Contagious | Jonah Berger | Book Summary

Summary

In 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On,' Jonah Berger explores the science behind why certain ideas and products go viral, far beyond the reach of traditional advertising. Through a decade of research, Berger, a Wharton marketing professor, uncovers six key principles that drive the viral spread of information, from word-of-mouth recommendations to the success of online content. From analyzing New York Times articles to dissecting YouTube hits, 'Contagious' reveals how social influence shapes our decisions and highlights actionable strategies for harnessing the power of social transmission to make ideas stick. Berger's insights offer valuable lessons for anyone looking to make their product or idea catch on.

Takeaways

• 💭 Advertising isn't the key to making products or ideas popular; word-of-mouth and peer influence are more impactful.
• 🤓 Jonah Berger, a Wharton marketing professor, explores the science behind why things become contagious or widely shared.
• 💡 Six basic principles drive things to become contagious: social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories.
• 👨‍💻 Real-world examples, like a luxury Steakhouse's success and a blender's viral marketing campaign, illustrate these principles in action.
• 🗣 Word-of-mouth is more effective and targeted than traditional advertising, playing a critical role in purchasing decisions.
• 🌐 Most word-of-mouth happens offline, challenging the perception that online platforms are the primary venues for sharing.
• 🙌 Emotional engagement is crucial; content that elicits strong emotions, whether awe or amusement, is more likely to be shared.
• 💼 Practical value matters; people share content that they find useful, saving time or money for others.
• 📸 Stories are powerful vehicles for sharing information; a compelling narrative can make information more memorable and shareable.
• 🔥 To make a product or idea catch on, it must be observable, enabling people to see when others are using it or engaging with it.

Q & A

What is the main focus of 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On' by Jonah Berger?

The main focus is to explain why certain products, ideas, and behaviors become popular, revealing the science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission.

Who is the author of 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On', and what is his professional background?

Jonah Berger, a Wharton marketing professor, who has spent over a decade studying the factors that make information go viral.

According to the book, what is more effective than advertising in making things popular?

Word-of-mouth is more effective than advertising because people are more likely to listen to their peers than to advertisements.

What percentage of purchasing decisions is influenced by word-of-mouth, according to 'Contagious'?

Twenty to fifty percent of all purchasing decisions are influenced by word-of-mouth.

How does 'Contagious' propose to make products or ideas catch on?

By applying six basic principles that drive things to become contagious, involving social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories.

Can you name a specific example from 'Contagious' that illustrates how a product found popularity?

A luxury steakhouse found popularity through the concept of the 'lonely cheesesteak', demonstrating how unique stories or concepts can attract attention.

What does 'Contagious' say about the role of emotions in sharing and virality?

Emotions play a critical role in sharing; content that evokes strong emotions, whether positive or negative, is more likely to be shared.

What surprising finding about anti-drug commercials does 'Contagious' reveal?

The book suggests that anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use by implying that many others are doing it, which could increase interest in drug use.

How does 'Contagious' differentiate between online and offline word-of-mouth?

It highlights that only 7% of word-of-mouth happens online, indicating that offline conversations still play a significant role in spreading information.

What concept does 'Contagious' introduce to explain why people share information?

Social currency, which is the idea that sharing information helps people achieve desired positive impressions among their peers.

What does 'Contagious' suggest about the effectiveness of stories in making ideas stick?

It suggests that stories act as vessels for transmitting information, making ideas more memorable and easier to share.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Overview of 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On'

This segment introduces 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On' by Jonah Berger, a book that delves into the reasons behind the popularity of certain ideas and products. Highlighting that advertising is not the primary driver of popularity, the book focuses on peer influence and the deeper understanding of viral information spread. Berger, a Wharton marketing professor, has researched extensively on the subject, including studies on what makes New York Times articles go viral and how word-of-mouth influences consumer behavior. The book promises to reveal the secret science behind social transmission and word-of-mouth, offering actionable insights for making ideas and products contagious through six fundamental principles.

05:02

🗣️ The Power of Social Currency in Driving Popularity

This section explores the concept of 'Social Currency' and its significant role in making ideas and products go viral. Sharing personal experiences, which constitutes over 40% of conversations, serves as a tool for individuals to create a positive impression among their peers, akin to flaunting a new car or a designer handbag. The book identifies three strategies for enhancing social currency: uncovering uniqueness, utilizing game mechanics, and making people feel like insiders. Remarkable or surprising elements tend to get more attention, and leveraging human competitiveness or exclusivity can make a product more desirable. The narrative emphasizes the importance of social incentives over monetary ones in motivating behavior.

10:02

🔄 Triggers and Emotions: Keys to Virality

This segment discusses the importance of 'Triggers' and 'Emotions' in making content contagious. It highlights that marketing success lies in tapping into genuine enthusiasm for products and services, with word-of-mouth playing a crucial role. The book stresses that emotions, particularly those that arouse people to action like excitement or inspiration, are more effective in driving sharing than mere information. The narrative also suggests that making behaviors observable encourages imitation, increasing the likelihood of a product or idea becoming popular. The discussion extends to the concept of 'Behavioral Residue,' physical evidence of actions that can remind people of a product or idea, further enhancing its visibility and impact.

15:04

🔍 Practical Value and Storytelling in Spreading Ideas

The final section delves into 'Practical Value' and the art of 'Storytelling' in spreading ideas effectively. It argues that practical, valuable information is more likely to be shared as it benefits the receiver, offering advice or saving time and money. The book also emphasizes the power of stories in packaging information in a memorable and engaging way, making it more likely to be shared. Stories serve as vessels for information, providing a narrative context that can carry the brand or product's message seamlessly. The narrative concludes by reiterating the six principles of contagiousness and their role in driving the widespread adoption of products and ideas.

Keywords

💡Social Currency

Social currency refers to the concept of sharing information or experiences that improve one's image or reputation among peers. In the context of the video, it's explained as a driving force behind word-of-mouth, where individuals share things that make them look good to others. An example from the script is the discussion on how people talk about their personal experiences or share novel stories, essentially using this sharing as a currency to gain social standing.

💡Triggers

Triggers are cues or stimuli in our environment that remind us of related products or ideas, prompting us to think or talk about them. The video illustrates how effective triggers can make products or ideas come to mind more often, thereby increasing their word-of-mouth spread. For example, linking a product to prevalent cues in the environment can keep it top of mind, leading to more frequent discussions and shares.

💡Emotion

Emotion plays a crucial role in the virality of content, as highlighted in the video. Content that evokes strong emotions, whether positive or negative, is more likely to be shared. The script mentions that 'when we care, we share,' underlining the importance of emotional engagement in driving the spread of ideas or products. Examples include stories or messages that inspire awe, amusement, or anger, which are all highly shareable due to their emotional impact.

💡Public

The principle of 'public' refers to the visibility of an action or behavior. If a product or idea is observable when being used, it's more likely to be imitated and adopted by others. The video discusses how making behaviors or product usage more public can boost their popularity, as people tend to follow what others do. An example given is the Movember foundation, which succeeded because it made private support for prostate cancer public through the visible act of growing a mustache.

💡Practical Value

Practical value denotes the usefulness of information, products, or ideas. The video emphasizes that sharing practical, valuable content (such as tips that save time, money, or improve health) is a powerful motivator for word-of-mouth. People like to help others by passing along valuable information, which explains why content offering practical value tends to be shared widely. The script provides the example of how narrowing the focus of content can increase its practical value to a specific audience, making it more shareable.

💡Stories

Stories are used as a vessel to transmit information in an engaging and memorable way. The video suggests that embedding products or ideas within stories can significantly enhance their shareability. Stories facilitate the transmission of information because they are relatable and easy to remember. An example discussed is the use of narratives to make a product or idea an integral part of the story, which not only captivates the audience but also ensures the message is effectively communicated.

💡Word-of-Mouth

Word-of-mouth refers to the process of sharing information through personal conversations, rather than through traditional advertising. The video posits that word-of-mouth is a powerful tool for spreading products and ideas because it is perceived as more trustworthy and targeted. Examples from the script include how people are more influenced by recommendations from peers than by advertisements.

💡Viral

Viral refers to content that spreads rapidly through the internet or other forms of social communication. The video explores the factors that contribute to the virality of information, such as emotion and social currency. An example is the mention of how a blender became a topic of widespread conversation through a creative marketing strategy, illustrating the unexpected potential for even mundane products to go viral.

💡Social Transmission

Social transmission is the process through which ideas, behaviors, or products are spread within a society or from one person to another. The video delves into the science behind social transmission, identifying key principles like triggers and emotion that facilitate the spread of contagious content. It is essentially about understanding why certain things are talked about more than others and how to harness these insights for marketing purposes.

💡Remarkability

Remarkability is the quality of being worthy of notice or attention, possessing something extraordinary or novel that makes people want to talk about it. The video discusses how finding the 'inner remarkability' of a product or idea can make it more likely to be shared, as people enjoy sharing remarkable things with their peers. An example mentioned is how a steakhouse gained popularity by creating a unique cheesesteak, turning an ordinary product into a conversation piece through its remarkable qualities.

Highlights

Contagious explains why certain products and ideas become popular.

Jonah Berger knows more about what makes information go viral than anyone in the world.

People don't listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers.

Berger studied why some stories and online content go viral.

Six basic principles drive things to become contagious.

Word-of-mouth is 10 times more effective than traditional advertising.

Only 7% of word-of-mouth happens online.

Emotions play a crucial role in making content go viral.

Remarkability and insider knowledge encourage people to share.

Social currency is achieved by making people look good through what they share.

Triggers are environmental cues that make people think about your product.

Emotionally charged content is more likely to be shared.

Public behavior influences others' actions through observable evidence.

Practical value helps make things contagious by offering useful information.

Stories act as vessels for carrying information in an engaging manner.

Transcripts

best book pets.com presents contagious

why things catch on by Jonah Berger the

New York Times bestseller

that explains why certain products and

ideas become popular

Jonah pregant knows more about what

makes information go viral than anyone

in the world Daniel Gilbert author of

the bestseller stumbling on happiness

what makes things popular if you said

advertising think again people don't

listen to advertisements they listen to

their peers but why do people talk about

certain products and ideas more than

others

why are some stories and rumors more

infectious and what makes online content

go viral wharton marketing professor

journal berger has spent the last decade

answering these questions

he studied why New York Times articles

make the papers owned most emailed list

while products get word-of-mouth and how

social influences shapes everything from

the cars we buy to the clothes we wear

to the names we give our children in

contagious briga 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 lonely 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 seemly born products

there is a blender contagious provides a

set of specific actionable techniques

for helping information spread for

designing messages advertisements and

content that people will share whether

you're a manager at a big company a

small business owner trying to boost

awareness a politician running for

office or health official trying to get

the word out

contagious will show you how to make

your product or idea catch on the

written summary can be found on our

website best book bits calm so without

further ado I bring in the book summary

of contagious introduction wine didn't

create just another cheesesteak he

created a conversation piece water

products

and behaviors catch on but while it's

easy to find examples of social

contagion it's much harder to actually

get something to catch on we try

websites our neighbors recommend read

books our relatives praise and vote for

candidates our friends endorse

word-of-mouth is the primary factor

behind twenty to fifty percent of all

purchasing decisions while traditional

advertising is still useful word of

mouth from everyday Joes and Janes

is at least ten times more effective

word-of-mouth is more effective than

traditional advertising for two key

reasons first it's more persuasive

second word-of-mouth is more targeted

word of mouth tends to reach people who

are actually interested in things being

discussed

research by Calif a group finds that

only 7% of word-of-mouth happens online

people also spend a lot of time off one

more than eight times as much in fact

and that creates a lot more time for

offline conversations Facebook and

Twitter are technologies not strategies

harnessing the power of word of mouth

online or offline requires understanding

why people talk and why some things get

talked about and shared more than others

the psychology of sharing the science of

social transmission contagious content

is like that

so inherently viral that it spreads

regardless of who's doing the talking

regardless of how plain or boring a

product or idea may seem there are ways

to make it contagious so to get people

talking

we need to craft messages that help them

achieve these desired impressions we

need to find our inner remarkability

and make people feel like insiders

people often talk about whatever comes

to mind so the more often people think

about a product or idea the more it will

be talked about we need to design

products and ideas that are frequently

triggered by the environment and create

new triggers by linking our products and

ideas to prevalent cues in that

environment emotional things often get

shed making things more observable makes

them easier to imitate which makes them

more likely to

popular if we can show them how our

products or ideas will save time improve

health or save money

people don't just share information they

tell stories there are six principles of

contagiousness products or ideas that

contain social currency and a triggered

emotional public practically valuable

and wrapped into stories chapter one

social currency if something is supposed

to be secret people might as well be

more likely to talk about it people

share things that make them look good to

others more than 40% of what people talk

about is their personal experiences

Harvard neuroscientist Jason Mitchell

and Diana Tama found that disclosing

information about the self is

intrinsically rewarding word-of-mouth

then is a prime tool for making a good

impression as potent as that new-car or

Prada handbag think of it as a kind of

currency social currency just as people

use money to buy products or services

they use social currency to achieve

designed positive impressions among

their family friends and colleagues

there are three ways to do that number

one find in a remarkable 'ti number to

leverage game mechanics and three make

people feel like insiders sharing

extraordinarily novel or entertaining

stories or ads that make people seem

more extraordinary novel and

entertaining remarkable things get

brought up more often and memories

aren't perfect records of what happened

they're more like dinosaur skeletons

patched together by archaeologists we

have main cuts but some of the pieces

are still missing so we fill them in as

best we can

one way to generate surprise is by

breaking a pattern people have come to

expect

remember Blendtec the blender company we

talked about in the introduction by

finding the products in remark ability

the company was to get millions of

people to talk about a boring old

blender and they were able to do it with

no advertising and a $50 marketing

budget game mechanics are the elements

of a game application or program

including rules and feedback loops that

make them fun and

impelling they choose the option that

was worst in absolute terms but better

in relative terms

people don't just care about how they

are doing they care about their

performance in relation to others

what good is status if no one else knows

you have it leverage scarcity and

exclusivity to make customers feel like

insiders scarcity and exclusivity helps

products catch on by making them more

desirable if something is difficult to

obtain people assume that it must be

worth the effort people don't need to be

paid to be motivated managers often

default to monetary incentives when

trying to motivate employees some gift

either perk to get people to take action

but that's the wrong way to think about

it social incentives like social

currency are more effective in the long

term chapter two triggers marketing is

about tapping into their genuine

enthusiasm for products and services

that they find useful or fun or

beautiful marketing is about spreading

the love but what most people don't

realize is that they naturally talk

about products brands and organizations

all the time every day the average

American engages in more than 16

word-of-mouth episodes separate

conversations they say something

positive or negative about an

organization brand product or service

chapter 3

emotion the reason people shared Grady's

article was emotion when we care we

share when we care we share two reasons

people might share things that they are

interesting and they are useful it turns

out that science articles frequently

chronicle innovations and discoveries

that invoke a particular emotion in

readers that emotion or according to

psychologists data Celtic and jonathan

hate or is a sense of wonder and

amazement that occurs where someone is

inspired by great knowledge beauty

sublimity or might it's the experience

of confronting something greater than

yourself indeed as Albert Einstein

himself noted the

beautiful motion we can experience is

the mysterious more than any other

emotion all described what many readers

felt after looking at science pieces

from the New York Times or boosted

sharing or inspired articles with 30%

talking to others often makes emotional

experiences better emotions sharing is

thus a bit like a social glue

maintaining and strengthening

relationships marketing messages tend to

focus on information public health

officials note how much healthier teens

will be if they don't smoke or if they

eat more vegetables people think that is

did they just lay out the facts in a

clear and concise way it would tip the

scales their audience will pay attention

weigh the information and act

accordingly but many times information

is not enough most teens don't smoke

because they think it's good for them

and most who scarf down a Big Mac and

large fries and wash it down with a

super-sized coke and not oblivious to

the health risks so additional

information probably won't get them to

change their behavior they need

something more and that is where emotion

comes in rather than harping on features

or facts we need to focus on feelings

the underlying emotion that motivate

people to action the best results don't

show up in search engine they show up in

people's lives write down why you think

people are doing something when trying

to use emotions to drive sharing

remember to pick ones that Kindle the

fire select high arousal emotions that

drive people to action excite people or

inspire them by showing them how they

can make a difference work groups may

benefit from taking walks together

because it will encourage people to

share their ideas and opinions emotions

drive people to actions they make us

laugh shout and cry and they make us

talk share and buy so rather than

Quarian statistics or providing

information we need a focus on feelings

you should make something that will move

people people don't want to be

entertained they want to be moved

chapter 4

like observability jobs realize that

seen others do something makes people

more likely to do it themselves if

something is built to show it's built to

grow people often imitate those around

them with a making trivial choices like

what brand a coffee to buy or important

decisions like paying their taxes people

tend to conform to what others are doing

television shows use canned laughter

tracks for this reason people are more

likely to laugh when they hear others

laughing so to help resolve our

uncertainty we often walk to what other

people are doing and follow that we

assume that if other people are doing

something it must be a good idea that

probably knows something we don't simply

educating students about the risk of

alcohol didn't seem to be enough if most

students were uncomfortable with the

drinking culture then why was it

happening in the first place why were

students drinking so much if they don't

actually like it because behavior is

public and thoughts are private behavior

is public and thoughts are private the

more public a product or service is the

more it triggers people to take action

the Movember foundation succeeded

because I figured out how to make the

private public shapes sounds and a host

of other distinctive characteristics can

also help products advertise themselves

does only products that advertise

themselves is particularly a powerful

strategy for small companies or

organizations that don't have a lot of

resources but regardless one thing is

clear the wristband creates more

behavioural residue then the cost

country ride ever could have as Mac

eachin keenly noted the nice thing about

a wristband is that it lives on the bike

ride doesn't there'll be pictures of the

bike ride and people talk about the bike

ride but unless it goes on every year

even if it does go on every year it

doesn't live on as a reminder every day

of the sort of stuff but the wristband

does behavior residue is the physical

traits or remnants that most actions or

behaviors leave in their wake

items like that living strong wristband

insight to who people are and what they

like Chapter five

practical value but anti-drug ads often

say two things simultaneously

they say that drugs are bad but they

also say that other people are doing

them our basic hypothesis is that more

kids saw these ads the more they came to

believe that lots of kids will use in

marijuana and the more they came to

believe that other kids were using

marijuana the more they were became

interested in using it themselves it's

been said that when people are free to

do as they please they usually imitate

one another we look to others for

information about what is right or good

to do in a given situation and this

social proof shapes everything from the

products we buy to the candidates we

vote for create behavioral residue

discernible evidence that sticks around

even after people have used a product or

engaged with their ideas we need to make

the private public we need to make the

private public if someone is built to

show it's built to grow most viral

videos are made by adolescents and

watched by adolescents crazy trick

someone did on his motorcycle or cartoon

characters edited to look as they are

dancing to rap songs things young people

love people like to pass along

particular useful information news

others can use offering practical value

helps make things contagious if social

currency is about information senders

and has sharing makes them look

practical value is mostly about the

information receiver it's about saving

people time or money or helping them

have good experiences prospect theory

the theory is amazingly rich but at its

core it's based on the very basic idea

the way people actually make decisions

often violates standard economic

assumptions about how they should make

decisions judgments and decisions are

not always rational or optimal instead

they are based on psychological

principles of how people perceive and

process information diminishing

sensitivity reflects the idea that the

same change has a smaller impact the

further it is from the Rif

friends point if the products price is

less than $100 the rule of a hundred

says that the percentage of discounts

will seem larger practical advice is

shareable advice

in fact narrower content may actually be

more likely to be shared because it

reminds people of a specific friend or

family member and makes them feel

compelled to pass it along content that

is obviously relevant to a narrow

audience may actually be more viral

chapter six stories that's because

people don't think in terms of

information they think in terms of

narratives but while people focus on the

story itself information comes along for

the ride

stories then can act as vessels carriers

that help transmit information to others

stories save time and hassle and give

people the information they need in a

way that's easy to remember it's harder

to argue with personal stories stories

duska people an easy way to talk about

products and ideas marketing experts

talk about the fall in the pool that's

one of the worst guerilla marketing

phase of all time the key then is to not

only make something viral but also make

it valuable to sponsoring company or

organization not just virality but

valuable virality virality is the most

valuable when the brand or product

benefit is integral to the story when

it's woven so deeply into the narrative

that people can't tell the story without

mentioning it enshrine a craft

contagious content valuable virality is

critical that means making the idea or

design benefit a key part of the

narrative it's like the port of a good

detective story epilogue the same six

principles or steps drive things to

catch on social currency we share things

that make us look good

triggers top of mind tip of tongue

emotion when we care we share public

built to show built to grow practical

value news you can use stories

information travels under the guise of

ideal chatter

social currency does talking about your

product or idea make people look good

can you find that inner remark ability

leverage game mechanics make people feel

like insiders triggers consider the

context what cues make people think

about your product or idea how can you

grow the habitat and make it come to

mind

more often emotion focus on feelings

just talking about your product or idea

generate emotion how can you Kindle the

fire public does your product or idea

advertise itself can people see when

others are using it if not how can you

make the private public can you create a

behavior residue that sticks around even

after people use it practical value does

talking about your product or idea help

people help others how can your

highlight incredible value packaging

your knowledge and expertise into useful

information others will want to

disseminate stories what is your Trojan

horse is your product or idea embedded

into a broader narrative

that people want to share is the story

not only viral but also valuable and

that's a wrap on contagious subscribe to

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