Arkham City GOTY Edition

Shown above is a trailer for the video game ‘Batman: Arkham City’. The particular edition of the game includes all of the downloadable content released after the game launched.

One of the main techniques used in the advert is the ‘that’s-not-all’ (TNA) tactic. At the 1:05 mark, the trailer flashes ‘Is now fully loaded’. Following the message, each piece of content (e.g., the ‘Nightwing Pack’) introduced acts as a concession to the viewer; the fast-paced content presentation means that the viewer has almost no time to review the offer before it is revised, making it seem like fantastic value for money.

Experimental studies have shown that the TNA technique reliably produces positive attitude change. For example, Bruce, Knowles, Pollock, and Smith (1998) approached participants with either a control or TNA sales pitch for boxes of chocolate. Participants in the control condition were simply offered the box for $1, whereas the TNA condition set the price at $1.25 before immediately dropping it to $1. Seventy-six percent of participants in the TNA condition bought the chocolate, whereas only 45% of control participants did so. Even though the price was identical in both conditions, TNA participants could not resist the revised offer.

Reference
Bruce, H. J., Knowles, E. S., Pollock, C. L., & Smith, S. D. (1998). Mindfulness limits compliance with the that's-not-all technique. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1153-1157.