This is a summary review of Contagious containing key details about the book.

What is Contagious About?

Contagious by Jonah Berger explains why some products, ideas, or behaviors become popular and offers a framework to create contagious content. (Full Summary…)

Contagious Summary Review

“Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger is an insightful and compelling examination of the mechanics behind the spread of ideas, products, and behaviors. Berger, a knowledgeable Wharton marketing professor, embarks on an intriguing journey to unravel the mysteries of virality, challenging conventional wisdom about the influence of advertising in driving popularity.

The book ambitiously sets out to demystify the enigma of virality, proposing that it’s not advertising that most influences people, but rather the impact of social interactions and peer influence. Berger, leveraging over a decade of research, provides fascinating insights into the mechanics of information spread, including why certain New York Times articles reach their “Most E-mailed” status, how products achieve word-of-mouth momentum, and the extent to which social influence pervades our decisions and behaviors.

Structured ingeniously around the acronym STEPPS—Social currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical value, and Stories—Berger’s book offers a comprehensive framework to understand what makes ideas contagious. He meticulously explains each principle with relevant and engaging real-world examples, transforming the book into an educational yet highly engaging read.

The concept of Social currency explores the idea that people share what makes them appear knowledgeable or ‘in the know,’ while Triggers discusses how certain cues in our environment prompt us to talk about related topics. Emotion, as a principle, delves into the heart of virality, arguing that emotionally charged content is more likely to be shared. The Public principle examines how visible actions or products encourage imitation, and Practical value highlights our tendency to share useful or helpful information. Lastly, Stories underscores the power of narrative in making information memorable and shareable.

One of the book’s most significant strengths lies in Berger’s seamless integration of academic research with practical real-world application. His adept use of studies and examples provides a robust foundation for understanding the principles that make ideas contagious. Berger’s writing style is clear and engaging, effectively demystifying complex concepts for a broad audience.

Despite its many strengths, the book occasionally suffers from a repetition of ideas, which some readers might find somewhat redundant. However, this repetition is strategic, reinforcing the core principles and ensuring their lasting impact on the reader.

“Contagious” extends its relevance far beyond marketing professionals. It is a valuable read for anyone interested in the psychology of popularity, from business managers and politicians to educators and health officials. Berger not only explains the principles behind virality but also offers practical strategies for crafting messages and content that are inherently shareable.

In summary, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” stands as a seminal work in understanding the dynamics of virality and social influence. Jonah Berger’s skill in translating complex theories into accessible, relatable examples makes this book an essential read for anyone curious about the forces that drive certain ideas and products to become widely popular. Whether seeking to enhance business strategies, comprehend human behavior, or simply satisfy a curiosity about social dynamics, this book is an invaluable guide to the science of why things catch on.

Who is the Author of Contagious?

Jonah Berger is a bestselling author and Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a world-renowned expert on word of mouth, social influence, consumer behavior, and how products, ideas, and behaviors catch on.

How long is Contagious?

• Print length: 210 pages
• Audiobook: 6 hrs and 50 mins

What genre is Contagious?

Business, Nonfiction, Psychology

What are good quotes from Contagious?

“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”

“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.”

“Marketing is about spreading the love.”

“Most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the power of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”

“When we care, we share”

― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

What are the main summary points of Contagious?

Here are some key summary points from the book:

• Word of mouth aka “social contagion” is a low-cost way to promote your product.
• 93% of conversations about brands, products, and services happen offline.
• People need to feel influential when discussing your product, brand, or service.
• Creating familiar triggers allows people to remember your item.
• Using either positive or negative emotions can motivate people to discuss your item.
• Your business activities and products need to be extremely visible to the public.
• Sharing practical information can prompt people to spread the word of your brand.
• Stories are the best way to convey information about your product or service.

What are key takeaways from Contagious?

Takeaway #1. Create Social Currency

When people feel important or knowledgeable as they discuss your idea, cause, product, or service, you are operating in the realm of “social currency.” This currency can apply to interesting and fun facts, which prompt people to share the information that they believe reflects well on them; a breakthrough idea that people get excited about and want to discuss; or a reward or game system that gives back to the customer, such as frequent flyer miles or McDonald’s Monopoly rewards that users want to boast about to their friends and family.

So ask yourself, how do my products, services, or ideas possess inner remarkability? How do they stand out from the crowd? Remember that every conversation someone has about your products or brand is free promotion.

Takeaway #2. Create Triggers

Triggers, which can be naturally occurring and unexpected or planned, can be used to remind people about your business or cause, prompting them to talk about it. Some word-of-mouth conversations occur immediately after a trigger, like after using a product or having a particular experience, which can create a buzz in that moment, while other conversations continue over a period of time. Given that people talk about products, brands, and organizations roughly 16 times each day, even if your company produces an everyday product that could be perceived as quite ordinary, such as milk or toilet paper, know that people will still discuss it and want to hear the opinion of others, providing you give them reason to discuss it.

Associations are the most powerful tool for creating word of mouth, with familiarity also helping. For example, sales of Kit Kat bars went up when an ad paired Kit Kats with a cup of coffee.

These factors can be used when evaluating the potential effectiveness of the trigger:
– How often the trigger happens
– How strong the link is between trigger and product
– If the trigger is part of the product’s usual environment
– Location (a cheesesteak campaign is unlikely to succeed outside of Philadelphia)
– Time of year (orange products sell better in October than in December)

Takeaway #3. Stir Strong Emotions

To get people talking about your product, brand, services, or idea, you have to strike a chord with them, as people talk about things that stir their feelings. Amazement, awe, anxiety, and anger are all “high arousal” emotions which can be used to get people talking. While amusement can also be used to get people talking about your product or cause, feelings of happiness or sadness tend to lessen the impulse to share.

Takeaway #4. Create High Visibility

A phenomenon known as “social proof” in psychology means that people who follow the recommendations and tastes of others do so when others’ preferences are visible. This is a theory that Steve Jobs understood, and it’s why the logo on a laptop faces viewers and not the user, so that people are spurred on to buy that brand when they see it in their environment. People are inundated with information in today’s fast-paced world, so they seek out others’ choices to guide them in what to purchase.

To achieve high visibility with your own products, brand, or services, you should:

• Make the Private Public – This means turning your cause into an event or item that catches your audience’s attention and inspires them to talk. Prostate Cancer Awareness does this by asking men to grow mustaches and beards in November.
• Design Ideas for Self-Advertising – By incorporating a commercial into your brand, your ideas will advertise themselves. Hotmail did this by adding a tagline to every email to advertise its service.
• Employ Behavioral Residue – Ensure your tactic or campaign has a long shelf life. For example, The Livestrong Foundation decided that bracelets would create longer-lasting cancer awareness than a single day of bike racing featuring a celeb.
• Provide Practical Value – Practical information such as tips and recipes spread easily, as people enjoy sharing information with people they know who might find it useful, so create “news others can use.” Reference points can also provide practical information by showing people when a price is a good deal. (Retailers often do this by posting the regular price next to the discounted price, so that consumers can see the difference or “good value”; however, a 25% discount on a high value item has less impact than the same discount on a lower priced item, which is why big ticket items normally have the price reduction shown in the monetary value: i.e., save $50.)

Takeaway #5. Tell a Good Story

Stories can interest and capture your audience’s attention more than regular advertising, so tell your story—or create one—to get people noticing and talking about your business or cause. Storytelling comes naturally to us humans far more than sharing stats does, and we’re more readily able to recall narratives than we are stand-alone figures, especially when outside of a business environment when talking amongst friends and family. Further, when someone is listening to a story, they’re unlikely to contradict the storyteller, unlike they would when reacting to a paid marketing campaign.

A story that promotes interest in your business or product should be logical, amusing, and creative, while also meaningful, understandable, and easy to associate with you. Think of the skincare business Dove, which benefited from a commercial showing how unrealistic professional models look when they have had their hair and makeup done. Keep the story simple, for when people pass stories to one another, they tend to omit the unnecessary details, putting heightened meaning on the vital points.

When applying the above steps, remember that so long as your business, brand, or cause makes people feel important, appears to them frequently and clearly, evokes emotion, is useful, and has a good story to it, it has higher chances to become contagious.

* Key sources: Amazon, Wikipedia