Contagious
Why Things Catch On
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- USD 13.99
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- USD 13.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times bestseller that explains why certain products and ideas become popular.
“Jonah Berger knows more about what makes information ‘go viral’ than anyone in the world.” —Daniel Gilbert, author of the bestseller Stumbling on Happiness
What makes things popular? If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?
Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He’s studied why New York Times articles make the paper’s own Most E-mailed list, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children.
In Contagious, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheesesteak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the most boring products there is: a blender.
Contagious provides specific, actionable techniques for helping information spread—for designing messages, advertisements, and content that people will share. Whether you’re a manager at a big company, a small business owner trying to boost awareness, a politician running for office, or a health official trying to get the word out, Contagious will show you how to make your product or idea catch on.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We live in a time when 15 seconds on TikTok can catapult a person to stardom. And that makes Jonah Berger’s exploration of why things go viral such an eye-opening and relevant read. Contagious is an excellent crash course in psychology and human behavior, with a dash of marketing and advertising. Berger, a professor at the Wharton School and the author of the best-selling Invisible Influence, walks us through the six facets of virality and shareability and how they work together to make us want to talk about something—whether it’s a scientific article or a controversial commercial. He offers real-world examples of how to become a sensation and makes them adaptable to a myriad of business problems. (Is nobody coming to your neighborhood bar? Rebrand as an exclusive speakeasy with nearly impossible reservations and watch everybody go nuts trying to get in!) After reading Contagious, we feel like building up hype is easier than we thought.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Faster-spreading than the flu are the ordinary conversations people have about products and ideas, according to this infectious treatise on viral marketing. Drawing on his own nifty research, Wharton marketing professor Berger investigates all manner of phenomena surging name brands, chic restaurants, YouTube hits, most e-mailed articles that catch on through word-of-mouth popularity. There are discernible dynamics behind the apparent chaos of trendiness, he argues: we naturally want to talk about things that seem fashionable, secretive, useful, or remarkable, that arouse our emotions, that come to mind frequently in mundane settings, and that wrap themselves in compelling stories. He applies these principles to illuminate a slew of marketing and PR conundrums, explaining why a Philadelphia restaurant prospered by charging $100 for a cheese steak, why "Just Say No" ads may make kids say yes, why people sometimes pay more to get a discount, and why that Budweiser commercial featuring dudes saying "Wassup?" was a stroke of genius. Berger writes in a sprightly, charming style that deftly delineates the intersection of cognitive psychology and social behavior with an eye toward helping businesspeople and others spread their messages. The result is a useful and entertaining primer that diagnoses countless baffling pop culture epidemics.
