Communications Strategy Group

Rejection: not just for middle school dances anymore. In CSG's Behavior Design approach, Rejection is one of six core motivators, tapping into some urgent impulses at the very center of the human condition.

Here's how it works. The pair of motivators we group under Belonging drive human behavior either as Acceptance (the warm glow of being "in") or Rejection (the cold 😱 feeling of being left out). Most brands tend to lean toward Acceptance. "Join the community! Be part of something!" Very wholesome. Very effective on its day. But not right every day. Rejection, meanwhile, says, "Everyone else already did this. But you didn't. Interesting choice."

That's why "Only 3 spots left" may outperform "Spots available," and why "10,000 businesses already switched" may outperform "Consider switching."

These messages tend to draw us in whether we know why they work or not. We all want to stay where people are and where things are happening rather than wandering the wilderness alone. Welcome to being human.

"Higher education audiences are among the most sales-resistant audiences in any sector" writes CSG's Higher Education Director Abby. To succeed in what she dubs higher ed's "trust ecosystem," marketing teams have to lead with peer reviews and positive outcomes from within academia. To read why trust is the new currency in this space and how you can seize opportunities to build it, read Abby's article on the CSG blog.