Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · chapter 3 · id influence-c3-05-toy-companies-deliberately-und

“Toy companies deliberately undersupply advertised toys before Christmas, knowing that parents who promised the toy will return to buy it after Christmas, thereby leveling out post-holiday sales declines.”

unsupportedconfidence: low⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending

Receipts

Little Almanack -- How Toy Stores Use Consistency Biassource alive

Toy manufacturers undersupply the toy pre-Christmas but provide good alternatives. After Christmas, they promote the toy again knowing parents had made a commitment.

Brucks et al. (1988), Children's Use of Cognitive Defenses Against Television Advertising, Journal of Consumer Research 14(4)DOI registry: valid

Advertising-induced expectations create strong purchase commitments in parents, particularly when promises are made to children about specific products.

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