And tell others to capitalize on the social currency of knowing about it or having it.

A great example from McDonald’s:

In 1979, McDonald’s introduced Chicken McNuggets. They were a huge hit and every franchise across the country wanted them. But at the time McDonald’s didn’t have an adequate system to meet the demand. So Executive Chef Rene Arend was tasked with devising another new product to give to the unlucky franchises that couldn’t get enough chicken.

Arend came up with a pork sandwich called the McRib. […] But then the sales numbers came in, Unfortunately, they were much lower than expected. McDonald’s tried promotions and features, but not much worked. So after a few years it dropped the McRib , citing Americans’ lack of interest in pork.

A decade later, however, McDonald’s figured out a clever way to increase demand for the McRib. It didn’t spend more money on advertising. It didn’t change the price. It didn’t even change the ingredients. It just made the product scarce.

Sometimes it would bring the product back nationally for a limited time; in other cases it would offer it at certain locations but not others. […]

And its strategy worked. Consumers got excited about the sandwich. Facebook groups started popping up askign the company to “bring back the McRib!” Supporters used Twitter to proclaim their love for the snack and to learn where they could find one. […]

Making people feel like insiders can benefit all types of products and ideas.

-Contagious, p.57