Pick Me! The Persuasive Power of Social Proof

The candidates for Congress are getting out there, making their cases.  

Which one stands out?   

Jamie McLeod-Skinner is using a time honored technique to distinguish herself:  social proof. 

All these people must know something.

Humans are social animals.

A well understood and researched element of human behavior is that people are busy and bombarded by information.  We look for mental shortcuts and rules of thumb to help us make choices, and we are influenced by others without particularly realizing it.  

The candidates for Congress are exercising those persuasive techniques right now.  

Authority

All seven candidates are fully mature, "job ready" candidates.  All seven have essentially indistinguishable positions on the issues.  All are progressive, Bernie-compliant, non-xenophobic, pro-women, pro immigrant, liberal, environmentalists, in favor of progressive taxation, in favor of expanded health care, who are appalled by Trump's vulgarity and temperament, and who disagree with Greg Walden's efforts to repeal and replace the ACA.  

This has become the standard Democratic suite of policies in this District and around the country.  The candidates are not giving people clear policy distinctions, so voters are looking at other things.    

Dr. Jennifer Neahring is appealing to our sense of respect for authority.  The doctor presumably knows more about health care delivery than other people.  Amid confusing and complicated health care legislation it makes sense to look to an expert.  

Michael Byrne is appealing to our sense of liking people who are like ourselves.  He calls himself a regular working man, a person genuinely similar to a big block of voters.  His webpage says ". . . no other candidate has planted trees, fought forest fires, picked fruit, quarried stone. . . . "  

Each of the others have their own assets and point of distinction, and this blog will look into them in future posts.

Commonality

Jamie McLeod-Skinner is using the technique of "Social Proof".  Today's post gives it a closer look.

Jamie McLeod-Skinner is giving people a big cue on whom to choose.  She had lots of people in the room, standing conspicuously, wearing her tee shirt.   Simple as that.

An attendee gets an impression: she has lots of support.  The various choices all have their pros and cons.  Who knows?  Jamie McLeod-Skinner must be a reasonable choice.  Look at all her support.  

They must know something.  

Perhaps they studied the websites in more detail than you did. Perhaps they have heard her speak in the past and learned something that shows that she is way better than the other candidates.  Perhaps they met her earlier.  

When the choices all seem equally reasonable humans grasp at little cues.  McLeod-Skinner is providing one.   

Family and Friends

The fact that some of the people wearing tee shirts might be a wife and son, the fact that some might be campaign workers, is not apparent and none of it matters, because attendees are not doing science or statistical modeling or careful counting.  They are experiencing a crowd, and they are getting a cue. 

She is building on that cue. Her Facebook page reported that she won handily the straw poll among attendees at the Ashland and Medford forums two weeks ago.  Those straw polls did not sample District voters. They sampled people in the room who heard the candidates speak for two hours.  Those attendees included lots of people who wore McLeod-Skinner tee shirts coming in.  Presumably they voted for her.  Their presence may have influenced others, indeed could scarcely have avoided doing so.   

After all she clearly has lots of support.  Lots of tee shirts.  She is probably a reasonable choice.  

Every candidate wants to create widening ripples of influence and support.  McLeod-Skinner's strategy appears to be to demonstrate electability.  It makes her a safe choice.

There is nothing secretive or manipulative about this. It's just a tee shirt. Every candidate could do the same thing.  Candidate still have time to make adjustments, if they choose to.  There are many ways to win friends and influence people.

McLeod-Skinner is selling electability.