Our status is elevated when we share our VIP treatment
Though scarcity increases something’s value and therefore its owner’s status, allowing the sharing of access to privileges with a wider group leads to an even higher level of status for the ‘gatekeeper’.
McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2013). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research.
The study
54 American football fans were offered the chance to watch their team from a luxury suite for the game and, if present, could bring along a friend (i.e. an entourage) for the experience. 17 had a friend to bring, but 37 didn’t. After, all fans were asked about their feelings of status.
Results showed those sharing the experience with friends rated their status much higher than those who were alone.
McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2013). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research.
Key Takeaways
Permit guests to enhance status.
If you wish to make a VIP feel truly special, grant them the ability to share some, if not all, of their benefits with their friends. Doing so will create a powerful sense of social prestige for the VIP that far exceeds the joy felt from the scarcity of their benefits.
See the VIP as a group, not a person.
What group-specific social benefits can you provide in your programme?
Also make sure that the VIP understands that they are the gatekeeper to such benefits and the entourage is clearly subordinate with Access contingent on the VIP’s presence.
Communicate the rules up front.
When granting special group benefits to a VIP, there may be times when this special social contract is broken. Therefore, it's key to respectfully state your rules with justification beforehand (Habel et al., 2017). This will highlight the two-way, trust-based nature of the relationship and remind the VIP (and group) how to behave to keep their elevated Status.
In further detail
Our status is elevated when we share our VIP treatment
Though scarcity increases something’s value and therefore its owner’s status, allowing the sharing of access to privileges with a wider group leads to an even higher level of status for the ‘gatekeeper’.
McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2013). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research.
The study
54 American football fans were offered the chance to watch their team from a luxury suite for the game and, if present, could bring along a friend (i.e. an entourage) for the experience. 17 had a friend to bring, but 37 didn’t. After, all fans were asked about their feelings of status.
Results showed those sharing the experience with friends rated their status much higher than those who were alone.
McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2013). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research.
Key Takeaways
Permit guests to enhance status.
If you wish to make a VIP feel truly special, grant them the ability to share some, if not all, of their benefits with their friends. Doing so will create a powerful sense of social prestige for the VIP that far exceeds the joy felt from the scarcity of their benefits.
See the VIP as a group, not a person.
What group-specific social benefits can you provide in your programme?
Also make sure that the VIP understands that they are the gatekeeper to such benefits and the entourage is clearly subordinate with Access contingent on the VIP’s presence.
Communicate the rules up front.
When granting special group benefits to a VIP, there may be times when this special social contract is broken. Therefore, it's key to respectfully state your rules with justification beforehand (Habel et al., 2017). This will highlight the two-way, trust-based nature of the relationship and remind the VIP (and group) how to behave to keep their elevated Status.
In further detail
Our status is elevated when we share our VIP treatment
The study
54 American football fans were offered the chance to watch their team from a luxury suite for the game and, if present, could bring along a friend (i.e. an entourage) for the experience. 17 had a friend to bring, but 37 didn’t. After, all fans were asked about their feelings of status.
Results showed those sharing the experience with friends rated their status much higher than those who were alone.
In detail
Scarcity
We value things more when they’re in limited supply
Social Proof
We copy the behaviors of others, especially in unfamiliar situations
Prospect Theory
A loss hurts more than an equal gain feels good
Reciprocity
We’re hardwired to return kindness received
Framing
We make very different decisions based on how a fact is presented
Loss Aversion
We feel more negative when losing something than positive when we gain it
Self-Expression
We constantly seek out ways to communicate our identity to others
Default Effect
We tend to accept the option pre-chosen for us
Priming
Our decisions are shaped by memories recalled from things just seen or heard
Anchoring
What we see first affects our judgement of everything thereafter
Autonomy Bias
We have a deep-seated need to control our situations
Fast & Slow Thinking
We make knee-jerk spontaneous decisions that can cause regretful damage
Status Quo Bias
We tend to stick with our previous choices, even if the alternatives might be better
Dynamic Norms
We’re more likely to change if we can see a new behavior developing
Round Pricing Preference
We prefer and trust whole numbers over those ending in a 9
Salience
Our choices are determined by the information we're shown