Contagious: Why Things Catch On (25 page)

Howard Wein needed a way to help a new restaurant break through the clutter, a way to raise awareness while staying true to the Barclay Prime brand. The hundred-dollar cheesesteak did just that. It not only provided a remarkable (Social Currency), surprising (Emotion) narrative (Story) but also illustrated the type of quality product that the steakhouse offered (Practical Value). And the prevalence of cheesesteaks in Philadelphia offered ready reminders for people to pass it on (Triggers). The hundred-dollar cheesesteak got people talking and helped make Barclay Prime a rousing success.

George Wright had almost no marketing budget. He needed a way to generate buzz about a product most people wouldn’t ordinarily talk about: a blender. By thinking about what made his product compelling and wrapping that idea in a broader narrative, he was able to generate hundreds of millions of views and boost sales. The
Will It Blend?
clips are amazing (Emotion) and remarkable (Social Currency). But by making the product’s benefits (Practical Value) integral to a broader narrative (Stories), the videos provided a perfect Trojan horse to get people talking about an everyday household appliance and make Blendtec catch on.

Regular people with regular products and ideas. But by harnessing the psychology of word of mouth, they were able to make their products and ideas succeed.

Throughout the book we’ve discussed cutting-edge science about how word of mouth and social influence work. If you follow these six key STEPPS, you can make any product or idea contagious.

Acknowledgments

Whenever I said I was writing a book, people often asked whether anyone was helping me. While I did not have a co-author, that question was tough to answer because this book would never have reached fruition without countless people’s help.

First, I want to thank my various collaborators over the years. People like Ezgi Akpinar, Eric Bradlow, Dave Balter and the team at BzzAgent, Gráinne Fitzsimons, Raghu Iyengar, Ed Keller and the folks at Keller Fay Group, Blake McShane, Katy Milkman, Eric Schwartz, and Morgan Ward, without whom the papers I discussed in the book would not have been possible. Bright students like Rebecca Greenblatt, Diana Jiang, Lauren McDevitt, Geneva Long, Keri Taub, and Jennifer Wu helped support these projects. Malcolm Gladwell wrote the amazing book that sent me down this road. Anna Mastri pushed me to be a better writer, and books by Seth Godin, Stanley Lieberson, Everett Rogers, Emanuel Rosen, Thomas Schelling, and Jonathan Weiner inspired me to pursue this line of research. A debt of gratitude also goes out to people like Glenn Moglen, who introduced me to academic
research; Emily Pronin, who introduced me to social psychology; Noah Mark, who introduced me to sociology; and Lee Ross and Itamar Simonson, who said to always shoot for big ideas. Thanks also to all my colleagues at Wharton and Stanford and all the teachers and staff at Montgomery Blair High School and Takoma Park Middle School who taught me, and thousands of other lucky kids, about the wonders of math and science.

Second, I want to thank the people who made the book itself possible. Dan Ariely, Dan Gilbert, and Sarah Lehrer helped me understand what writing a book really meant. Alice LaPlante sharpened the writing. Jim Levine and all of his colleagues at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency were guiding lights throughout the process. Jonathan Karp, Bob Bender, Tracey Guest, Richard Rhorer, Michael Accordino, and the rest of the team at Simon & Schuster helped form these ideas into a real book. Anthony Cafaro, Colleen Chorak, Ken Craig, Ben Fischman, Denise Grady, Koreen Johannessen, Scott MacEachern, Jim Meehan, Tim Piper, Ken Segall, Brian Shebairo, Howard Wein, and George Wright took the time to share their stories with me. Various Wharton Executive EMBA students were nice enough to provide feedback on the draft. The UPenn lunchtime soccer crew provided a welcome break from writing. Maria Ana brought an eagle eye to revising. My brother, Fred, Danny, and the whole Bruno family not only gave feedback on the drafts but reminded me why I was doing all of this in the first place.

A few more people deserve special note. First, to Chip, who not only has been an advisor, mentor, and friend, but has taught me most of what I know about writing and research: I cannot thank you enough. Second, to Jordan for sticking through the process with me and being both a thoughtful editor and a tireless champion, depending on what was needed. Third, to my
parents, Diane Arkin and Jeffrey Berger, not only for reading and supporting this project, but for laying the groundwork to make it all possible. And finally, to my grandmother. For kicking off this journey and supporting me along the way.

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

By Jonah Berger

Simon & Schuster Readers Group Guide

What makes products and ideas catch on and become popular? Why do some stories get shared more than others? Why are some rumors infectious? What makes things “go viral”?

In
Contagious,
Jonah Berger shares the secret science behind social transmission. Why we talk about and share some things rather than others. Why we pass things on. Filled with engaging stories and comprehensive research
Contagious
is an essential tool for anyone that wants to make their product or idea spread.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1) Consider and discuss the most recent email forward you received. It might have been a news article, video, or story. What aspects of the STEPPS framework did it adhere to? Do the same analysis for the last viral video you watched, hot restaurant you tried, hit movie you saw, etc. Which concepts in the framework apply?

2) Which examples that Berger mentioned (e.g., Blendtec, Dove’s
Evolution
, white iPhone earbuds) had you been aware of before the book? Trace how these cultural touchstones came to you.

3) Discuss and analyze something you do using the lens of game mechanics. What makes that game, club, website, community, or activity so engaging? Consider each of the STEPPS. What keeps you hooked? Also, why do we value achievement so much? Where is an area you’ve noticed yourself being motivated by it?

4) Can mundane things (like a blender) really diffuse through public consciousness as quickly as remarkable things can? Does sensationalism or novelty (inherent remarkability) carry an advantage, even when STEPPS are considered?

5) What is an example where you’ve noticed yourself being motivated by scarcity? New high tech devices (new phones, gadgets, etc.) are frequently scarce when they are released. Does possession of these products carry social currency? Does their frequent release (a veritable flooding of the market) make them less scarce?

6) Would you brave the phone lines to enter Please Don't Tell? What about its seclusion appeals to you? Is there also something that turns you off to the fight for a seat?

7) Compare an instance of
ongoing
and
immediate
word of mouth. Is one more powerful than the other?

8) Without thinking too hard, what is currently top of mind for you? Can you identify triggers is your own life that bring things to mind? For example, whenever I see or hear __________ I think about ____________.

9) Like the Mars Bar and Rebecca Black's Friday, discuss products or campaigns that have "natural" triggers. Does having a pre-existing "habitat" increase likelihood of sharing? Of purchase?

10) Discuss
high-arousal
versus
low-arousal
emotions. What are some examples of each that you’ve noticed in your own lives? Is it strange that "contentment" (which so many people strive for in every day life) elicits little arousal? Have you ever shared something sad?

11) Privacy is a paramount concern in today's information-driven digital era. How does this fit with the idea of making the private public? (Consider Movember, Hotmail, and the Facebook generation.). When do we want our choices and opinions to be public versus private? Where are the lines drawn between open and closed information?

12) Watch Tim Piper/Dove’s
Evolution
video. Discuss the idea of Trojan Horses and how emotion is coded into the narrative of ideas.

13) Which aspect of STEPPS do you think is most affective? Compare Berger’s various examples of Social Currency, Triggers, Emotions, Public, Practical Value, and Stories. Is one of these characteristics most important for driving sharing? Is there a specific combination that makes one thing more appealing than another?

EXPAND YOUR BOOK CLUB

1. Perform an experiment and monitor the “most emailed” section of
NYTimes.com
for a week. Do you begin to notice patterns in what is shared? Consider arousal emotions, practical value, and the very subject matter of the articles.

2. Keep a transmission journal and note the ways in which products, ideas, campaigns, and companies use the tenets of human behavioral sharing to make their wares “stick” and “spread.” How much of your life is subject to the basic STEPPS?

3. Create your own viral video with the STEPPS in mind. What are the challenges of making something that addresses all of these sharing factors? Track the success of your video and how people react. Have you cracked the code to viral content?

A CONVERSATION WITH JONAH BERGER

1. The Harvard neuro study revealing that sharing is rewarding in the same way as food and other high-pleasure reward was incredibly interesting. Taking this into consideration, how do you explain what is referred to as the “me” generation of Twitter and Facebook, in which individuals share the most minute aspects of their everyday lives. Are
all
generations focused on “me?” Is there something different going on in modernity?

People have always thought about and cared about themselves, but social media makes this easier to see because it creates a written record of our actions. What we said, what we shared, and what we “like.” But research suggests that these methods of communication may also contribute to making us “me” focused. Computer mediated communication, and talking to large groups (rather than a single other), may focus us more on ourselves and less on the wants and needs of others.

2. What’s the most recent thing you shared? And what was most recently shared with you?

Wow. Good question.
One thing I recently shared was a
New York Times
article that has a quote related to a research project we’re working on. One thing I just received was a restaurant recommendation for good Asian fried chicken. I had talked about something related in a
Financial Times
article about brand extensions, and someone who read the article sent me a note to prove me wrong!

3. Do you think you’ve cracked the code of efficient product advertising? Would you ever try your hand at it?

Can we make ads more effective and viral? Yes. Have we “cracked the code”? There is always more to learn. Definitely like trying my hand at it. I often help companies use the STEPPS framework to improve their products and ideas and it is always lots of fun.

4. Along those same lines, have any of your students gone on to become successful advertisers/viral video makers/idea-spreaders?

Definitely. I teach an exercise in my class where students use the STEPPS framework to try and create a viral video. It’s tough but some people do amazingly well!