Book Review of “Contagious” — (21/52)
Jonah Berger’s impactful book highlights the conditions and circumstances that produce virality in our world
What causes products, ideas, and creative ventures take off in our internet-frenzied world? What produces virality both online and offline? In essence, why do things catch on (and why do many other promising ones do not)?
Those questions and more are answered in Jonah Berger’s fabulous book “Contagious.”
Berger is a marketing professor at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In Contagious, he asserts that there are six components of virality: Social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories.
While all of the content that goes viral does not necessarily have to have all six components, the more the better (generally). Why is cultivating these six attributes of virality important in today’s day and age? Because even with all the money that gets poured into marketing and advertising, there are only a handful of products that gain any significant popularity and recognition.
In a congested marketplace, our best bet as makers of products, harbingers of ideas, and virtuosos of fantastic creative pursuits is to understand why and how social movements gain tractions.
“Virality isn’t born, it’s made.”
If we look up YouTube’s most popular (most viewed) videos of all-time, a common thread is consistent in all of them: They ALL evoke some sort of emotion from the viewer. This emotional response is a key contributor of what causes the viewer to ultimately share the video by emailing or tweeting about it to their friends and followers.
Google, in 2009, was actively searching for ways to create a meaningful ad about how Google’s search engine helps add value to our lives. The result was this ad:
“The clip tells a budding love story, using Google searches that evolve over time. No images of people, or even voices — just phrases entered in the search bar and the results that emerge…You cannot watch this clip without having your heartstrings tugged. It’s romantic, joyous, and inspiring all at once.”
— Jonah Berger, Contagious (Pg. 115)
Admittedly, there is nothing patently emotional about a search engine on its own. Even Google can’t create emotion from an algorithm, no matter how useful it is in our lives. But, Google can (and did) capitalize on the ways that a search engine appears in subtle ways in our lives over the long run. The search engine’s results are what cause our heartfelt emotional response in the end.
Triggers
The Kit Kat candy bar, once a massively popular chocolate delight, had lost its devout following by 2007. Sales were declining yearly and the consumer interest was down. In order to “make Kit Kat more top of mind,” the products advertisers decided to launch an ad campaign that centered around pairing Kit Kat and coffee.
The premise was that most individuals drink coffee at least once (if not more) throughout their day. Why not have a scrumptious Kit Kat bar as well on those coffee breaks?
“Described as “a break’s best friend,” the radio spots featured the candy bar sitting on a counter next to a cup of coffee, or someone grabbing coffee and asking for a Kit Kat. Kit Kat and coffee. Coffee and Kit Kat.”
— Jonah Berger, Contagious (Pg. 82)
This pairing was absolute perfection since every time consumers went on coffee breaks, they also now had a “trigger” in their mind that would remind them about how a Kit Kat bar would perfectly compliment their coffee. Hence, traditional coffee breaks, fueled by the success of the “Kit Kat and Coffee” ad campaign, became the breeding grounds for Kit Kat breaks.
Social Currency
It’s no secret: People love to share. But, more importantly, we love to share things that make us seem smart. Just yesterday, I read a fascinating piece from the New York Review of Books about how the austerity measures that England placed upon the American colonies eventually led to the colonies declaring for their independence in 1776. The piece resonated with me because it has implications in our modern-day struggles between Greece and the Eurozone. So, I tweeted it out (admittedly, to look smart, but also in the hopes that others would find it an excellent read).
But, why would I share the piece to begin with? Couldn’t I have just read it and moved on? Why did I give the publication all of this publicity for free when they didn’t even pay me for it?
The answer is because the simple act of sharing that article provided me with some social currency, which, in turn, harnesses my (and other people’s) desires to look good to others. This is why Foursquare users “check-in” to their favorite restaurants, gyms, and sporting events. The more they “check-in” the more badges and distinctions they receive, which make them look good to their friends and families.
Some Final Thoughts
I found Mr. Berger’s book to be deeply engrossing and thought-provoking. The case studies he provides really help to solidify in my mind the reasoning behind why the six core components of virality are important in the production of virality. His writing style also remains easy to follow throughout the book and, when needed, he provides personal examples that compliment the case studies rather well.
Sources
Berger, Jonah. Contagious. London: Simon & Schuster, 2013. Print.
Notes
This is the TWENTY-FIRST book review (out of 52 in total eventually) that is a part of my 2015 Book Reading Challenge.
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