Singularity Effect
One named person moves people more than a statistic about thousands.
What it is
Attention and empathy attach to individuals, not groups. A single identifiable customer with a name, a face and a story generates more response than an aggregate figure, even when the figure represents far more people. Case studies work for this reason. So do founder stories.
The research
Donations were higher when the appeal featured one identified child than when it presented statistics about millions, and adding the statistics to the child's story reduced giving.
Small, Loewenstein and Slovic, 2007
How to use it
One customer, told properly
A single case study with a name and a number beats a wall of logos for people who are close to deciding.
Put a face on the offer
The founder's photo and a first-person line converts better than a corporate "we".
Related
Sources that shaped this entry: growth.design.