You are the company you keep
When the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, they weren’t just four talented musicians – they were a perfectly packaged quartet that seemed somehow more appealing than the sum of its parts.
The Cheerleader Effect, first popularized by the television show How I Met Your Mother and later verified through scientific studies, describes a fascinating phenomenon where individuals appear more attractive when viewed in a group than when seen alone. When we see items in a group, our minds create an “ensemble average,” leading to a 1.5-2% boost in perceived attractiveness.
This bias isn’t limited to aesthetics. It extends to our perception of products, brands, and even ideas. When presented as a cohesive group, individual flaws become less salient, creating more favourable impressions overall.
Details & Examples:
But what does this mean for you? Here are three practical applications:
- Strategic Product Presentation: Consider Apple’s approach: products shine brightest within their ecosystem. A sofa looks more enticing staged in a living room; a software solution appears more compelling as part of a comprehensive suite.
- Field the Whole Team: When Deloitte or McKinsey pitch to clients, they rarely send a lone consultant. Instead, they deploy carefully constructed teams. This approach isn’t solely about showcasing diverse expertise. Research suggests that individuals are perceived as more competent and trustworthy when presented as part of a cohesive group.
- Internal Presentations and Reports: When it comes to internal communications, grouping related metrics or achievements together tends to enhance their perceived value. A 7% improvement in customer satisfaction might seem modest in isolation, but when presented alongside complementary metrics like reduced response times and increased repeat purchases, the entire set of achievements becomes more impressive.
- Remember: context isn’t just important – it’s transformative. In business, as in life, we might find that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.
Monthly Challenge:
Here are 3 steps to put the Cheerleader Effect into practice this month.
- Audit your current sales or marketing materials. Identify three elements you typically present individually (features, benefits, testimonials, etc.).
- Reorganize these elements into strategic groups of 3-5 items. Remember: the groups should tell a coherent story.
- Test your new grouped presentation with at least five prospects or stakeholders. Bonus points if you can present this as a group too!
Want to Learn More? Check out these great resources:
The original research on the Cheerleader Effect can be found in “Hierarchical Encoding Makes Individuals in a Group Seem More Attractive” by Walker and Vul. For a less academic overview, Scientific American provides an excellent analysis here.
And for our fellow How I Met Your Mother fans, it was episode 7 in season 4 that introduced this gem.
