How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 369

but we are also affected by the images these companies create for
themselves and their products. Everything we buy symbolizes something.
Images: How to Get Through Their Guard
The images we see create attitudes within us. It is no random accident that
most U.S. presidents have pet dogs in the White House. Consciously and
unconsciously, we believe a loving, obedient, trusting dog creates a
positive image of its owner. Voters would be more likely to reject a
politician who preferred cats, hamsters, snakes, ferrets, or tarantulas.
It really isn't a secret that we are abundantly influenced by imagery when
making everyday decisions. We are much more likely to donate to
someone wearing a Santa Claus suit than to someone in street attire. We
are more trusting of a sales rep wearing a gold cross around his neck.
Sports bars decorate their walls with jerseys and other sports
paraphernalia.
Credit card companies are among the greatest users of imagery and
association. Because credit cards give us immediate gratification without
us having to face the negative consequences until weeks later, we often
think of the perceived positive associations before the negative ones.
Consumer researcher Richard Feinberg conducted several different
studies testing the effects credit cards had on our spending habits. He
came across some very interesting results. For example, he found that
restaurant patrons gave higher tips when using a credit card as opposed to
cash. In another case, consumers were found to show a 29 percent
increase in their willingness to spend when the merchandise was
examined in a room displaying MasterCard signs. More interesting still
was the fact that the subjects were unaware that the MasterCard signs
were an intentional and calculated part of the experiment.
Feinberg discovered the same results when subjects were asked to donate
to a charity. When the room contained the MasterCard insignias, 87
percent donated, as compared to only 33 percent donating when the room
did not contain such signs. Ironically, credit cards were not accepted for
making donations. The study produced startling evidence of how
associations can be used to create greater compliance. A simple image,
with its related associations, caused the subjects to be more liberal with
the cash