5MetaCom - B2B Marketing for Technical and Scientific Products

The Power of Three:
Optimal number of claims for persuasion

Almost everyone knows how much the “rule of three” helps for remembering things:

  • Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle
  • Stop, drop and roll

But what about marketing claims? Does the rule of three apply?

Research indicates it does. Across multiple experiments, researchers have consistently found that the optimal number of positive claims to make is three.1

One experiment examined the relationship between the number of claims made and the resulting impressions of a product or a person. The study found three claims is optimal.1

Positive impression and number of claims1

A second experiment gauged attitude and skepticism in relation to number of claims. It found that attitudes are most positive for those who see up to three claims, and that skepticism increases for each claim beyond three.1

Skepticism and number of claims1

The researchers concluded that, when making claims, “three charms, but four alarms.” (Read on to see how to apply this rule to marketing messages.)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  • Research indicates that when making claims about a product or service, the optimal number of positive claims to make is three.1
  • Positive attitudes peak with three claims and skepticism increases for each claim beyond three.
  • For marketers, it’s important to remember that “three charms, but four alarms.”
  • 5MetaCom uses the power of three to create focused, consistent brand messages through a technique called 3-30/3-30 messaging.

Creating brand messages with the power of three

For marketers, research on the power of three imparts a clear lesson: People, firms or products do better with audiences by presenting three claims than they do by presenting either more or fewer claims.1

You can leverage the power of three by using 5MetaCom’s simple 3-30/3-30 messaging technique. It helps create a focused,
consistent brand message that can be delivered quickly. The name stands for: 3 seconds, 30 seconds, 3 minutes, 30 minutes.

When people ask, “What do you do?” this technique enables you to provide a quick, powerful message, thereby earning the right to say more. In addition, this technique assists you in developing longer messages to carry the discussion further.

Using three points of persuasion — combined with the 3-30/3-30 messaging technique — can help you create positive
impressions among audiences while ensuring consistent representation of your brand.

1 Suzanne B. Shu and Kurt A. Carlson. 2014. When Three Charms but Four Alarms: Identifying the Optimal Number of Claims in Persuasion Settings. Journal of Marketing. Jan. 2014, 78(1): 127-139.