Rob

Not only did I feel completely compelled to click the link but as I waited for it to load I caught myself actively hoping I was one of the first five.

In part I clicked through based on hacool's authority/reputation. But part of it was the desire to be among the elect. As a marketing tactic, does scarcity have an appeal regardless of the value of what is being offered ?

For the former we used it for event promotion, making sure people knew that seating would be limited for popular speakers or guest lecturers.

For the latter we use it for events and promotional giveaways. I'm on the Nature League committee at the museum and we'll sometimes have events that are open to Nature League members only. These could include behind the scenes tours or special curator lectures that the general public wouldn't have access to.

At public events we'll also sometimes have raffles in which one of the prizes is something like a private tour (food and bevvies included) of the museum (including non-public areas) led by a curator.

These tend to be quite popular because the participants get to see something that is usually unavailable. There is a certain thrill derived from getting "insider access" and they have the personal ear of a curator who can give them indepth answers to whatever questions they may have. Such events are naturally scarce, because it would be impractical for the museum to offer such things on a regular basis.

Convenience can be another benefit of scarcity. When Mars was close to earth in 2003, 750 visitors came to the museum one night to look at the red planet through the observatory telescope. The Nature League has a small party that same night, so about 30 of us got to see it first before they opened the doors to the public.

On the one hand we saw an amazing site, on the other we didn't have to stand in the enormous line we saw waiting when we left the museum that night. While such events seem "exclusive," the barrier to entry isn't high, in most cases one merely needs to become a Nature League member to reap these and other benefits.

For those with an interest in science, the outdoors and related social activities, access to these "scarce" events adds real value beyond what the would get as regular museum members.

The same principle can be applied to many fields, it's simply a matter of offering something unique that has a strong appeal to the audience in question.