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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryStrategy & FrameworksAnchoring

Strategy & Frameworks

Anchoring

Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman's 1974 finding that people rely heavily on the first number they see, such as a list price, when judging value.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Anchoring is the cognitive bias in which people rely heavily on the first number they see, such as a list price, when judging value. Identified by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman in 1974, it explains why showing an original price beside a discount, or a premium option first, can shape how fair other prices seem.