Different screen. Same psychology.

It's fall, which means flannels, cold nights, changing leaves and an unreasonable amount of seasonal merchandise.

Which means I've started checking in on HSN and QVC again.

I grew up in Canada watching them, and their fall and Christmas programming still gets me.

The hosts are SO HAPPY.

Put Christmas hand towels in front of them and they'll react like they've been handed the keys to a new house.

"This is GORGEOUS."

"You're going to want TWO."

Give them 10 minutes and they'll convince you that you NEED something you didn't know existed 11 minutes ago.

It's exclusive. It's trendy. There are only so many left. Obviously, you should get two.

After nearly a decade in Sweden, where selling feels much more understated, I notice the difference.

But apparently home shopping never died. It just moved onto our phones.

Now it's limited drops and collabs that make everyone suddenly NEED the same thing.

Pink Lowe's buckets. Home Depot Halloween buckets.

Literally buckets.

Then there are the cups.

Last Christmas, it was the Bearista: a glass bear cup that sold out and ended up online for hundreds.

This year, it's a glass Snoopy cup.

For the second year in a row, one of the most wanted cups is made of glass and sold for cold drinks, just as we're heading into hot drink season.

I don't get it.

But clearly, I don't have to.

Because before the product even drops, the hype has already started.

The teaser. The PR package. The influencer showing it early. The reposts. The "I NEED THIS" comments.

By launch day, you've seen it everywhere.

Then you find out that the store has six.

Of course people line up.

That's scarcity doing its job.

And once the lines start, they become content too.

More reach. More views. More conversation.

But is that conversation actually good for the brand?

That's what I find interesting about Starbucks.

People REALLY wanted the cup. That part clearly worked.

But then the conversation became the lines, the resellers, the tiny amount of stock and people asking why anyone was doing all this for a cup.

So yes, the cup went viral.

But did all of that make people like Starbucks more?

I'm not so sure.

And I think that gets lost when we talk about virality like it's automatically a win.

Getting everyone to talk about your product is one thing.

What they're actually saying about you while they do it is another.

I grew up watching TV manufacture urgency.

Now digital media can do it before the product even hits the shelf.

Different screen. Same psychology.

And because I refuse to gatekeep this extremely specific form of entertainment:

HSN: https://lnkd.in/ehk3v7T8 QVC: https://lnkd.in/esADC5CC

You're welcome.

Or I'm sorry.