Paul Das

Stewart Lee loves to use his tour posters to say who his shows aren't for. Logic suggests that would dampen sales but there's evidence that it does the opposite. In 2025, Karen Anne Wallach from the University of Alabama in Huntsville showed dark coffee lovers a review of a new dark roast, Folgers Noir. The reviews were the same, but had one of the following claims: “This is the coffee for you if you like dark roast coffee!” (positive framing) “This is NOT the coffee for you if you don’t like dark roast coffee!” (negative framing) Then, all participants were told that they’d be entered into a prize draw and asked to choose between two prizes if they won: $1 in cash or a $10 Folgers Noir gift card. Among those who saw the positive framing message, 27% chose the gift card. But in the negative framing group, 40% picked it - a 48% increase. Saying who the coffee wasn’t for made it more appealing, because dark coffee drinkers felt more certain it would suit their tastes. The message was more believable because it had a cost to the sender. Only someone who genuinely believed they were spot on for dark roast drinkers would risk alienating those who like a lighter roast. But forget coffee or comedy - there's virtually no limit to where you can harness negative framing. Selling high-tech gaming laptops? Say they’re not for casual players. Promoting an advanced fitness course? Stress it’s not for beginners. Have a think about your category or brand - is there a clear line you can draw? If you’d like to learn more behavioural science tactics, sign up to my newsletter, AstroHacks. Each fortnight I look at one bias and explain how you can apply it to business or marketing challenges. You can sign up here: eepurl.com/i-ZfiQ