Doing more with less: Behavioral insights for anti-piracy messages

Abstract Using the lens of behavioral economics, we analyze recurrent elements used in anti-piracy messages: statistics on infringements, quantifications of economic losses caused by piracy, and a mix of strong and weak arguments. We argue that the more-is-better heuristic used in these messages can generate counterproductive outcomes because of the statistical victim bias, the scope severity paradox, the social norm trap, and the excessive number of arguments. While “the higher the numbers, the more convincing they are” seems appealing, we show that this logic is flawed and can be detrimental for the attainment of the desired objectives. We propose to design messages based on the homo heuristicus perspective, which activate and channel automatic processes in human beings toward desirable directions.