mkt-marketing-psychologylisted

# Marketing Psychology — Ethical Application of Persuasion Principles **Psychological principles are an accelerator, not a brake.** Layering psychology onto a bad product raises short-term conversion and raises churn with it. Before applying, pass the check: "does this principle make the truth look faster?" ## Core Principles and Application Judgment | Principle | Mechanism | Application | Trap | |---|---|---|---| | Scarcity | Loss aversion | State stock/deadline | Fake countdowns → brand extinction | | Social proof | Uncertainty reduction | Numbers + concrete context ("3,200 teams") | Fake reviews, contextless star lists | | Authority | Reliance on expertise | Credentials, cited research | Irrelevant celebrity | | Reciprocity | Debt psychology | Give something free first (guide) | Selling the moment it's received | | Anchoring | Reliance on a reference point | Show list price alongside, expose highest first | Fake list price | | Indifference | Decision avoidance | Nudge default (premium) selection | Dark patterns = legal risk | | Loss aversion | Losses > gains | "What you lose" framing | Fear-mongering | ## Application Checklist (pre-check) 1. Is it true? — Is the scarcity genuinely limited? 2. Does the context fit? — B2B buyers lean authority; consumers lean social proof 3. No regret? — If 24 hours after clicking they feel "I got played", cut it 4. Legal? — Deceptive scarcity and fake reviews risk consumer-law and advertising-law violations ## Output ``` # Principle