I received a promotional e-mail from Uber… and right away, I was able to spot the cognitive biases and marketing “tricks” used to influence me to — take an action.
For a second I stopped and thought, “Oh wow… I am just starting to get my hands dirty into those biases and I am right away spotting them as I see them.” It was proud of myself for a moment.
Moving on.
When I first read it, I was tempted to take Uber more often, but then again I drive my own car, so using Uber on a daily basis isn’t really my thing, unless the car is in service.
Here it is…
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*JIfZlJYPd1gbSWWeb5F5Xw.png)
Let’s find out about those tricks, shall we?
1. “Dear ‘Sherwette’”
What does it hit? Personalization — We are more receptive to things that are personalized to us. Me. Me. Me. It’s used on every promotional email I get, thanks to tools such as MailChimp.
2. “…one week left…”
What does it hit? Scarcity in time — which makes us want to hurry to … take action.
3. “…qualify for UberVIP…”
What does it hit? Elite group — A status symbol of social association.
4. “…you only have 2 ride(s) to go…”
What does it hit? It’s easier to start what has already been started for us.
In the beginning, I was only tempted and thought, “I have learned the tricks.” But then I read “you only have 2 ride(s) to go…” I clicked on “More on UberVIP” and I got “this link has expired page” message.
#Fail
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*6H9EoHcTRP5uPXMoNgGUfQ.jpeg)
As I am writing this post, I was intrigued to know more about the perks, especially that I know I have taken Uber twice yesterday. So, technically speaking, I did take my remaining couple of rides — but not due to the promotional e-mail though.
Did I have my status upgraded?
No. My Uber status didn’t change to “UberVIP”, which makes me wonder, “What would I be feeling right now if I did decide to take those rides to upgrade my status to “UberVIP” then it didn’t change?”
I would be pissed. I would be pissed but too embarrassed to complain about it. Plus, my time is also scarce, so I would let it go.
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