By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Marketing In Asia
  • Marketing
    • Viral
    • Expert Opinions
    • News & Trends
    • Research
    • Market Podcasts
    • Market Videos
    Marketing
    This category deals with best news and updates on marketing and branding news and events.
    Show More
    Top News
    CelcomDigi and Naga DDB Tribal
    Unearthing Borneo’s Hidden Stories: A Docufilm Spotlight on East-Malaysia’s Celebrations
    7 hours ago
    hsbc
    Decoding Wealth: HSBC’s Revolutionary Approach to Financial Literacy with AI
    7 hours ago
    Moov Media
    Moove Media Unveils the Longest Digital Wall in Singapore’s MRT: The Outram Travelator
    7 hours ago
    Latest News
    Apple Vision Pro: A Revolutionary Leap into Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
    51 mins ago
    Google Ads Console Experiences Unplanned Downtime
    1 hour ago
    Google’s Upcoming 3D Product View Feature: Revolutionizing Mobile Shopping Experience 
    2 hours ago
    A Decade with BTS: TikTok Celebrates with Global Fan Engagement
    5 hours ago
  • Startup
    • News from Startup world
    • Startup Stories
    • Trends and Opinions
    • Startup Podcasts
    • Startup Videos
    Startup
    News and articles from startup and venture investment world
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of Venture studios
    Comparing Venture Studios and Traditional VC Firms: Key Differences to Know
    2 weeks ago
    funding
    Matrix Partners India Boosts its Fourth Fund to $525M Amid Economic Uncertainty
    2 weeks ago
    Amit and Gaurav Khatri
    From Basement to Battling Tech Giants: The Inspiring Journey of Two Brothers 
    2 weeks ago
    Latest News
    UBS Gears to Finalize Credit Suisse Takeover by June 12 
    8 hours ago
    Shilpa Shetty Fuels Fitness Revolution with KisanKonnect Partnership
    5 days ago
    Open-Source OOH Audience Measurement Framework Unveiled by Regional Advertising Leaders, AAMS, and Moving Walls Group
    6 days ago
    The Rising Tide: Transforming the Scene for Women Entrepreneurs in India
    2 weeks ago
  • Business
    • Feature Stories
    • News
    • Business Podcasts
    • Business Videos
    Business
    News and press releases from business world of Asia
    Show More
    Top News
    CelcomDigi and Naga DDB Tribal
    Unearthing Borneo’s Hidden Stories: A Docufilm Spotlight on East-Malaysia’s Celebrations
    7 hours ago
    FavePay
    FavePay Later’s Audra Pakalnyte Exits After an 8-Year Journey, Marks End of an Era
    7 hours ago
    Joel Neoh
    Joel Neoh: From Fave Founder to CircleDNA’s New Managing Director
    7 hours ago
    Latest News
    Google’s Upcoming 3D Product View Feature: Revolutionizing Mobile Shopping Experience 
    2 hours ago
    Goldheart Ensures Customer Financial Security Amid Data Breach Impacting 42,000 
    2 hours ago
    Ruder Finn Asia Innovates With a New DEI Practice: Aiding Businesses in APAC
    2 hours ago
    A Decade with BTS: TikTok Celebrates with Global Fan Engagement
    5 hours ago
  • Society
    • Inspiration
    • Destinations & Travel
    • Food & Gourmet
    • People
    • Young Voices
    • Society Videos
    • Society Podcasts
    Society
    News and articles from and for societies around us
    Show More
    Top News
    Blackpink's Rosé Leads K-beauty's Digital Revolution: Sulwhasoo and Lazada Unite for 'Shoppertainment'
    Blackpink’s Rosé Leads K-beauty’s Digital Revolution: Sulwhasoo and Lazada Unite for ‘Shoppertainment’
    1 week ago
    Sari
    The Sari Transformed: A Global Journey from Traditional Garment to High Fashion
    2 weeks ago
    Podcast
    Unplug and Tune In: Top 5 Indian Podcasts for Your Listening Pleasure in 2023
    2 weeks ago
    Latest News
    Revolution In Customer Loyalty: DFS Group’s DFS CIRCLE Transforms Luxury Travel Retail Experience 
    1 day ago
    Immerse Yourself in the Aromatic Extravaganza: Thailand Coffee Fest 2023 
    1 week ago
    MS Dhoni: The Quintessential Leader of Indian Premier League (IPL) 
    1 week ago
    Petronas Unveils Heritage-Rooted Films: A Celebration of Malaysia’s Cultural Richness
    1 week ago
  • Stories
  • Videos
    • Videos Gallery
    • The Opinion Scout
    • Step By Step
    • Market Masters Series
Search
Technology
  • Hot
  • Trending
  • Editor’s Choice
  • NSFW
  • Reactions
  • Authors
  • Viral on Internet
Other Pages
  • My Bookmarks
  • Customize Interests
  • About Marketing In Asia
  • Business Register & Login
  • Startup Register & Login
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 Marketing In Asia Sdn Bhd. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Barnum Effect: A Slick Tactic
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro: A Revolutionary Leap into Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Buzz Marketing
Google ads
Google Ads Console Experiences Unplanned Downtime
Advertising Buzz
Using Google to search for information
Google’s Upcoming 3D Product View Feature: Revolutionizing Mobile Shopping Experience 
Advertising Business Marketing News
Goldheart
Goldheart Ensures Customer Financial Security Amid Data Breach Impacting 42,000 
Business News
Ruderfinn
Ruder Finn Asia Innovates With a New DEI Practice: Aiding Businesses in APAC
Business News
Aa
Marketing In Asia
Aa
  • Hot
  • Trending
  • Editor’s Choice
  • NSFW
  • Reactions
  • Authors
  • Viral on Internet
  • My Bookmarks
  • Customize Interests
  • About Marketing In Asia
  • Business Register & Login
  • Startup Register & Login
Search
  • Marketing
    • Viral
    • Expert Opinions
    • News & Trends
    • Research
    • Market Podcasts
    • Market Videos
  • Startup
    • News from Startup world
    • Startup Stories
    • Trends and Opinions
    • Startup Podcasts
    • Startup Videos
  • Business
    • Feature Stories
    • News
    • Business Podcasts
    • Business Videos
  • Society
    • Inspiration
    • Destinations & Travel
    • Food & Gourmet
    • People
    • Young Voices
    • Society Videos
    • Society Podcasts
  • Stories
  • Videos
    • Videos Gallery
    • The Opinion Scout
    • Step By Step
    • Market Masters Series
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2023 Marketing In Asia Sdn Bhd. All Rights Reserved.
Marketing In Asia > Blog > Marketing > Trends > Barnum Effect: A Slick Tactic
Trends

Barnum Effect: A Slick Tactic

profile
Last updated: 2022/07/29 at 3:28 PM
Meizar Assiry
Share
8 Min Read
barnum-effect:-a-slick-tactic
SHARE

Mr Barnum took risks. That’s why, he’s remembered widely.

Contents
Mr Barnum took risks. That’s why, he’s remembered widely. The Barnum EffectThe Barnum Effect in Action1. Mr Anderson demanded my urgent response (I gave him)2. Mr Anderson explained his intent (I confirmed that)3. Mr Anderson told me his comprehensive plan (I replied accordingly)4. Mr Anderson’s sickened by me and gave upKey Takeaways

It’s sexy to talk about agile changes, shiny new things, or things that make you feel barmy. But let’s chill for a moment and talk about what doesn’t change, but still works. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos once said, “I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’—because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”

Advertising legend Bill Bernbach said, “It took millions of years for man’s instincts to develop. It will take millions more for them to even vary. It’s fashionable to talk about changing man. A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man, with his obsessive drive to survive, to be admired, to succeed, to love, to take care of his own.”

From Mr Bernbach who lived before the internet boom to one of the richest men alive in the world Mr Bezos, the notion of unchanging man’s behavior stays true: we’re still surviving, loving admirations, striving to succeed, valuing products or services that are better, cheaper, and faster.

The Barnum Effect

PT Barnum (wikimedia.org)

The Barnum Effect, also called the Forer Effect, is a psychological phenomenon when someone believes that personality descriptions apply specifically to them, despite the fact the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone. Sounds familiar? That’s basically how horoscopes and tarot readings work. People will accept generalities as being directly relevant to them. Like, we can always blame it on the Geminis.

The Barnum Effect got its name from the American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum who lived in the 19th century. Mr Barnum is infamous to be the one who coined the phrase, ‘a sucker is born every minute’ – rooted in his ability to easily persuade consumers and take their money. But, perhaps Prof. Bertram Forer’s study in the late 1940s best illustrates the phenomenon. He conducted a personality test through a questionnaire to his students. The survey’s written in such a way to make them believe that each of their unique set of answers would be analyzed to give them an individual personality assessment. Instead, Prof. Forer gave each student a paragraph full of identical generalities that could be true for nearly anyone, such as, ‘You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself.’

Surprisingly, 87% of students rated their personality assessment as being very accurate – giving it a score of 4 or 5 (scale of 1-5). It demonstrated human gullibility on the bogus positive feedback, assessments, and perceived authority figures.

The Barnum Effect is the “fallacy of personal validation” because consumers love to be flattered. More importantly, they trust compliments as being truthful – even if it’s intended for a broader audience. It’s a persuasion skill that enables us to flatter and assure intended readers. Many readers’ objections are rooted in fear of disapproval, ridicule, making a mistake, or being ripped off. That’s why persuasion isn’t about bullying or manipulation, but reassurance.

But we seem to forget the first case of persuasion is converting clients to choose a better path. Nowadays, we (our bosses?) love to promote, promote, and promote both online and offline but forget to persuade, then consumers choose bad options or, even worse, leave. The essence of persuasion is “I’m selling you a product here, these are the values surrounding the product, and this is why you should buy it.” It may sound simple, but it’s not easy.

The Barnum Effect in Action

The Barnum Effect is everywhere. The use of a “recommended for you,” “who to follow,” or “you might also like” feature on Facebook, Spotify, Twitter, and Netflix gives the illusion of a tailored product. It makes them seemingly ‘understand you in person when the feature is based on broader demographic and behavioural data feeding the algorithm.

One time, Mr Barnum falsely marketed the Circassian Beauties, a phrase used to refer to an idealized image of the women of the Circassian people of the Northern Caucasus, and turned them into a sideshow attraction. The women were portrayed as racial purity and had escaped sexual slavery. They often wore oriental costumes and their teased hair was held in place with beer. Zalumma Agra was Mr Barnum’s first Circassian Beauty. She’s an example of racial purity.

But it’s all made up. None of the women was from the Caucasus, and actual Circassian hairstyles bore no resemblance to Mr Barnum’s fantasy. They’re regular local women with exotic-sounding names, cute peasant costumes, and wild hairdos. 

Americans didn’t know better. Mr Barnum’s bogus stories turned regular women into an interesting attraction, Americans bought them and got entertained. I channelled my inner Barnum by making bogus email stories in replying to scammers. My favourite exchange is one with Mr Anderson Miller. His modus operandi was he offered me a mutual friend’s inheritance who just passed away.

1. Mr Anderson demanded my urgent response (I gave him)

2. Mr Anderson explained his intent (I confirmed that)


3. Mr Anderson told me his comprehensive plan (I replied accordingly)


4. Mr Anderson’s sickened by me and gave up

Key Takeaways

Mr Barnum makes average things compelling, a persuasive communication maestro, and an effective communicator. Do we all have the balls to make our copy not only informative, but also interesting, amusing, and distinctive?

Mr Barnum took risks. That’s why he’s remembered widely. He knows people need things to ease their daily pains. Thus, he came up with weird stories which are more compelling to consumers who are already getting bored and stressed by things in their lives. But are we willing to fight our unorthodox ideas to turn average things unforgettable?

What we can always do as a writer is to “write as you speak.” Meaning, keep it clear and conversational. When necessary, sprinkle it with creative ideas or weird imaginations. Entertain them, as Mr Barnum did. Make consumers trust you so that they’re responsive to your offers. Lure them to get a better option in their lives that’s also beneficial to your businesses. That’s persuasion.

Even scammers ‘love’ the idea of writing like you speak by being responsive to my rubbish emails. Stay away from averageness, and always work hard to make things compelling to your readers and consumers.

You Might Also Like

Steering the Climate Debate: How India Is Shaping Its Environmental Future

Controversies Sell: How Negative Publicity Can Boost A Movie’s Popularity

The Power of Tax-Free Shopping: Unlocking India’s Economic Potential

Tackling Climate Change: The Winning Formula for India’s Business Future

Free Returns: A Bittersweet E-Commerce Love Story You Can’t Resist

Get Latest Job Updates on Whatsapp and Telegram
SCIKEY Logo
Whatsapp
Telegram
TAGGED: barnum

Sign Up For MIA Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest updates about the Marketing world delivered straight to your inbox.

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
    Meizar Assiry July 29, 2022 May 28, 2022
    Share This Article
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
    Share
    What do you think?
    Love0
    Happy0
    Joy0
    Surprise0
    Sad0
    Angry0
    Cry0
    profile
    By Meizar Assiry
    Follow:
    Meizar Assiry or Ijey has been writing about communications since 2014 and is also the Founder of @anoawords, a writing agency with clients, such as Shell Indonesia, ZALORA, Bank Central Asia, Kilang Pertamina Internasional, Levi's, and more.
    Previous Article an-adelaide-coding-school-is-helping-indigenous-students-crack-the-tech-sector An Adelaide Coding School Is Helping Indigenous Students Crack The Tech Sector
    Next Article how-to-spend-your-content-budget-effectively-in-2022 How to Spend Your Content Budget Effectively In 2022
    Leave a comment Leave a comment

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Follow US

    8k Followers Follow
    3.4k Followers Like
    1.1k Followers Follow
    200 Followers Follow
    157 Subscribers Subscribe

    Latest News

    Apple Vision Pro
    Apple Vision Pro: A Revolutionary Leap into Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
    Buzz Marketing 52 mins ago
    Google ads
    Google Ads Console Experiences Unplanned Downtime
    Advertising Buzz 1 hour ago
    Using Google to search for information
    Google’s Upcoming 3D Product View Feature: Revolutionizing Mobile Shopping Experience 
    Advertising Business Marketing News 2 hours ago
    Goldheart
    Goldheart Ensures Customer Financial Security Amid Data Breach Impacting 42,000 
    Business News 2 hours ago

    You Might also Like

    Climate
    ResearchTrends

    Steering the Climate Debate: How India Is Shaping Its Environmental Future

    2 weeks ago
    Controversies Sell: How Negative Publicity Can Boost A Movie's Popularity
    MarketingNewsOpinionTrends

    Controversies Sell: How Negative Publicity Can Boost A Movie’s Popularity

    4 weeks ago
    Tax-free shopping
    FashionOpinionTrends

    The Power of Tax-Free Shopping: Unlocking India’s Economic Potential

    4 weeks ago
    climate change
    OpinionTrends

    Tackling Climate Change: The Winning Formula for India’s Business Future

    4 weeks ago
    //

    Get Asia to Notice You

    Quick Link

    • Contact
    • RSS Terms of Service
    • Policies & Standards
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms Of Service
    • Privacy Policy

    Top Categories

    • Marketing
    • Startup
    • Feature Stories
    • News
    • People
    • Inspiration

    Sign Up for Our Newsletter

    Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

      Marketing In AsiaMarketing In Asia
      Follow US
      © 2023 Marketing In Asia. All Rights Reserved.
      • Disclaimer
      • Terms of Service
      • Privacy Policy
      Join the growing tribe of Marketing In Asia!

      Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest updates, news, videos, podcasts etc..

        Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.