The scarcity brain concept, coined by Michael Easter, relies on three triggers:

• opportunity;

• unpredictable rewards;

• quick repeatability.

Opportunity is the door to lure us in. If it's presented as an opportunity to win instead of a chance to lose, we're much more likely to grab it.

Unpredictable rewards fuel our excitement and yearn for winning. They follow this logic, "If I didn’t win this time, the next win must be getting closer, so I must try one more time."

Quick repeatability takes advantage of our unconscious need to get rewards. If the option to give another go is served on a silver platter, all we got to do is take it. As simple as that.

In fact, these are our ancient instincts, coded in by evolution since the hunter-gatherer times. We had the opportunity to hunt to kill hunger (opportunity), the prey was never guaranteed (unpredictable rewards), and we had to repeat the action over  and over again to keep ourselves alive (quick repeatability).

How Scarcity Brain Works in Marketing

Slot machines are undeniably the purest example of how the scarcity brain works. It might be scary, but it’s also how social media algorithms work. This is why you should pay attention.

Studies show that replacing slot machine levers with buttons doubled the games played in an hour - from under 500 to over 900. Buttons sped up the process. You needed less time to repeat your action. A cheeky move by the gambling industry to play on consumer psychology.

Scarcity brain applies to social media, too. Think of TikTok:

• you are served with content based on your watch history and interests (opportunity);

• you might like the content and get a dopamine hit (unpredictable rewards);

• one swipe and you're already on the next video (quick repeatability).
  
  

#2 Consumer Psychology Hack in Marketing: Urgency Bias

Have you ever cracked under pressure? Have you felt the need to buy something right now not to miss out on it? I think we all have. Whoever was selling had done their homework. 

The next consumer psychology hack is all about urgency. 

In fact, Dan Priestley has packaged this idea into this trinity concept: logic-emotion-urgency. A magic combination every marketer should follow when selling a product or service.

• Logic - establishing customer need, a rational necessity to own or experience something.

• Emotion - feelings and status that come along with owning a specific brand or experiencing a service. Emphasising exclusivity and belonging are key players.

• Urgency - FOMO, the need to act right now not to miss out on something good.

Rolex

Rolex has truly mastered the urgency bias. 

• Logic - their watches have a practical function - making sure we’re on time. But Rolex is special - their value increases over time. You can take it as a compounding investment. You can even give it forward to your kid and it won't lose value.

• Emotion - owning a Rolex is a status symbol. You feel like you belong to a special community. 

• Urgency - oh boy, you need to go into overdrive to get one! Rolex has mastered urgency. First, you need to sign up to a waiting list and choose 2-3 models you’re willing to purchase when you get a chance. You might wait for 6 months before you get their call. Then, you have 3 days to physically show up at their store to buy the watch. If you miss out, it's game over.

Talk about a brand that never misses...

Screenshot from Apple's website.

Owning an iPhone is not about the functionality to make calls. It's about appreciating design and being cool. Let's be honest, it's a statement.

In fact, have you ever thought why there's only 1 product of its kind showcased in  an Apple flagship store? Yep, you guessed correctly. Scarcity. Urgency. If you don't buy it now, maybe someone else will. And there's only 1 left...

Another great example is any kind of presale, e.g. concert tickets.  

If you're asked to pay €150 for your favourite artist, it might sound a lot straight out the gate. But when you realise it's going to be the only concert in your region and it's for only 10,000 fans, you'll rethink the price-to-value ratio. Considering the exclusivity, it doesn't sound that much anymore, does it?

Glastonbury Festival has pioneered this. 

Photo: Andrew Allcock

To emphasise urgency, they show you how many people are currently on the waiting list to get a ticket. There are less than 150,000 tickets available and usually about 750,000 people on the waiting list! 

Ticket sale lasts for 30 minutes during a 365-day period. Insane! It's so easy to miss out if you don't act quickly. 

As if that's not enough, the tickets are sold before even announcing the lineup. If you want to resell your ticket, you get a 7-minute window. Talk about scarcity!

If this doesn't urge you to take action, I don't know what will... Automatically, this creates a stronger feeling of belonging when you finally access that special community. Just like magic, they’ve managed to establish a very strong emotional connection before the actual event.

Even more, they've created an ecosystem of products and services, such as pre-booking accommodation and buying festival merch. Everything to lock you in.

There are two types of people: the ones who read this and do nothing vs the ones who put these hack into practice. 

Understanding how your customers think and what makes them act will take you many steps ahead of the competition.

The truth is, it's only up to you. 

I hope that seeing how these concepts really work in the hands of world-renowned brands encourages you to explore ways how you could benefit.

Want to Take Your Marketing Even Further?

There are too many good hacks to fit in one post. So, if you want to know more about consumer psychology hacks in marketing, check out part 2 of this series.

If you want to grow your brand with some simple hacks anyone can do, let me know. Get a head start, because many tech companies are missing out on this!

Are you ready to shift gears? I’d be happy to help you out with strategies for content and social media marketing. Everything from A to Z.