How To Outrage A Lot Of People And Still Win Big
A Visit From The Tooth Fairy Teaches A Timeless Lesson

It’s a milestone every parent records and shares with friends and family. Your child loses his first tooth. I don’t know what it signals but it’s a milestone nonetheless.
Losing a tooth requires a visit from the tooth fairy in the middle of the night. The tooth fairy takes the old tooth and replaces it with money. She then sells the discarded teeth on the black market for a 12% markup, making a tidy profit. Okay, I made that up.
Mommy and daddy are the real tooth fairies. Still, we need to decide on a fair price for a tooth.
“I need some small bills. Do you have any?” my wife asked.
“Yeah. How much should we give?” I asked.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“What do other people give? Why don’t you ask on Facebook?”
Ever-Present Social Norms
I fell back on the social norm. If everyone else gives $3, then we’ll give $3. Social norms influence much of our behavior. We don’t always think about it. It’s more of an instinct than a conscious effort.
When you go to a library you keep quiet because quiet is the social norm. You expect that behavior in a library. When that jerk barges into a library yapping on his phone, what do you do? You probably give an evil stare and think “what a jerk.”
One of the most interesting displays of social norms is wedding gifts. At my wedding, we received an astounding number of cash gifts for the exact same amount. The statistical possibility of it being a coincidence would be on par with winning the lottery.
Within a group of friends, there is a social norm for gifts. Sure, there are exceptions. Some can’t afford that much. Others who are extra close friends give a little more. Most give the same amount to avoid standing out.
The Risk Of Being Different
Social norms help us function as a society but they have a drawback.
Adhering to social norms prevent you from standing out and getting attention. It’s true whether you’re a marketer, writer or any other brand.
Deviating from social norms will get you attention. You may not like all of the attention it brings but it makes you stand out.
When you buck a social norm you attract critics. Think of the jerk who bursts into the library on his phone. Or the wedding guest who gives $1,000 when everyone else gives $100.
There’s a flip side. Your against-the-grain behavior attracts like minded people.
Think of all the social norms Donald Trump broke in his campaign. It brought him his share of critics. It also won him a slew of supporters.
Prepare For Backlash
Brands do this all the time. New fashion styles buck social norms. Younger, hip crowds adopt them. Initially, they draw derision from the masses. At some point, they gain acceptance and become part of the mainstream.
When your message gets lost in the noise of the web or sounds too familiar, bucking the social norm will get you noticed. Just prepare yourself for some backlash.
Bucking the social norm is just one of my tools. Get my free guides on persuasion and creativity here. One more thing. If you liked this story, click the ❤ so others may find it.

