Fronted by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, Oasis was comfortably the most prominent British band of the ’90s and noughties.
They sold records at a rate not seen since The Beatles and did what many of their British peers failed to do by breaking into the American market.
Even though they were arguably past their prime when their bickering became too much, and they split up in 2009, many tears were shed.
Nevertheless, they went their separate ways and have been moderately successful on their own, without ever coming close to scaling the previous lofty heights they reached together.
Even though there were occasionally false dawns, a reconciliation seemed unlikely as the brothers blamed each other publicly for the split and refused to talk to one another.
Then, more credible reunion rumours started to swirl after Noel dedicated the Oasis classic, Look Back in Anger, to his estranged younger brother at the Reading Festival in August.
The rumours went into overdrive when both brothers and the band’s Twitter/X account posted a message on social media with the mysterious date of 28.08.24.
The Media, the band’s accountants, and middle-aged men started wetting themselves with excitement.
Was there really going to be one last chance to be mad for it before dodgy knees and dodgy haircuts condemned the band to history?
Of course, there was.
The worst kept secret in music wasn’t a secret at all—it was an exercise in manipulation.
Er, I mean brilliant marketing.
When it was officially announced that they would indeed tour, the hype and publicity machine went full-on Spinal Tap and cranked up from 10 to 11.
Coverage didn’t just blanket the music press and social media, but more traditional news outlets like the BBC and broadsheet newspapers, leading with front-page headlines.
There hadn’t been a music announcement to attract this type of media feeding frenzy since…er.. ever.
Knebworth August, 1996
I had a record shop when Oasis played Knebworth in August of 1996, and we were a ticket outlet for the event.
We sold out quickly, but when we opened that Saturday morning, there were no queues down the street.
The digital queues for this event were down the street, around the corner, up a hill, through a big field, over a fucking mountain, and down a yellow brick road.
But these gigs weren’t going to be corporate shindigs for prawn-sandwich-eating suits.
Oh no, they would be for the working-class fans who made up their bedrock of support.
To ensure this was the case, the lovely and caring people at Ticketmaster announced they’d stamp down on ticket touts (scalpers for my American friends).
Tickets going on resale at inflated prices would be cancelled quicker than a comedian telling a racist joke on TikTok.
How sweet of them.
Little did the poor fuckers who were about to spend what was left of their middle-aged years in a queue know that it was Ticketmaster who was about to scalp them.
And scalp them good.
Surge pricing, or, as Ticketmaster prefers to euphemistically call it, dynamic pricing, is when prices rise in line with current demand.
It’s used mainly by airlines and hotels to reflect surges in demand.
However, airlines and hotels don’t have monopolies, and they can see prices drop as quickly as they rise.
In other words, annoying, though it is when you get caught in a surge upwards, they must do it to stay afloat.
Not so Ticketmaster.
Or Oasis.
For them, it was merely an easy opportunity to pick the pockets of their users/fans.
And boy, did they take the opportunity to do just that.
The people who were lucky enough to get through immediately (and that is all, it was dumb luck) got tickets for the advertised price of £135.
But the people who were waiting many hours were having insult added to their injury of losing a Saturday morning by seeing tickets at a grotesque £350 when they finally hit the front.
What do you do when you’re hit with a sudden and outrageous price increase like that?
You have to make a rapid decision, probably before you have time to ask friends if they can afford it.
Because once at the front if you didn’t buy then, you’d be out of time, out of the queue, and out a reason to live….forever.
This is a lesson in marketing at its finest.
And it’s scummiest.
However, as coaches, we can learn from it and use some of the methods that Ticketmaster and the Oasis marketing team used to drive the market.
But we can do it ethically.
Let’s examine the cognitive biases they used to convince tens of thousands of fans to pay, in many cases, happily over the odds.
But more importantly, let’s examine how we can apply these tactics ethically and without needing a shower afterwards in our coaching practices.
1. Scarcity
A limited number of gigs, cryptic social media posts, blanket media coverage and a lottery system were all designed to make you feel like you were trying to find Big Foot riding the Loch Ness Monster.
From gold to crap fads at Christmas, and artwork to weird-looking cats, anything where demand far outstrips supply is more desirable.
And more expensive.
Scarcity is a huge driving force in buying decisions because we often want and will pay over the odds for what others lack.
And we do so because e it raises our status (more in a moment).
You can use scarcity ethically by limiting the number of coaching clients you take on, places on your masterminds, courses, etc.
But be honest about it.
If you only have five spots available, say so.
It creates natural urgency without being manipulative.
2. Status Anxiety
Missing out on a ticket to see the loveable lads then naturally fed into another primal fear- a loss of status.
In cave-dwelling times, missing out on some tasty buffalo was a problem if you were super hungry, but you could recover with the next cloven-hoofed beast barbecue.
However, if your status in the tribe dropped too low, it could mean expulsion, leading to your untimely demise.
I don’t think anybody died because they failed to get an Oasis ticket, but many people felt almost as bad as hearing a terminal diagnosis.
You can use status anxiety ethically by… flipping the script on it and boosting a client’s status.
Compliment them on every small win, applaud when they put in the effort, and acknowledge the ideas they share.
With your marketing, appeal to the rise in status many people yearn for.
Obviously, this will be niche-dependent, but a new job, better relationships, increased confidence, and getting fitter and healthier can all lead to an increase in status.
3. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
By the time people had been on hold for just a few minutes, their FOMO was off the charts.
By the fourth hour?
Well, they’d built a new chart, and they were off that fucker too.
FOMO taps into the primal fear that, back in the day, was linked to missing out on food. Which probably meant death.
Now, it’s linked to all sorts of non-threatening things, including missing out on sport events, low crypto prices and of course, concerts.
We can use FOMO ethically by… Regularly reminding them of their desire to make changes in their life, and they risk not doing so if they don’t act now.
With your coaching you can run time-limited offers, only open enrollment a few times a year, or perhaps you’re launching a new course that will only be available for a short period.
Be transparent about deadlines, and always follow through on your promises. Never use fake deadlines. Ever!
4. The Endowment and Ikea Effect
These are a little less clear-cut, but they still played a part.
The endowment effect suggests that we overvalue things we own versus those we don’t.
For example, if I offered you £50 for your favourite T-shirt that cost you £20, you’d probably not want to sell it.
But, if you had seen the T-shirt in a shop for £50, you probably wouldn’t have bought it.
Even though the people waiting didn’t technically own tickets until they bought them, in their minds, they did
The Ikea Effect states that we value things more if we have worked for them (the work involved was the time waiting). Thus, you can understand why people were prepared to overpay.
You can use the endowment effect ethically by…helping clients recognize the value they’ve already built in their personal development.
It’s easy for people to undervalue their progress, but by showing them how far they’ve come, you make them more invested in continuing the journey with you.
In marketing terms, short free courses can start to build the endowment effect as can free discovery calls.
5. Sunk Cost Fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy is where people throw good money after bad.
It could be spending money on a car because you just bought a new stereo for it when a mechanical issue means that you should just scrap it.
Or staying in a relationship that has become abusive because you recently remortgaged the house.
With the Oasis tickets, the sunk cost was the time spent thinking about it in the days preceding the sale and, of course, the queuing.
It’s bad enough waiting for hours on hold, but to then come away with nothing would be mortifying.
So, justifying the price was easier than if it was known before they logged in.
I’ve spent this long, and I’m fucked if I’m not getting what I came for. The kids can eat next week!’
You can use the sunk cost fallacy ethically by… Encouraging clients to let go of strategies that aren’t working.
Remind them (gently) that because they have invested time and effort in the wrong things before hiring you doesn’t mean they should continue.
It’s tough to use this in your marketing unless you frame previous failed attempts to change (sunk costs) as reasons to keep going. It would need to be done carefully.
6. Social Proof
When it seemed like every fucker wanted a ticket, it’s natural to think, ‘Well, I should want one too.’ because that is how social proof works.
We use it as a mental shortcut to tell us what’s worth our time and money.
It’s why we pick the busy restaurant in an unfamiliar town, binge-watch shows everyone’s raving about, or hire Tim Brownson because he’s got a boatload of glowing testimonials.
A long queue may be a pain, but it’s also a flashing sign that says, ‘Yep, this is worth the hassle.’
You can use social proof ethically by… Sharing testimonials and success stories from past clients.
When people see others getting results from working with you, they’re more likely to trust you can help them, too.
You can also talk about social media follower numbers and email subscribers if. your numbers are good.
7. Loss Aversion
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman demonstrated with prospect theory that humans hate losing more than they love winning.
As a rule of thumb, twice as much more.
Oasis ticket buyers were terrified of missing out, even if most would have rather French kissed a live haddock than admitted it.
Terrified to the point that many agreed to pay almost triple what they thought they were going to pay, to avoid that horrible feeling
You can use loss aversion ethically by… Showing potential clients the cost of inaction.
If they don’t work with you, what opportunities might they miss?
What problems will persist?
Focus on the actual, tangible losses they could face if they don’t take action.
But do it to help them understand, not scare the shit out of them.
8. Commitment and consistency
People wanting tickets had to sign up for a ballot even before they could log in.
Many people never even got past that stage.
Then they had to be ready to log in and wait in line from 9 am on a Saturday.
That all demonstrated a certain level of commitment.
We humans like to maintain consistency with our previous actions, even if those actions are harmful and/or no longer make sense.
As such, not paying the increased price broke the internal view of commitment and consistency.
You can use commitment and consistency ethically by… Getting small commitments from potential clients, like downloading a free guide or joining your newsletter.
Once someone is on your list, they will likely stay engaged, and there’s a reasonable chance they will hire or buy from you at some point.
Similarly, when coaching them, get them to make tiny incremental changes that will seem easy because the commitment is the most essential element.
9. Cognitive Overload
After hours of waiting, watching the panicking about the price and whether they would get a ticket, people’s brains were fried.
At that point, they just wanted the ticket in their hands, and many would have gladly handed over their firstborn and deeds to their house.
You can use cognitive overload ethically by not fucking using it.
Seriously, if you are pushing people to the brink and confusing them into making poor choices, then you’re an utter douche-which is why there are 8 ways.
Lessons to be learned
Under the right (or wrong) circumstances, it’s easy for anyone to get swept along by their emotions and make poor buying decisions.
We love to think we make rational decisions based on logic and our actual wants and needs.
But that’s rarely the case.
And marketers know that.
They know, like Ticketmaster, how to push our buttons so we line their pockets.
I like to think I know quite a lot about cognitive biases and can recognise more quickly than others when I’m being manipulated.
But I’d be a fool to think it doesn’t happen. It does.
The reality is, that as coaches who need to market our services, we absolutely should be using some of the methods mentioned above.
Because if we don’t, nobody will ever hire us.
We just need to use them ethically and always have other people’s best interests first and foremost.
