandise.

My last example of this law is when I am working at Men’s Warehouse, the use participation between employee and customer can help persuade customers to lean more towards one product than another. When I am helping a couple book a wedding, there are many different tuxedo options they can choose from but by getting the male customer involved and trying on tuxedo options, it can help really decide which is the more comfortable tux to go with. Also, by physically putting different color vest with tuxedos, it helps couples get a better picture of what the final product would look like rather than staring at a picture. The involvement of increasing participation, creating the right atmosphere, maintain attention, art of questioning, telling stories, and engaging the five senses in the law of involvement will more than likely work for the right person but there can be incidents where the customer may fight the urge and refuse temptation and persuasion. In the  present and future of my life, I will continue to use this law when working at Men's Warehouse because it helps customers and really does persuade customers from choosing one tux over another.

Law of Connectivity

The Law of Connectivity

The Law of Connectivity states that “the more we feel connected to, part of, liked by, or attracted to someone, the more persuasive they become.”  In my own words, this principle is how well we connect or not connect with people based on likeliness and attractiveness. Throughout life, the law of connectivity has played a role in my life at some point. In many situations, I try to use the law to gain attention from the people around me or important people who I may come in contact with. The main times I would use this law is when trying to make friends, going into an interview, interacting with my employees, and interacting with customers. Using this law has been effective for me because I feel I have made good friends while doing it and my work environment has never felt better. During this semester and beyond, I will try using the law of connectivity to gain an edge when trying to gain an internship and when trying to apply for that “dream job.”

In our everyday life, the law of connectivity is evident. Even though it is not fair, being an attractive person can help gain an edge over the competition. When going in for a job, being attractive helps leave a better feeling for the interviewee because they will see them as much more happier, friendly, and like able than the other candidates. Also, being attractive while going into an interview could rub off to the interviewee that they are a trustworthy person to help handle the company. Personally, I don’t see being attractive as a way to succeed in life but in all honesty now a days, it is important how you look. In the law of connectivity, familiar objects are more liked by people than less familiar or unknown objects. Attending UW-Green Bay, my roommate was Hmong growing up in the La Crosse area, only associated with people of his cultural background. When he came to campus, he didn’t make friends easily since it was a predominantly white campus. After a while, he found students on campus who were of the Hmong/Asian culture and was able to click with them because those students he had met were similar and/or familiar to his hometown. Lastly, another example within the law of connectivity is rapport or “a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well.”  Since beginning my college career last year, my first year I was very lonely and had no friends because the people I had met, I didn’t build any rapport with them. Now entering my second year at a new school (Cardinal Stritch), I am able to build rapport with many people. When associating with people at Cardinal Stritch, I am able to easily build rapport with many people based on humor we share and a mirroring personality. 

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