Price-anchoring offer

The pattern

This still is filed under Price-anchoring offer.

Define

A higher reference number is shown first so the real price reads as a concession, not as a starting bid.

Mechanism

People judge a price against the first number they see. The anchor must be a real comparison or it collapses.

Verdict

We have a credible reference the buyer will accept

Why it works

The poster is a point-of-sale piece, so it does the three things such a piece has to do and nothing more: the superlative claim, the product name, and where and for how much. Placing the price on the poster removes the last hesitation at the moment of maximum intent, when the buyer is already inside the shop. Showing the guide open in use rather than closed as a cover shot makes the small book legible at a glance and models the behaviour being sold, and the State House silhouette certifies the subject without spending a headline on it.

The big idea

A visitor reading the guide beneath the State House dome shows the book in use, while the poster simply claims it is the best guide to Boston.

The offer

The guidebook Boston Illustrated, for sale on the spot at 50 cents.

Lines from the ad

The Best Guide to Boston

Boston Illustrated

For Sale Here: Price 50 cents

Steal this when

Copy this for any in-store or on-site piece where the reader can buy within ten feet: lead with the ranked claim, name the product, put the price on the face. The landmark-behind-the-user device works for any locally specific product.