Did you ever wonder why some products, ideas, and behaviours succeed when others fail?
Johan Berger, a professor at Wharton University in Pennsylvania, has studied this phenomenon for over a decade, analyzing hundreds of contagious messages, products, and ideas and summarizing all of the findings in principles that caused things to be talked about, shared, and imitated. He studied the facts and performed groundbreaking experiments that have changed how marketing and product experts think. He used social science to show ordinary decision-making in our daily lives. If you have wondered why specific stories get shared, emails get forwarded, or videos go viral, contagious explains why and shows a set of specific techniques for helping information spread. Here are my takeaways from this expert.
This is my book summary of Jonah Berger's "Contagious". My notes are informal and contain quotes from the book and my thoughts. Each book summary has a short description, top lessons from the book, chapter-by-chapter summary, and favorite quotes. Enjoy!
Top 10 Lessons from the Book
1. Word of mouth is more effective than traditional advertising for two reasons. First, it's more persuasive. Advertisements usually tell us how great the product is. But because it will always argue that their products are the best, they could be more credible. Our friends, however, are objective, and we believe them. Word of mouth is more targeted. Companies try to advertise in ways that allow them to reach the significant number of interested customers. On the other hand, Word of Mouth is naturally directed towards an interested audience. We keep a new story or recommendation private from everyone we know.
2. The best thing about Word of Mouth is that it's available to everyone, from Fortune 500 companies trying to increase sales to corner restaurants trying to fill tables. And from nonprofits trying to fight obesity, to politician trying to get elected. Word of Mouth helps things catch on. Word of Mouth even helps B2B companies get new clients, and the best part of the story is that it just requires getting people to talk. You are off social media and are worried about reaching your audience? Relax, 93% of recommendations happen through Word of Mouth.
3. After analyzing hundreds of contagious messages, products, and ideas, they noticed that the same six ingredients or principles has been found. Berger called this principles STEPPS. Read further for more information on this framework.
4. "S" stands for the first principle of social currency. Just as people use money to buy products or services, they use social currency to achieve desired positive impressions among their families, friends, and colleagues. Most people would rather be intelligent than dumb, rich than poor, excellent than geeky. To get people talking, we need to craft messages that help them achieve these desired impressions.
5. "T" as for the second principle trigger. People often talk about whatever comes to mind, so the more often people think about the product or idea, the more it will be talked about. Triggers are stimuli that prompt people to think about related things. Triggers and cues lead people to talk, choose, and use. Social currency gets people talking, but triggers keep them talking. Top of Mind means the tip of the tongue.
6. "E" is for emotions as a third principle on the steps. "When we care, we share." Emotional things often get shared. Some emotions increase sharing, and authors decrease it. We need to pick the right emotions to evoke. We need to get people excited or make them laugh. We need to make them angry rather than sad. Even situations where people are active make them more likely to pass things on to others. Whether it's a digital product like Google or a physical product like sneakers, it should make something that will move people.
7. "P" as a fourth principal public. Making things more observable makes them easier to imitate, which makes them more likely to become famous. We must design products and initiatives that advertise themselves even after people have bought or espoused the idea. We need to make the private public. If something is billed to show, it's built to grow.
8. "P" for practical value as a principal is nothing but helping others. People like to help. We can show them how our products or ideas save time and improve health, and they'll spread the word. We need to understand why something seems like an excellent deal. We need to highlight the incredible value of what we offer. And we need to package our knowledge and expertise so that people can easily pass it on.
9. and my favorite is "S" for "stories." People don't just share information; they tell stories. Stories are an essential source of cultural learning that helps us make sense of the world. Stories do give people an easy way to talk about products and ideas. To craft contagious content, try to build your Troian horse. Make sure you think about valuable virality. Ensure the information you want people to remember and transmit is critical to the narrative.
10. The best part of the STEEPS framework is that anyone can use it. It doesn't require a humongous advertising budget, ingeniousness, or some creativity. Gene. They relied on one or more keys, making their product and ideas more contagious.
In summary, "Contagious" by Jonah Berger is not just a guide to viral content but an excellent study of human behavior and psychology. The book transformed my perspective on advertisements, social media, and product choices, feeling like an engaging lecture on the psychology behind marketing. It enormously helped me to differentiate marketing strategies, recognize content manipulation, and understand the psychology behind emotion-driven media. All of us would navigate differently after reading Contagious. I highly recommend it to business owners, product developers and marketers who can not afford a million-dollar campaign or anyone in the digital space. "Contagious" is an enlightening read offering truly valuable insights, and I am sure many of you will benefit from this book and its findings.
Favorite quotes from the book:
“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.”
“Virality isn’t born, it’s made.”
“Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.”
“People don't need to be paid to be motivated.”
“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. Top of mind leads to tip of tongue.”
“Contagious content is like that—so inherently viral that it spreads regardless of who is doing the talking.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Beyond the Book: Contagious World of Ideas
Explore the author's insightful conversation on Google here to add extra layers to the book's concepts.
You can also engage with Jonah Berger's continuing research through his articles https://jonahberger.com, and put theory into practice with interactive courses designed to improve your marketing expertise. Whether you're crafting your next big campaign or simply fascinated by the dynamics of popular trends, these resources will greatly help you stay at the forefront of contagious content you wish to create.
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