Contagious: Why Things Catch on

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Remarkable things are defined as unusual, extraordinary, or worthy of notice or attention. Something can be remarkable because it is novel, surprising, extreme, or just plain interesting. The most important aspect of remarkable things, though, is that they are worthy of remark. … Remarkable things provide social currency because they make the people who talk about them seem, well, more remarkable … Sharing extraordinary, novel, or entertaining stories or ads makes people seem more extraordinary, novel, and entertaining.

Berger provides the following example to illustrate this rule: Say you see someone you know and respect using an Apple Computer at a cafe (identified by the Apple logo and exterior casing), this form of public visibility might mean that you are likely to want to imitate their behavior and buy a Mac because it looks cool or because you want to emulate their behavior. I can’t remember the last time a business book had me up all night reading. Although I am retired I found this book fascinating on several levels. Great marketers know that the best marketing is conversational. Trying to “spread the word” about a product, service, or idea helps create a trigger that serves as an everyday reminder. For decades, a magazine subscription label was one of the biggest triggers in consumers’ minds. Public' factor)...you get the point -- these are just my examples; they weren't mentioned in the book - although they would have been good stories for Berger to include. 3) People can become emotional about why some things have become contagious - they can be in awe/angry over ideas and triggered to talk about what they have read in this book. 4) The book is "Public" - its cover is bright orange. Eyeballs will be attracted to it; curiosity will be aroused. 5) The topic attempts to explain a phenomenon of which an understanding would undoubtedly prove of great practical value, especially if you have something to sell/spread. Lastly, 6) it contains (attempts to contain) some entertaining stories to hopefully have a place in your memory prevalent enough for you to tell others about this book. These principles can be compacted into an acronym. Taken together, they spell STEPPS. Contagious SummaryJudgments and decisions are not always rational or optimal. Instead, they are based on psychological principles of how people perceive and process information. People are inherently pro-social. Our social wiring is a fundamental aspect of the human psyche. This can be leveraged to help spread awareness in a concept Berger calls "social currency":

In Contagious, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheesesteak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the most boring products there is: a blender. Unsurprisingly, it’s a matter of being contagious. So, what makes a video contagious? Jonah Berger has broken down some factors that make up the core of what makes a video go viral, which I’ll review below in the Contagious book summary. Contagious Book Summary Key Points So, If you want your ideas and brands to influence your audience’s mind, you need to build up a story around your brand that how it started,d and how It’s going on because our unconscious mind is more attracted to it. Contagious Book Quotes In the last section of the book it went into a couple of examples on where great ads produced great memories. However, what is often is mixed as if the great ad actually highlighted the product. The key to finding inner remarkability, says Berger, is to consider what makes something interesting, surprising, or novel.

There are some funny and delightful parts to this book; seriously. It is also written in very simple terms (as mentioned before), which makes it a bit dry and boring. Examples are used, throughout, like I said, and this increases the reader's ability to understand the concepts discussed. People didn’t just try the sandwich, they rushed to tell others. One person suggested that groups get it “as a starter . . . that way you all get the absurd story-telling rights.” Another noted that the sandwich was “honestly indescribable. One does not throw all these fine ingredients together and get anything subpar. It was like eating gold.” And given the sandwich’s price, it was almost as expensive as eating gold, albeit far more delicious. This is a fun book, full of ideas for advertising new ideas or products. It contains many good anecdotes about promotions that worked and didn't work. For example, there is a description of a youtube video that went viral, that advertised a blender--and boosted sales enormously. Then there is a video that went viral, and advertised a casino--but didn't boost sales at all. Why not? The video had absolutely nothing to do with the casino--it was just a catchy video!

Triggers and cues lead people to talk, choose, and use. Social currency gets people talking, but Triggers keep them talking. Top of mind means tip of the tongue. 3. Emotion In one study, using the word “sale” beside a price increased sales even though the price itself stayed the same. Another example is when he goes on and on about the fact that things that are remarkable are interesting, moving us to share about it. This is why certain cute or remarkable YouTube videos spread virally; we like to share articles or videos we think our friends or family will find interesting. You need research to make such a statement? Or when he claimed he tested at length whether something that inspires awe in us, will evoke us to tell others about it. Such common sense notions like this are laid out and overanalyzed throughout the book. The author needed to conduct research to discover that awe drives people to share? Come on, dude. Designing products that advertise themselves is a particularly powerful strategy for small companies or organizations that don’t have a lot of resources.Because of reading Contagious I now have greater ability to see through certain marketing strategies and content delivery. I also understand the psychology behind why so many news stories and social media posts are designed to make people ‘angry’ these days – I won’t be falling for it anymore!