Peer pressure is huge, even for the most well adjusted among us, and the authoritative volumes that make up the libraries of psychologists have numerous examples of how groups of like minded people can talk themselves into extreme or simply silly positions.

A classic study Robert Caldini looked at ways to promote a concern of the environment. He worked with the normal type of cards that we see in most hotel rooms encouraging guests to re-use their towels. One group of cards asked for re-use out of respect for the environment, another asked for re-use for the sake of future generations. The final batch asked for re-use because the majority of guests did so.

The final option using peer pressure was 30% more effective than the other motivators.

The problem with this approach is that it can seem very crude and simplistic, as when everything is described as “award winning” and “leading”, or when companies claim to have been doing whatever they do for “20 years”. Such attempts to justify through what others have said only uses peer pressure at a distance. Where possible we need to get closer to peer pressure as in the hotel example.

Thus it is better to report that x number of people in the same social group as the reader have done or bought y or z, rather than appeal to the judgement of an unknown group of people who hand out awards. While award giving organisation hate the fact, and indeed hide the fact, awards generally don’t really do much for anyone. (There are exceptions, but that is the general observation).

Thus as a seller of direct mail services I might appeal to the fact that while most traditional forms of advertising have declined in volume in the last four years, direct mail has continued to show a rise. Why is this? (I might rhetorically ask). The reason of course is that many people in businesses like yours have found that it works for them.

That is peer pressure, and it can work. Basically tell people that everyone else is doing it, and you can edge up your response. Not necessarily by 30% but just a bit.

Source: Robert Caldini of Arizona State university in Tempe

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