Successful Experiments in Customer Restraint

1. Bon Jovi's Lost Highway

Want: See the band do its classic hits

Should: Support its new album

Experiment: Last year, Bon Jovi fans who wanted presale concert tickets had to buy the band's upcoming album. The result? Lost Highway sold 291,000 copies in its first week, the band's best-ever one-week total.

2. Abbott's Work-Life Balance

Want: Spend time with children

Should: Advance career

Experiment: The pharma giant offers such family-friendly perks as on-site day care and six weeks of paid maternity leave. In turn, Abbott is a fixture on lists of best companies for working moms and has a 91% retention rate.

3. American's Carbon Offsets

Want: Frequent-flier miles

Should: Be environmentally conscious

Experiment: Members of American Airlines' AAdvantage program can earn up to 10 frequent-flier miles for every $1 they contribute to its BeGreen program, which helps offset carbon emissions. To date, the effort has canceled out more than 940,000 pounds of CO2.