Book Review: "Contagious: Why Things Catch On"

I read Jonah Berger's, Contagious: Why Things Catch On, for my Event Management course. I would highly recommend it to my fellow peers, or anyone who is interested in learning how to get an idea, product, or behavior to catch on! Please see the review below:

As individuals continue to witness and experience the ever-changing trends of a somewhat materialistic society, reading Jonah Berger’s, Contagious: Why Things Catch On, proves to be an excellent resource for students, educators, and Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). Wharton professor, Jonah Berger, has been researching the science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission for the past ten years. His success has made him a tremendous asset to various companies and organizations trying to get their product or mission to permeate the marketplace. Through the implementation of Berger’s six techniques, businesses and their employees have developed stronger marketing strategies, higher product adoption, and more precisecommunication between themselvesand their target customer. Berger’sContagiousis an enticing read that creates an educational and practical perspective on social influence, enhanced by the author’s personable and enthusiastic tone. 

Berger begins with an interesting story about Howard Wein, a successful businessman who was motivated to open a luxury steakhouse in Philadelphia. He describes Wein’s efforts to generate “buzz” with a $100 cheesesteak, crafted with only the finest ingredients, that appealed to people’s senses. Berger made a great choice in using Wein’s story to introduce his book because it demonstrates how one crazy idea can get people talking; however, developing an idea or product that will “stick” requires hard work. In his book, Berger describes the six key “STEPPS” that influence a target audience to talk about, share, and imitate a concept or product. These principles or “STEPPS” include, “social currency,” “triggers,” “emotion,” “public,” “practical value,” and “stories.” 

Each chapter of Contagiouscorresponds to one of the principles, and Berger begins with “social currency.” According to Berger, “social currency” is the way a person talks about a product or idea. What we talk about influences how others see us, and in a way, creates our personal brand. “Social currency” is “exchanged” every day, via social media and face-to-face interactions, influencing attitudes and experiences to spread like wildfire. Many people enjoy talking about themselves and their experiences, and company CMOs can use this fact to their advantage. When a person experiences something that brings him/her immense satisfaction (or dissatisfaction), he/she will talk about it. Berger mentions, “Harvard neuroscientists Jason Mitchell and Diana Tamir found that disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding” (Pg. 34). Berger makes three key recommendations he believes are useful in getting people to make themselves look good while simultaneously promoting a product, event, or idea. These three ways include, finding inner remarkability, leveraging game mechanics, and making people feel like insiders.

Berger continues by focusing on the principle of “triggers.” He describes “triggers” as “stimuli that prompt people to think about related things” (Pg. 23). Because people often talk about whatever comes to mind, it is important to think about specific “triggers” when developing products and ideas. Berger continues this chapter with a discussion on the difference between “immediate word-of-mouth” and “ongoing word-of-mouth.” Both types are valuable; however, the type of product or idea will determine which is better. “Immediate word-of-mouth” occurs when someone passes on the details of an experience soon after it occurs, while “ongoing word-of-mouth” refers to the conversations someone will have weeks or months after his/her experience. It is important to keep in mind that most products or ideas will benefit from “ongoing word of mouth.” The goal of achieving this trend drives company marketers to craft ways they can use specific products to create a “trigger.” For example, seeing a jar of peanut butter likely will cause someone to think of jelly. This thought will lead to action, the most important partof achieving the trend. It is also important to note the effectiveness of a “trigger” can depend on its environment because of the surrounding stimuli. Overall, “triggers” are the groundwork for “word-of-mouth” and “contagiousness.” They lead people to talk about, choose, and use a product.

Another principle influencing target groups is “emotional experience” because when we care, we share. Berger mentions, while some emotions increase sharing, other emotions decrease it. Depending on their goals, individuals focus on specific emotions to share. One of the most prevalent ways emotions play a role in what people share can be seen on Facebook. As Berger mentions, “The Internet has become increasingly engineered to support these natural inclinations. If people come across a blog post about a new bike sharing program or find a video that helps kids solve tough algebra problems, they can easily hit the Share button or copy and paste the link into an e-mail” (Pg. 97). If a person feels an emotional connection to a service or product, he/she is inclined to share it with his/her community. Today, many people use social media and face-to-face conversations as therapeutic outlets for their emotions. For example, if people are happy or unhappy with a product or service, they may share their feelings about it on Facebook or in person because it gives them a “release.” Sharing ideas also tends to help people connect. When trying to get an idea or product to spread, marketers want positive emotions because when people have positive emotions to bond over, they are more enthusiastic to talk about and share information. Berger describes this concept as “social glue.” Another interesting point Berger brings up in this chapter is the idea that emotions can be categorized as positive or pleasant and negative or unpleasant. He talks about how “high arousal” emotions such as awe, excitement, anger, and anxiety will cause people to share experiences. On the contrary, “low arousal” emotions, such as contentment and sadness, put people in more of a relaxed state, in which it is uncommon for them to share experiences.

 The fourth principle Berger focuses on emphasizes the importance of making things “public.” People, or the public, imitate because others’ choices provide information. When people experience uncertainty of what choice to make, they often look at what other people are doing and follow the trend. This idea is called “social proofing.” Berger provides an example of this idea, tying into the power of observability: “This is why baristas and bartenders seed the tip jar at the beginning of their shift by dropping in a handful of ones and maybe a five” (Pg. 129). Berger also includes the negative side of “social proofing” when even a “bad” idea, like getting drunk at a college party, may catch on. Although thoughts are private, behavior is made public. At parties with alcohol, college students observe drunk people having fun, without thinking about the consequences of being hungover the next morning. People imitate only when they can see what other people are doing and it appeals to them. As a result, even if someone opposes a certain practice, such as drinking alcohol, he/she may be drawn to drink because of observing other people having a good time while drinking alcohol.

Berger continues by focusing on his fifth principle, “practical value.” Everyone, regardless of his/her place in life, appreciates a reliable product with “practical value.” If someone finds a product that saves time, improves health, or saves money, chances are, he/she will spread the word about it. It is possible these products can have a tangible or intangible value. People receive gratification from passing along practical, useful information because they know they are helping someone else. It is common to see this type of “social currency” being exchanged on social media platforms such as Facebook. Berger explains that it comes down to the “psychological pleasance” that comes from helping another person. 

The last principle Berger discusses is “stories.” He notes, “People don’t just share information, they tell stories” (Pg. 24). Telling stories is incredibly important, especially in elevator pitches. A good story appeals to the emotions and makes people want to hear more. Over the years, stories have incorporated morals and lessons, making a lasting impact on an individual’s attitude. It can be hard for advertisements to tell stories because without seeming fake. Berger discusses the importance of creating products and ideas that provide an experience someone can tell a story about and garner interest. Berger also suggests people are less likely to dispute stories compared to advertising claims. The biggest takeaway from this chapter is the idea that in order to get a story to spread, one should create a “trojan horse,” making sure the information people should remember and transmit, is critical to the narrative.

The principles Berger illustrates are especially useful to CMOs and can be applied to marketing strategies. If I were a CMO, I would use the “six principles of contagiousness” to improve the attendance at an event through word-of-mouth. An event that recently has struggled with attendance is the Bumbershoot Musical Festival, which takes place at the Seattle Center once a year. Although Bumbershoot still outperforms other festivals, its attendance has been dropping year-over-year like music festivals around the country. On December 14, 2018, Bumbershoot’s attendance was down to 48,024, which was very low compared to the 80,000 people who bought tickets in 2015, the 74,000 in 2017, and the 100,000 in 2013. Some critics are attributing the low attendance to the rise in ticket prices, which comes from the cost of live performances, increased security, etc. For many concert-goers, a music festival can be a costly ticket for an unknown experience. People may assume the experience will be worth the cost, but risks are involved like bad weather, poor performances, bad crowd control, etc. Using Berger’s techniques, I would strive to increase attendance at the event, promoting the event through “story telling.” 

The first step in this process would be gathering a list of people who have attended the Bumbershoot festival consecutively for five or more years. As loyal festival attendees, even after a rise in ticket prices, these people have continued to spend money on tickets and enjoy the event. Reaching out to these individuals through e-mail, I would give them the opportunity to be a part of an exclusive short film about Bumbershoot, in exchange for permission to use their photos, videos, and stories from the festival. Not only would they be in the short film, but they also would receive a one-day VIP pass to the festival. There would be an application process to give the people who are accepted a feeling of exclusivity. 

After selecting a group to appear in the film, I would collect and review their submitted content, such as festival photos or videos. The most important part of the film would be the commentary provided by the devoted attendees. This commentary would include their personal experiences at the festival and their reasons for returning year after year. Using live, recorded background music to set the mood, the film would “tell a story” and get people excited for the festival.  

After crafting the film to perfection, I would direct my marketing team to share it. We would post it to our YouTube channel and Vimeo. From these platforms, it could be shared to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. This film would appeal to viewers’ emotions, enticing them to purchase a ticket and experience the festival for themselves, creating their own stories. They would be excited and interested in going to the festival, so they would be motivated to share the film with friends. Viewing and listening to the successful experiences of prior attendees would create a confidence in future attendees to spend the money to have their own great festival story and experience. From this film, the story would spread, and the festival would become a contagious event that music lovers would want to experience for many years to come. 

Sources: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/12/14/37090122/bumbershoots-attendance-dropped-to-its-lowest-level-in-years-has-the-music-fest-bubble-burst