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Post‐It ® Note Persuasion: A Sticky Influence
Author(s) -
Garner Randy
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1207/s15327663jcp1503_8
Subject(s) - persuasion , blank , normative , appeal , psychology , quality (philosophy) , compliance (psychology) , survey data collection , social psychology , survey research , advertising , applied psychology , statistics , law , business , mathematics , political science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , engineering , epistemology
Four studies examine the influence of attaching a seemingly insignificant Post‐it ® note to a survey packet on the likelihood of completing the survey. Participants who received a packet with an affixed Post‐it note request had significantly higher return rates than participants who received the identical survey with (a) no sticky note, (b) the same message written on the cover sheet but without a Post‐it, or (c) a blank Post‐it with no message provided. Furthermore, they returned the materials more promptly with higher quality responses. A more personalized Post‐it appeal increased returns when the survey was long and time consuming but was no more effective than a nonpersonalized Post‐it when the survey was easy to complete. Results suggest that the Post‐it leads the request to be interpreted as a solicitation for a personal favor, facilitating a normative compliance response.