《Contagious: Why Things Catch On》Book Review: Why Do Some Things Go Viral? Mastering the Key to Human Nature
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《Contagious: Why Things Catch On》
The biggest takeaway from this book is how to create “word-of-mouth.” Of course, we all know the importance of creating “word-of-mouth,” but the elements described in the book can help us more consciously create these elements and use them in marketing.
For example, if there’s a delicious fried chicken shop, and I personally find it delicious and recommend it to my friends, it only meets the “practical value” element. If the shop doesn’t consciously add other elements to stimulate me, it will really only stop at “word-of-mouth” marketing.
Whenever I read these kinds of marketing books, there are many case studies. Sometimes I wonder if the stories are written to fit the marketing, or if the marketing comes first and then the stories. However, even the most successful marketing cases need a bit of timing. When the timing comes, “consciously” adding elements that can be used in marketing techniques can “slightly increase” the chances of marketing success.
There’s no guaranteed successful marketing.
Only marketing that increases the chances of success.
MindMap – 《Contagious: Why Things Catch On》
STEEPS, Validated with “A Life of a Mountain Biker”
In modern society, the popularity of the internet and social media has made information spread very quickly. An infectious message or story can instantly attract widespread attention and discussion, like A Life of a Mountain Biker. In the field of marketing, how to effectively use this craze to make a brand or product more recognized and loved is a question that every marketer or entrepreneur must consider. 《Contagious: Why Things Catch On》 provides a method called the “Six Principles of Contagiousness” (STEEPS principles) to help us better understand and master the secrets of word-of-mouth communication.
First, there’s the concept of Social Currency. Everyone wants to have a certain status and recognition in their social circle. Therefore, providing content that can increase the social value of an individual or brand is very important. The A Life of a Mountain Biker craze made everyone have to watch it and understand the content in order to be “in the know.” This video mostly talks about the financial state of most people in society: wanting to spend money, having too little money, buying on loans, and pretending to be rich. Okay, I might still offend some people by making them relate to it.
Next is the Triggers principle. People’s memories and attention are often triggered by specific cues or situations. Most of the content in A Life of a Mountain Biker talks about things between riders, which seems unrelated to the general public. However, the content includes a girlfriend cheating, being scammed (maybe?), and other financial transactions, breaking the limitations of the rider topic and making this financial relationship the trigger for the video. Therefore, understanding the target audience and finding elements that can effectively trigger their attention is key to improving the spread.
In the principles of contagiousness, Emotion also occupies an important position. People are often attracted by strong emotions and are willing to share content that evokes their emotions with others. Whether it’s a touching story or surprising promotional information, as long as it touches people’s hearts, it can increase the possibility of spreading. A Life of a Mountain Biker completely stirred the audience’s emotions, whether it was the views on the two girls in the content or the emotions between the protagonist and his friends.
Public is about how to keep a product or brand visible in the public eye. Through social media promotion, public events, or linking with other public affairs, making the brand constantly seen by people can continuously increase people’s recognition and memory. The A Life of a Mountain Biker video was originally a product of YT, so it was directly exposed through the internet. This is a normal state of play in the elements of a craze.
Of course, the content provided must have Practical Value, making people feel that they can get help or benefits from it. For example, providing practical life tips, ways to save resources, or suggestions for solving specific problems can attract people’s attention and sharing.
Finally, packaging information through Stories makes it more attractive and memorable. Good stories make it easier for people to understand and remember brand concepts and are willing to share them with others. A Life of a Mountain Biker is a super story. Although the author may have initially started from the perspective of a “rider,” this video was later widely used to explain the consumerism, finances, and other social phenomena of most people, meeting many elements of a story, including approachable topics, clear themes, interesting characters, contrasting conflicts, reasonable plots, moving endings, emotional connections, and meaningful lessons or inspirations, etc. Although this is hindsight, I think it would be difficult not to succeed.
Further Reading
懶得變有錢 (Lazy to be Rich)’s Conclusion
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