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Use the Decoy Effect to Win Office Decisions
Description
Episode 112 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the Decoy Effect — a cognitive bias that makes the option you want look like the obvious choice. Lucas opens with a real-world example: The Economist's famous 2009 pricing experiment that lifted subscriptions by 43 percent. Then he and Luna break down how to apply it at work: in budget proposals, project scoping, and resource allocations. They walk through a concrete case — a marketing manager who needed approval for a $75,000 CRM tool — and show exactly how to structure the decoy. No manipulation, just decision architecture. By the end, you'll know how to frame options so your preferred outcome feels like the rational default. A focused, tactical episode for anyone who wants to shape conversations without selling harder.