Then there's the famous case when A & W wanted to do McDonald's one better by introducing a 1/3 pounder burger for the same price as the quarter pounder. Even though it did great in blind taste tests, people "cleverly" concluded that there was an attempt to overcharge them, since obviously 3 is less than 4. Therefore, it didn't sell. McDonald's also tried a 1/3 pounder and got similar results.
One of Heinlein's better ideas (I thought, anyways) was to give potential voters a quiz. if they passed, the ballot box would open. If not, then not.