The Case of the Exploding Tip Jar

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The other day a friend told me a story about his daughter’s summer job experience. Little did he know the story packed a powerful marketing lesson.

Tina (okay, I made the name up) got a summer job at an ice cream store where she manned (girled?) a walk-up window. Like everyone else working there, she displayed a big jar with the word “TIPS” written on it.  No matter how hard she worked, how much she smiled or how great her service was, her tip jar was usually more empty than full. Then one day, she had an idea…

She removed the “TIPS” label from the jar and replaced it with one saying “College Savings Fund”. The response was immediate. Not only did her jar explode with cash – customers started talking to her more. They asked about her plans, taking a real interest in her. They came back more often too. Why should a different label create such profound sudden change? (no pun intended)Here’s some ideas:

Tina differentiated herself. People are used to seeing tip jars, but a “College Savings Fund” was a twist that made Tina stand out.

People prefer to give for a specific purpose.  Non-profits know this.  More often than not, an appeal for a special project will generate a better response than general appeals for donations.

Tina suddenly became more of a real person in the eyes of her customers. Instead of just the girl with a job at the ice cream store – Tina was someone working towards a goal.

Customers now had a reason to give.  “Reason Why Copywriting” is based on this same principle. People respond better when given a reason. Robert Cialdini in his book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”, cites a study by Ellen Langer.

They started out by saying “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine  because I’m in a rush?”  Later on, researchers left of the reason entirely saying “”Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the copy machine because I need to use the copy machine?”.  A surprising number of people let the researcher through even then.  When she simply asked “”Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine?” Far fewer people stepped aside.

It seems we are programmed to act when given a reason even when that reason doesn’t make sense. Note: Cialdini goes on to say this didn’t always work in every situation but the example does demonstrate a valid principle.

So how can you apply “The Exploding Tip Jar” principle to your marketing?

Dare to be different.  Sure, controversy sells, but if you’re not the controversial type, you can still find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Get real. We all tend to hide behind masks and labels. If you have to label yourself – at least make your label reflect who you are instead of just doing what everyone else does.

Give people a reason. “Reason Why” copy works. Ask yourself why people buy your product and/or service. Use those reasons in your copy.

God bless,

Andy

P.S. Last time I looked there were still a few free slots available for my split tesing course – Power Testing Profits.  There is no “catch” no upsell (okay – at the end of the course I do add a plug for an advanced course but I haven’t even completed it yet.) Sign up today because its free.

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