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"Don't eat the lobster" | Nudge Newsletter

Published about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Transparency

​Read online​

For his book Influence, Robert Cialdini went undercover as a waiter at a high-end restaurant.

He spent his time shadowing Vincent, who consistently received the largest tips.

Turns out, Vincent had a counterintuitive tactic.

When it was time for the first person, normally a woman, to order, he went into his act.
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No matter what she picked, Vincent reacted identically: his brow furrowed, his hand hovered above his order pad, and after looking quickly over his shoulder for the manager, he leaned conspiratorially toward the table to report in hushed tones for all to hear:
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“I’m afraid that is not as good tonight as it normally is. Might I recommend, instead, the . . . or the . . . ?”
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At this point, Vincent suggested a pair of menu items that were slightly less expensive than the dish the patron had selected.

Vincent's transparency seemed genuine and dramatically grew his tips.

But this same tactic can be used by big FMCG brands selling cookies.

Transparent packaging

In 2026, three researchers from Vienna and London studied transparent packaging¹.

210 participants were shown two cookie packages side by side.

One was transparent, and one was opaque.

Participants were then told to pick the package they wanted.

61% chose the transparent package. Only 39% picked the opaque one.

They repeated the experiment again with gummy bears, and the effect was even more pronounced.

Transparency attracts. It works for waiters at high-end restaurants and supermarkets flogging sweets.

There are 550+ tips like this in the Nudge Vaults.

Knowing the importance of transparency, I thought I should show you inside:

Access your first 50 insights for free here.

Hope you liked this newsletter, folks.

​Phill​

¹Marckhgott, E., Kamleitner, B., & Estes, Z. (2026). A window of opportunity: Transparent packaging affects product preference via psychological ownership. International Journal of Research in Marketing.

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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Nudge Newsletter

Phill Agnew

I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.

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