Summary Of Contagious: Why Things Catch On By Jonah Berger

The book I chose to read was called “Contagious: Why Things Catch On,” by Jonah Berger. The title of the book is very self-explanatory. The whole book basically talks about how word-of-mouth travels so quickly that it has a huge impact on what consumers buy and how they act. In this book Berger talks about six principles associated with products and messages conveyed from actions. This idea is called “STEPPS.” “STEPPS” is an acronym for social currency, triggers, emotions, public, practical value, and stories. Throughout the book Berger relates these principles to some well known examples around the world. Chapter one talks about social currency. According to the books summary of social currency it states, “People care about how they look to others. They want to seem smart, cool, and in-the-know. So be sure to find the inner remarkability (Will It Blend?) and make people feel like insiders (Please Don’t Tell).” Please Don’t tell is a restaurant in New York City that is not advertised anywhere. They take reservations the day of and the the reservation line opens at 3:00 p.m. and spots are all taken by 3:30 p.m.. The owner Jim Meehan stated ““The most powerful marketing is personal recommendation. Nothing is more viral or
When thinking of stories the book expresses “Information travels under what seems like idle chatter. Stories are vessels. So build a Trojan horse. A narrative story that people want to tell (Jared from Subway) which carries your idea along for the ride.” People like to think in terms of narratives, rather than in terms of information. They are more concerned with the whole entire story rather than the content. Good stories have the ability to transmit information to others. Stories are also easier to remember; therefore, are more memorable than focusing on dry information or facts. When telling a story it gives people the ability to talk about ideas and products more easily and