Book Review: "Contagious Why Things Catch On" By Jonah Berger
- Tim Pulliam
- Feb 20, 2017
- 4 min read
Today we live in a world where the silliest or unassuming mundane concepts or even products become viral. Have you ever wondered why? What makes them so interesting and worth sharing? Well, Jonah Berger, the author of “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” highlights six principles that may explain such phenomena.
The first point Berger makes is the use of Social Currency, which he defines as the need for people in general to share things that make them feel and look good. He says research shows that we are conditioned to enjoy talking about ourselves, and our personal experiences. In fact, he cites 40 percent of us do it. He mentions how some Harvard scientists studied the bra
in function of two individuals when they talked about themselves or other people. The results showed the subjects brain was more stimulated by self-sharing. Berger drives home the point that word of mouth is key in getting things to catch on. This explains why personal referrals and social media shares and likes are influential.
The second concept is Triggers. People respond emotionally and physically to certain prompts. In chapter two of Berger’s book, he mentions how one of 2011’s most viral videos on YouTube was set off by a trigger. Search results in March 2011 for the song “Friday,” performed by Rebecca Black, peaked to its highest on YouTube every Friday. This indicated that the day of the week triggered people’s memory of the song—creating a viral moment.
Emotion can also make things catch on according to Berger. For example, emails or videos that feature awe-inspiring articles or clips are more likely to be shared than articles about politics. In contrast, people are less likely to share things if they are sad because their emotional arousal is low compared to someone who is happy or dissatisfied.
The Psychology of Imitation and the use of storytelling contributes to information, concepts and ideals are accepted and shared. Berger gives the example of someone choosing a busy restaurant as a place to dine, versus a spot that looks virtually empty. People tend to mimic what they see other’s doing. As for stories, Berger’s example of Jared Fogle, the infamous spokesperson for Subway (who later was sentenced to 15 ½ years in prison on child pornography and sex charges), drives home the point of why anecdotes are often shared. Fogle lost 245 pounds for eating Subway’s low-fat sandwiches. Fogle’s story was shared because the concept was astonishing and groundbreaking that a person could lose weight by eating fast food.
As I look back on Berger’s claims of why things catch on, I can see how these theories are plausible. It’s reasonable to believe these ideas can translate to shares. I recently went on what was supposed to be a secret trip to Cancun, Mexico. I stayed at Excellence Las Mujeres Resort. The experience was so amazing that when I got back to the states I wanted to share it. This is a form of social currency, because my intention was to influence others to check out the resort for themselves.
Certain songs or memories stored in my head can trigger feelings and a reaction. Sometimes a song from my teenage years will come and it can bring back the urge to listen to those songs or even hit the dance floor. Triggers can also spark the Psychology of Imitation. If a lot of people are dancing to a song, you may be encouraged to join suit, and if people stop dancing when a new song comes on, you may do the same.
But when it comes to emotional sharing, although I agree with Berger’s point of how awe-inspiring things catch on quickly,
I disagree with Berger’s notion that politics don’t produce the same sharing factor. I believe that the 2016 presidential election between
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump proved that people felt very polarized by both candidates, and had an emotional reaction to share articles about them. From Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct government business, to a video leaked of Donald Trump speaking about sexually assaulting women. This is proof that political stories can catch on just as much as an awe-inspiring story.
As a member of the newly-formed advertising agency called AbovePARR, our teams aim is to help rebrand and launch
Melanie Casey Jewelry, a small boutique jewelry design company. Out of all of the concepts addressed in Berger’s book, I think Social Currency is the theory that could work best with this company. Because Melanie Casey Jewelry desires to be a “discoverable” brand, word of mouth and referrals will be key in AbovePARR’s social media plan and strategy.
The campaigns could focus on highlighting and celebrating customers experience with the brand through testimonials. Berger points out that the key to social currency is making something seem remarkable. So in theory, a social media plan that portrays Melanie Casey Jewelry as a company worthy of mentions and sharing, could create an atmosphere of higher visibility of the brand and growth in the company’s target customer base.
Additionally, our ad agency could take some hints from lesson week three McKinsey Quarterly article on strategy building. They author mention seven building blocks to strategy: Frame, diagnose, forecast, search, choose, commit and evolve. To me, one of the most important blocks is diagnose. In order for a strategy to be successful you must ask the right questions to understand solutions to the problem or opportunity for improvement.
AbovePARR is looking forward to adding some of these concepts outlined in the strategy building article and Berger’s book to improve our clients image and overall footprint online.