Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2013
- Genre: Business
- Format: Paperback
- Page Count: 257 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Interested in business, marketing, and advertising, I found ‘Contagious’ recommended across the Internet while searching for related books to study. Immediately checking it out of my local library, I delve into the book.
Since word of mouth is the most common media for conveying information, the question shifts to ‘how to make people share (about a particular product/idea)’. Berger identified the keys for producing virality or boosting sales, called STEPPS.
- Social Currency: People tend to share things that make them look good, not stupid. Therefore, remarkability, superiority, and exclusivity matter.
- Triggers: Conversations are triggered by things people see, and a good example pointed out in the book is that KITKAT has successfully linked their chocolate bar with coffee so that whenever people see coffee, they are more likely to think about KITKATs.
- Emotion: Things with higher physiological arousal level (awe, excitement, amusement; anger, anxiety) tends to get shared more, not necessarily those that induce positive emotions.
- Public: Things must be visible for more people to see. In other words, ‘make the private public’.
- Practical Value: Usefulness is one of the reasons something gets shared.
- Stories: In Berger’s words, ‘Information travels under the guise of what seems like idle chatter.’
With all the wide-ranging advertising examples and the 6 points of STEPPS Berger put together, I regard this book as an entertaining read indeed. [4 Feb 2018]
