Rational brain · Framing & Choice Architecture
Loss Framing
Presenting the same offer as avoiding a loss rather than achieving a gain — 'don't lose your discount' instead of 'get a discount' — to borrow loss aversion; effective, and the most over-used device in marketing.
An everyday example
'You're about to lose your saved items' on a checkout you never intended to complete.
What it can cost you
Acting to avoid a loss that was invented by the framing.
Warning signs
- I am protecting something I did not own an hour ago.
- The message created the stake.
One thing to do
Ask whether the 'loss' existed before the message; if the message created it, it is not a loss.
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