Social Proof is one of the most important psychological tactics increasingly used by advertisers, marketers, website owners, politicians, professionals, business owners, and many other folks. These folks understand the human psychology that it is easier and more comfortable to agree with others than analyzing and going our own way. Social proof makes them lazy to perform logical research and also relaxes their defenses. When there is enough social proof for the quality and worthiness of a product or service, people tend not to challenge its credibility, especially when it comes from an authority source. Below are few examples where you can see “social proof” in action:

People visit websites which are “most visited”, “most popular” and “highly recommended”.

When a celebrity is used in advertising, people tend to believe that the product must be good without considering any facts.

Quite a few websites have testimonials of their clients displayed on their pages. This adds credibility to the product.

Television producers use a laugh track in their comedies every time a punch line or joke is cracked. Even if you know that it’s just a recording, it doesn’t stop you from laughing even louder, does it?

Roadside vendors also use this psychological trick on unsuspecting customers. Have you seen a hawker demonstrating a product and after some time one or two people step in to buy them; and then everybody follows suit? These first two people were (in most cases) the hawker’s own delegated people prepaid beforehand, to initiate the buying frenzy!

Another similar case is when performers at a bar or live event secretly put higher denomination currency bills in the tips jar to raise the tips of others! So if you see $5 bills, it is to make it clear that “everyone else gives this amount” so you should also give five bucks!

A more sophisticated example is when donation collectors make some “seeded guests” at a gathering pay huge amounts of checks to get others pay higher, and later return the checks to the seeders!

Just like in a herd of animals, humans also have a tendency to “self preservation” by resisting to venturing out on our own. We’re also “pack animals” but in a slightly different perspective. The social proof strategy is increased multifold when it comes from those who we identify with. So for example, when an advertisement says that Arnold Schwarzenegger uses this special Rocky’s Muscular Pain Balm and found it beneficial and you’re into the body building, it identifies better with your market and you will want to buy it.

Sometimes good copywriting is used to create the effect of social proof. Websites often have a list of “best sellers” or “most popular” products. Even if they’re not really popular or selling well, it creates credibility in the mind of the prospect and he thinks “If everybody is buying it, it must really be good”.

Having read so far, do you think you should use social proof in your marketing efforts (or whatever you’re trying to achieve)? Certainly! Should you give false claims just to create a social proof? Certainly not! While the false claim if found out can back fire and cause you a lot of bad reputation and possible permanent business loss, it could also land you in jail depending on the laws in your country. So be honest when creating your social proof strategies. If you don’t have enough testimonials, give a free trial to selected folks whose testimonials could help your business the push it requires. You can learn some more sales techniques by visiting http://www.bharatbhasha.com/author.php/Nirjara%20Rustom where I’ve published all of my articles.

Good luck in your endeavor!

Nirjara Rustom moderates the psychology articles section of http://www.bharatbhasha.com at http://www.bharatbhasha.com/psychology.php - a free information resource.

For almost 1600 years, millions of people around the world have been taught that “Christmas” represents the true birthday of the Jewish messiah and Son of God, Jesus Christ. But does Christmas really represent Jesus’s birthday?

Before it was deemed “Christmas” and the birthday of Jesus Christ, the period of the winter solstice - ending on December 25th - was celebrated in various countries as the birth of the sun, who was considered a god in these many places.

The Christian celebration of “Christmas” was only formalized in the middle of the fifth century (450 AD/CE), when Emperor Julius I “assimilated the festival with that of the birth of Mithra (December 25), in order to facilitate the more complete Christianisation of the empire.” Until that time, December 25th had been the birthday of Sol Invictus or the “Unconquered Sun,” established as such by Emperor Aurelian in 274 AD/CE.

Concerning the origins of the solar holiday of December 25th vis-

Prior to the eighteenth century the wine trade was in the hands of small individual merchants, and establishments on the scale of modern bodegas were entirely unknown; there was no continuity of name and no records of individual merchants have survived. Only one modern firm—J. M. Rivero—can trace its direct ancestry to an earlier period. This house has been trading at least since 1653.

Its trademark is CZ, and the initials stand for Cabeza y Zarco, the family name of Don Pedro Alonso Cabeza de Aranda y Zarco, who was its founder. One of his descendants, Don Antonio Cabeza de Aranda (who was created Marques de Montana by Royal Decree in 1775) took Don Francisco Antonio de la Fixera into partnership. Don Francisco’s grand-daughter married Don Pedro Agustin Rivero, whose decendants still own the business.

Many valuable archives have been preserved, including marble coasters (http://www.thirstycoasters.com/servlet/-strse-Cats-&-Dogs/Categories), letter books dating from 1734, and account books from 1802, which record the names of many British merchants trading in Andalusia. Commercial records dating back to this period are rare, as much of the business was done by word of mouth, to avoid the royal taxes.

The oldest established of the many bodegas founded by immigrants from the British Isles appears to be that of Rafael O’Neale. The O’Neale family fled from persecution in troubled Ireland during the seventeenth century, and entered the armies of France and Spain, to follow the only profession that was open to them.

In 1724 Timothy O’Neale, who had married into one of the best local families, established his bodega in Jerez, and it is headed today by the widow of Don Enrique O’Neale, one of his descendants. So far, however, no detailed records of the history of the firm have come to light. It is a small house selling only on the export markets but has some very fine wines, stone coasters (http://www.thirstycoasters.com/servlet/-strse-Garden-Accents/Categories), and a notably beautiful bodega that includes some of the Moorish walls of the city and is designated a “Monumento Nacional.”

The oldest-established of the large bodegas is undoubtedly that of Pedro Domecq. The Domecq family originated in the Basses-Pyrenees, and their history has been traced in great detail by a private investigator, apparently to satisfy his own curiosity, as it remains in his possession and is unpublished. It is, however, a remarkable document and makes fascinating reading.

Inevitably, there are elements of comedy, as when a noble lady’s dowry included two cows (with bells) and a feather bed. But essentially it is the record of a great aristocratic family who had the rare privilege of doing obeisance to each successive king of France and presenting him with a pair of white gloves.

Like many other French aristocrats, some members of the family found it prudent to leave their native country during the eighteenth century, and their arrival in Andalusia had a profound effect on the history of the sherry trade. But the Domecq bodegas trace their origin to the year 1730, when the Domecq family was still in France, busy presenting white gloves to French sovereigns.

The house of Domecq was founded neither by a Frenchman nor by a Spaniard, but by an Irish farmer and wine-grower called Patrick Murphy. He came to Spain some time prior to 1730, and although he soon became prosperous, he cared little for his business, as he was a bachelor and was in poor health. His great friend was Juan Haurie, who lived next door in Plaza de Plateros, where he traded as a general merchant, with linen stores and drapers’ shops.

In 1745, Haurie began to help his friend in the management of his vineyards and when Murphy died on 21 July 1762, Haurie was his heir. He inherited all his properties, including vineyards in the finest areas of Macharnudo and Carrascal; and the wine business so suited him that he entirely abandoned his other interests.

Haurie was a man whose intense ambition was not confined to acquiring fame and fortune: he also wanted to make his wine as good as it could possibly be made. But his efforts were continually frustrated by the restrictions of the Gremio, which prevented sherry and coaster set shippers from accumulating the necessary stocks of old wine.

In 1772, the prolonged conflict was taken to the courts, and Haurie was eventually permitted to take part in all three branches of the trade, becoming a grower, storekeeper and shipper. He bought extensive bodegas and had his own cooperage. Like his Irish friend, he was a bachelor; with his brothers and nephews, he went to live in a magnificent house where there was also room for his offices.

To develop the business, he founded a new company with his five nephews; it was called Juan Haurie y Sobrinos, and included not only the wine business, but also several farms and shops. His principal interest, however, remained in the wine, and he steadily acquired new vineyards.

Juan Haurie died in 1794. Under the terms of his will, all his capital remained in the business and was kept undivided, as a central trust fund for the benefit of his five nephews equally. One of these was Pedro Lembeye, the son of Haurie’s sister Dona Maria. Lembeye’s sister had married a Domecq, and their son was named Pedro. But Pedro Domecq’s story belongs to the next century, so we will end this story here.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in the history of viniculture and international cuisine and travel. For a beautiful selection of marble coasters or a specialty coaster set, please visit http://www.thirstycoasters.com/.