The girl in the foyer
01. 前厅里的小女孩
Let’s start with a story. Last month I was on the train going to Wembley to watch a football match. On jump a bunch of lads. It sounded like they worked for a marketing agency.
先给大家讲个真实的故事。上个月我坐火车去温布利看球赛，上来一群在营销公司上班的小伙子，他们聊起了这事：
Did you hear about that 16-year-old in the office today, boys?
“兄弟们，听说今天办公室来了个 16 岁小姑娘吗？”
No, what happened?
“没啊，咋回事？”
So I get into work this morning. And there’s this young girl hovering in the foyer. She’s not talking to anyone, just sort of standing there looking a bit lost. I assumed she was someone’s kid or something so I walked past.
“今早我进公司，看见个小姑娘在大厅里晃悠，也不跟人说话，就那么站着，看着有点迷茫。我以为是哪个同事家孩子，就没搭理。
Anyway, 30 minutes later I pop out for a smoke and she’s still there, hovering. So I walk over to her and ask her if she needs a hand with anything. And now she’s looking really nervous, but she looks up at me and says, “I really like some of your companies marketing campaigns”. And then she starts listing all our campaigns off.
结果半小时后我出去抽烟，她还在那儿晃悠。我就走过去问她需不需要帮忙，她当时特别紧张，抬头跟我说：‘我特别喜欢你们公司的营销活动’，然后一口气说出了好几个我们做过的案例。
I start smiling and she starts to relax a bit. She tells me that she’s at school at the moment but in her spare time she’s reading marketing books and if there was any chance she could do some work experience in the summer.
我听了就笑了，她也放松了点。她说自己还在上学，业余时间一直在读市场营销的书，问能不能暑假来实习。”
“Fair play!” one of the lads’ chimes in. “That takes balls” says another. “But we don’t offer any work experience”, says the third.
一个小伙插话说：“这姑娘真厉害！” 另一个说：“这得多大胆子啊！” 第三个说：“可我们公司根本不招实习生啊。”
I know. But I talked to Cav and we’re going to make an exception!
讲故事的人接着说：“我知道，但我跟老板说了，我们打算为她破个例！”
Costly signalling theory
什么是昂贵信号理论？
This is costly signalling theory in action.
这就叫「昂贵信号理论」。
That girl could have delivered the exact same message (except more eloquently) in the form of an email. And yet, it would have got her nowhere. It’s impossible to signal seriousness via email because the cost of delivery is so negligible.
那姑娘完全可以把同样的话（甚至说得更漂亮）写成邮件发过去，但大概率石沉大海。为啥？因为发邮件太容易了，根本体现不出她的诚意。
Only in putting herself through the stomach-wrenching ordeal of walking into a big and scary office, and daring to ask for work experience face to face was she able to signal that she really cared. It’s a pretty safe bet that she’s not going to arrive late and browse Facebook all day.
只有硬着头皮闯进陌生的大办公室，鼓起勇气面对面开口，才能让人看出 “她是真的在乎”。这就已经是一个有分量的信号：她是真的在乎这份实习机会。很明显，这样的人上班肯定不会迟到，更不会整天刷手机。
To quote Rory Sutherland:
营销大师罗里・萨瑟兰有句经典总结：
The meaning and significance we attach to something is felt in direct proportion to the expense with which it is communicated
“我们对一件事的重视程度，常常跟你表达这件事所花的代价成正比。”
Essentially, costliness carries meaning.
说白了就是：付出越多，诚意越真。
- The handwritten thank you card carries more meaning than a text.
- A university degree carries more meaning than a Udemy course.
- Asking someone out face to face carries more meaning than on Tinder.
举几个简单的例子：
- 手写感谢卡，比发个短信更显心意
- 正规大学文凭，比网课证书更有分量
- 当面表白，比在社交软件上说 “喜欢” 更真诚
An awareness of this principle is valuable in understanding the psychology of marketing.
因为你付出的“成本”越高，别人就越觉得这事值得重视。掌握这一原则对于理解营销心理学很有价值。
Some real world examples
现实中的 “高成本操作” 有多管用？
You want to guarantee a reply to a sales lead? Print off your message and send it on the back of a carrier pigeon.
想让客户回你消息？
别发邮件，用信鸽送信！
You want to strike a business deal with Casey Neistat. Edit an awesome YouTube video and title it, “Dear Casey Neistat …”
想和网红 Casey Neistat 合作？
花心思剪个超棒的视频投稿给他！标题就叫《亲爱的Casey Neistat……》。
You want to get a job with Kanye West. Rent billboards worldwide saying “Hire me Kanye West”.
想给Kanye West打工？
租个广告牌，写上“请雇我，Kanye！”
In every instance the extra effort taken increases the perceived value of the communication.
Bloody hell, if they [sent a pigeon, made a video, hired a billboard] then it must be important.
这些看似 “折腾” 的操作，本质都是一个逻辑：你越用心、越花力气，别人越觉得你很认真，信息越有说服力。
The Costly signalling of Universities
大学如何靠 “昂贵信号” 抬价？
Costly signals inflate the value of otherwise identical products or communication. The most stark example of this is the university system.
“昂贵信号” 能给本来差不多的东西 “镀金”，最典型的例子就是大学教育。
How do you rebrand a $50 Udemy Course into a $50,000 Udemy course? Sprinkle on some costly signals and call it a “degree”.
For example:
怎么把 50 美元的网课包装成 5 万美元的 “高价课程”？加点 “昂贵信号” 就行，比如：
- Not accepting every candidate
- 不是谁都能进（设置录取门槛）
- Building expensive buildings and calling them “theatres”
- 盖豪华教学楼，起名 “剧院”
- Hanging up expensive paintings
- 挂名贵油画装饰校园
- Throwing a big party where everyone wears fancy gowns
- 办毕业典礼，让大家穿礼服走红毯
are all costly signals which artifically increase the perceived value of the degree far beyond its real value.
这些操作未必提升了教育的 “真实价值”，但这些都是在制造“贵”的信号，让人觉得“值”。
nod of appreciation
最后推荐一本书
A lot of the ideas in this case study are taken from Rory Sutherland’s book, Alchemy. Would certainly recommend it.
今天聊的很多观点，都来自 Rory Sutherland 的《Alchemy》（炼金术）。书里用超多有意思的案例，讲透了 “如何用心理学玩转营销和生活”，推荐大家看看！
如果你想在求职、谈判、做内容时脱颖而出，这个理论特别实用：
多花一点心思和成本，别人会更认真对待你。
