Ken forwarded me this podcast of Robert Cialdini speaking on his Six Weapons of Influence, which he lists as
- Reciprocation
- Commitment and consistency
- Social proof
- Authority
- Liking
- Scarcity
Cialdini’s book is in its fourth edition, and has apparently been adopted as a text for more than a few classes and the concepts have worked their way into everybody’s marketing seminars. Motivation speaker and marketing yakyak Patricia Fripp summarizes those six weapons like this:
- The Old Give and Take–and Take
- Hobgoblins of the Mind
- Truths Are Us
- The Friendly Thief
- Directed Deference
- The Rule of the Few
Academics often feel uncomfortable mixing marketing in their fields, but isn’t it worth a look?