Contagious – How to buil Word of Mouth in The Digital Age – Jonah Berger
1. Introduction: why Things cath On
- Wein left large corporations to focus on a smaller, boutique restaurant experience.
- Prime concept: A luxury steakhouse in downtown Philadelphia offering high-end dishes
Created a $100 cheesesteak using expensive ingredients like Kobe beef, truffles, and
lobster.
- Contagious Buzz: The sandwich became a conversation starter, attracting media attention
and making the restaurant famous, even among those who didn't try it.
1.1 Why Some Products Catch On
- Quality: Products that are better, like flat-screen TVs, tend to succeed.
- Price: Cheaper products often win when compared to similar alternatives.
- Advertising: Increased spending on ads can help products become popular.
This don’t fully explain why some things catch on.
1.2 What does explain this?
1.2.1 Social transmission
“Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20% to 50% of all purchasing decisions.”
1. Word of mouth is more effective
It’s more peruasive: Ads often says their products are the best, but they’re not
credible1
Friends are more likely to give honest, objective opinions, which makes their
recommendations more trustworthy.
2. Word of mouth is more targeted
Companies advertise to reach largest number of interested customer
Word of mouth naturally directed toward interested audience we tend to select
particular people who think would find that given piece of information most relevant
Ex. We wouldn't tell a friend who hates skiing about a new pair of skis, or someone
without kids about diaper tips.
1.2.2 Generating word of mouth
- Only 7% of word of mouth happens online Most conversations happen offline
- Issues with hype around social media:
People ignore importance of offline word of mouth even though they are more
impactful
Facebook and twitter are technologies, not strategies Having a presence online
doesn’t guarantee that people will share or engage with content.
1
Geloofwaardig
, - “Harnessing2 the power of word of mouth requires understanding why people talk and why
some things get talked about more than others
- It’s not just about finding influential individuals to spread the word—what matters more is
the message itself. Ex. a great joke will spread, even if it’s not told by the best storyteller. The
content's inherent qualities, rather than the person sharing it, often determine how widely it
will be shared.
1.2.3 Are some things just born word-of-mouth worthy?
- Example of the Blendtec blender (Tom Dickson's Story)
Blendtec blenders seemed like a plain, boring product, yet they became viral thanks
to creative marketing.
To demonstrate the blender's power, they blended marbles, which came out as fine
white powder
- Virality isn’t born, it’s made
Blendtec's success proves that virality can be engineered. It's about finding the right
approach to make even ordinary products contagious.
- “Regardles of how plain or boring a product or idea may seem, there are ways to make it
contagious”
1.2.4 Studying social influence
(The author shares their journey from studying environmental engineering to researching social
influence, ultimately writing a book to provide accessible, research-based principles on why certain
products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and spread.)
1.2.5 Six principles of contagiousness
A recipe for making things become popular: evoke emotions like surprise or amazement, story is
remarkable, useful information.
Sic keys STEPPS that cause things to be talked about shared, and imitated:
1. Principle 1: Social Currency
= How does it make people look to talk about a product or idea ?
People like to share things that make them appear smart, cool,…
2. Principle 2: Triggers
= Stimuli that prompt people to think about related things
We need to design products and ideas that are frequently triggered by the
environment
Ex. If you live in Philadelphia, seeing a cheesesteak might remind you of the $100 one
at Barclay Prime.
2
benutten
, 3. Principle 3: Emotion
Focus on feelings
Contagious content often evokes strong emotions, whether positive or negative, that
drive people to share
4. Principle 4: Public
People imitate what they see
Making things more observable easier to imitate more likely to become
popular
We need to make our products and ideas more public
5. Principle 5: Practical Value
Highlight incredible value off what you offer
People share things that save time, money, or improve lives, so we need to make our
offerings seem particularly useful.
6. Principle 6: Stories
Embed products and ideas in stories
People love telling stories, and by integrating our ideas into compelling narratives, we
make them more shareable.
1. Introduction: why Things cath On
- Wein left large corporations to focus on a smaller, boutique restaurant experience.
- Prime concept: A luxury steakhouse in downtown Philadelphia offering high-end dishes
Created a $100 cheesesteak using expensive ingredients like Kobe beef, truffles, and
lobster.
- Contagious Buzz: The sandwich became a conversation starter, attracting media attention
and making the restaurant famous, even among those who didn't try it.
1.1 Why Some Products Catch On
- Quality: Products that are better, like flat-screen TVs, tend to succeed.
- Price: Cheaper products often win when compared to similar alternatives.
- Advertising: Increased spending on ads can help products become popular.
This don’t fully explain why some things catch on.
1.2 What does explain this?
1.2.1 Social transmission
“Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20% to 50% of all purchasing decisions.”
1. Word of mouth is more effective
It’s more peruasive: Ads often says their products are the best, but they’re not
credible1
Friends are more likely to give honest, objective opinions, which makes their
recommendations more trustworthy.
2. Word of mouth is more targeted
Companies advertise to reach largest number of interested customer
Word of mouth naturally directed toward interested audience we tend to select
particular people who think would find that given piece of information most relevant
Ex. We wouldn't tell a friend who hates skiing about a new pair of skis, or someone
without kids about diaper tips.
1.2.2 Generating word of mouth
- Only 7% of word of mouth happens online Most conversations happen offline
- Issues with hype around social media:
People ignore importance of offline word of mouth even though they are more
impactful
Facebook and twitter are technologies, not strategies Having a presence online
doesn’t guarantee that people will share or engage with content.
1
Geloofwaardig
, - “Harnessing2 the power of word of mouth requires understanding why people talk and why
some things get talked about more than others
- It’s not just about finding influential individuals to spread the word—what matters more is
the message itself. Ex. a great joke will spread, even if it’s not told by the best storyteller. The
content's inherent qualities, rather than the person sharing it, often determine how widely it
will be shared.
1.2.3 Are some things just born word-of-mouth worthy?
- Example of the Blendtec blender (Tom Dickson's Story)
Blendtec blenders seemed like a plain, boring product, yet they became viral thanks
to creative marketing.
To demonstrate the blender's power, they blended marbles, which came out as fine
white powder
- Virality isn’t born, it’s made
Blendtec's success proves that virality can be engineered. It's about finding the right
approach to make even ordinary products contagious.
- “Regardles of how plain or boring a product or idea may seem, there are ways to make it
contagious”
1.2.4 Studying social influence
(The author shares their journey from studying environmental engineering to researching social
influence, ultimately writing a book to provide accessible, research-based principles on why certain
products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and spread.)
1.2.5 Six principles of contagiousness
A recipe for making things become popular: evoke emotions like surprise or amazement, story is
remarkable, useful information.
Sic keys STEPPS that cause things to be talked about shared, and imitated:
1. Principle 1: Social Currency
= How does it make people look to talk about a product or idea ?
People like to share things that make them appear smart, cool,…
2. Principle 2: Triggers
= Stimuli that prompt people to think about related things
We need to design products and ideas that are frequently triggered by the
environment
Ex. If you live in Philadelphia, seeing a cheesesteak might remind you of the $100 one
at Barclay Prime.
2
benutten
, 3. Principle 3: Emotion
Focus on feelings
Contagious content often evokes strong emotions, whether positive or negative, that
drive people to share
4. Principle 4: Public
People imitate what they see
Making things more observable easier to imitate more likely to become
popular
We need to make our products and ideas more public
5. Principle 5: Practical Value
Highlight incredible value off what you offer
People share things that save time, money, or improve lives, so we need to make our
offerings seem particularly useful.
6. Principle 6: Stories
Embed products and ideas in stories
People love telling stories, and by integrating our ideas into compelling narratives, we
make them more shareable.
