Tanner SmithCEO Syndicate Marketing | Scaling 7, 8, & 9 figure businesses | Performance marketing for ecom, local, and info businesses

100 DAY AD SCHOOL DAY 28

20 Jul 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:01

In this short Ad School video, the narrator demonstrates the marketing tactic of price anchoring using a McDonald’s Filet‑O‑Fish supersize scenario. He explains how the initial price ($7.99) sets a mental reference point, making the upsell to a supersized version for an extra dollar feel like a bargain, even though the additional cost to McDonald’s is negligible. The narrator highlights that the extra dollar translates into pure profit and frames the upsell as a psychological trick rather than a value‑based upgrade. He then generalizes the technique, noting its prevalence in gym memberships, software subscription tiers, and Amazon bundles, emphasizing its high conversion power. The video ends with a call to follow for more marketing insights.

Chapters

You're at the Mickey D's drive-thru, and of course you're going to get the best thing on the menu, Filet-O-Fish. You see the price for the meal, $7.99. Dang. Then you hear that irresistible voice come over the intercom. Do you want to supersize that? Do I want to supersize it? Is the sky blue? Boom, you just got price anchored. Let's break this marketing Jedi mind trick down. When you see the price of the regular meal, your brain locks it in as the standard. Then they offer the supersized option for just one more dollar. Now $9 feels like a steal because you're getting way more for just a buck. But here's the trick, that extra fry and soda cost McDonald's like 2 cents. That extra dollar? It's basically pure profit. It's not about the upgrade. It's about how it's framed. They anchored you with the meal price, then made the upsell feel like a no-brainer. No wonder why we're all obese. Now this works everywhere, not just with burgers. Price anchoring is one of the sneakiest, highest-converting tactics in the game. You see it with gym memberships, software plans, even Amazon bundles. Set the base price, offer a better deal, and make your customers feel like they're robbing you. That's today's lesson from Ad School. Follow so you never pay full price for your marketing knowledge again.