IHOP commercial touches on concept of common knowledge

I saw this commercial today on TV. It’s a bit cheesy, but I found it amusing due its reference to common knowledge:

Youtube video: IHOP all you can eat pancakes

Relevant dialogue from commercial

Look at you and your world famous IHOP buttermilk pancakes.

You love them, we know you love them, you know we know you love them, and we know you know that we know you love them.

And we know you’ll love us even more for giving you more of them.

What did you think?

Does IHOP have an economist helping them make the commercial?

Also, here’s a guessing game puzzle I posted about the concept of common knowledge.



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  • http://organizationsandmarkets.com Peter G. Klein

    I like it. But not quite as good as the old 1980s shampoo commercial that explains the concept of exponential growth:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcskckuosxQ

  • http://www.franchise-info.ca michael webster

    No, an economist didn’t help them with this ad.

    As you point out, game theory helps make a distinction between “an event is mutual knowledge if all players know it. Common knowledge also requires that all players know the event, all players know that all players know it, and so on ad infinitum.”

    The short video simply mimics the language of common knowledge but nothing else.

  • Sam

    Didn’t they have this unlimited pancake promotion a year or so ago? I ordered it once while with a group of friends, and I noticed that the waiter did not walk near our table again until we flagged him down for our check. Just a thought.

  • Ian

    I’ve been up for hours reading your website. I love game theory!

    Anyway, I was wondering about a probability question…

    If I draw 4 cards from a regular 52 card deck, what is the probability that they will all be of a different suit. (Heart, Spade, Club, Diamond).

    I’m taking Algebra 2 Trig Honors and I’m a freshman in high school, so don’t be too harsh on me. I just can’t understand how to get the answer…HELP!





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