Logic is a Myth. Sell the Emotion.

Let’s be honest for a moment.

We like to think of ourselves as logical creatures who always make the most sensible choices. But the truth is, we rarely do.

The same goes for your audience—and ultimately, your customers. They aren’t operating on pure logic. More often than not, we make a decision based entirely on emotion. Then, we scramble to invent a logical reason to justify it afterward.

We do it to feel better about a purchase. We do it to make an impulse feel reasonable. Deep down, we just want to convince ourselves that we didn’t make a mistake, or that we didn't just throw our hard-earned money away on something completely useless.

Your customers are the same. They can say they want one thing, but they secretly want something entirely different. Your job is to look beneath the surface and see what’s actually driving the ship.

I have the exact example you need to understand this hidden gap.

If you were on Facebook between 2008 and 2010, you couldn't escape it.

Mafia Wars.

(Luckily, I didn't create my Facebook account until 2018, so I missed the chaos.)

It was a text-based social game made by Zynga. The concept was simple but highly addictive.

You recruited your real-life friends into your "Mafia," earned virtual cash by pulling digital heists, fought rival gangs, and took over territories. You spent energy to complete jobs, used stamina to fight, and leveled up your character.

Gifts. Bonuses. Status. The bigger your Mafia, the better it was for business.

It was so compelling that players literally added hundreds of total strangers just to send and receive gifts and stack up bonuses.

Picture it.

You are on a mission to become the most feared crime boss in your social circle. Your friends are watching your rank climb. You are deeply, deeply invested.

Would spending twenty bucks to upgrade your digital weapons or refill your energy bar really be a waste of money?

Of course not. Not to you.

In his book Hooked, author Nir Eyal states rationalization like this:

"Just like the fox that perceives the grapes as sour to reduce his frustration at not being able to reach them, players justify their purchases to help convince themselves of something they want to be true—namely, that they are not foolish."

Mafia Wars was among the first games to plug into a pre-existing social network like Facebook or MySpace.

Your friends, your coworkers, your family—they were all right there. You had a reputation to maintain. You had expectations to meet.

An outsider looks at this and may think: Why on earth would this person spend real money just to buy fake weapons, click digital buttons, complete imaginary jobs, and collect virtual cash?

But to the person playing, it is:

So their brain doesn't think, "Wow, I'm spending real money on fake pixels."

It rationalizes: “I’m not wasting money; I’m helping the team. I'm protecting our empire and my reputation.”

Grab a piece of paper and write down 5 real reasons why your customers use your product or service.

Don't write down what you think they want. Put yourself in your customer's shoes; write the exact realities:

The Genuine Rule:

People buy with their hearts and justify with their heads.

If you want to influence what your audience does next, instead of staring at the actions on the surface, study the "Why" behind it and apply it.

If you found this useful, share this with a friend who might need it.

Until next time,
With love❤️ ,

Thusharika

If you found this useful, pass The Genuine Rule to a friend who is still guessing.

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