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Introduction
Jonah Berger’s “Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age” delves into the mechanisms behind why certain products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and become popular. Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School, draws upon extensive research and a multitude of real-world examples to outline six key principles that can make content more shareable and ideas more likely to spread. These principles are encapsulated in the acronym STEPPS: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.

1. Social Currency

Key Point: People share what makes them look good or feel special.

Explanation:
Social Currency refers to the information people share that makes them seem knowledgeable, entertaining, or helpful to others. By sharing valuable or noteworthy information, individuals enhance their status.

Examples:
– Bar with a Secret Entrance: Berger discusses a New York bar called Please Don’t Tell (PDT) that’s hidden behind a phone booth in a hot dog restaurant. The exclusivity and “secret” nature of the bar make patrons feel like insiders, giving them social currency.
– Blendtec’s “Will it Blend?” Campaign: This example illustrates how Blendtec used entertaining videos to show off the power of their blenders by blending unusual items like iPhones. These videos were highly shareable due to their surprising and humorous content.

Actionable Steps:
– Create Remarkable Experiences: Develop unique aspects of your product or service that make people want to talk about you. Have an element of exclusivity or mystery.
– Leverage Game Mechanics: Incorporate elements like scoring, rankings, or competition into your offerings to motivate customers to share their achievements and thus, your brand.

2. Triggers

Key Point: Top-of-mind means tip-of-tongue.

Explanation:
Triggers are stimuli that prompt people to think about related things. By associating products or ideas with prevalent cues in the environment, you increase the likelihood of them being remembered and talked about.

Examples:
– Kit Kat and Coffee: Kit Kat’s campaign to encourage people to have a Kit Kat break with their coffee successfully used the coffee trigger to boost sales.
– Rebecca Black’s “Friday”: The song’s association with the day Friday made it a weekly trigger, increasing views on a consistent basis.

Actionable Steps:
– Identify Triggers: Identify what cues can be associated with your product and integrate them into marketing campaigns.
– Develop Habitual Triggers: Encourage repeated associations by linking your product to daily or weekly activities.

3. Emotion

Key Point: When we care, we share.

Explanation:
Content that evokes strong emotions, whether positive or negative, is more likely to be shared. High-arousal emotions like awe, excitement, and amusement prompt sharing more than low-arousal emotions like sadness or contentment.

Examples:
– Susan Boyle’s Britain’s Got Talent Audition: The astonishing performance and the emotional reaction it elicited led to it going viral.
– United Airlines “United Breaks Guitars”: This customer complaint turned viral video highlighted the emotional power of anger driving widespread sharing and conversation.

Actionable Steps:
– Create Awe-Inspiring Content: Focus on creating content that invokes strong emotional responses. This could be through amazing feats, heartfelt stories, or shocking facts.
– Highlight Emotional Impact: Ensure your campaigns emphasize how your product can make a meaningful difference or evoke strong emotional responses.

4. Public

Key Point: Built to show, built to grow.

Explanation:
Behavior that is observable is more likely to be imitated. Products or ideas that are more publicly visible can drive more word of mouth through social proof.

Examples:
– Livestrong Bracelets: These brightly colored wristbands showed public support for cancer research and became widely popular because they were easy to spot.
– Apple’s White Earbuds: The distinct white earbuds that come with Apple products functioned as visible indicators, making iPod users easily identifiable and spurring more people to purchase Apple products.

Actionable Steps:
– Design Visible Products: Make sure your product or service is visibly marked in a way that stands out when used in public.
– Create Behavioral Residue: Create campaigns that leave physical remnants beyond the actual sale, like branded merchandise or shareable experiences.

5. Practical Value

Key Point: News you can use.

Explanation:
People like to share useful or helpful information. If content provides practical value, it is more likely to be shared because it helps others, and by sharing, the sharer feels they are offering valuable information.

Examples:
– Corn on the Cob Hack Video: A video showing an easier way to shuck corn was shared millions of times because it provided practical value.
– Groupon Deals: The deep discounts and deals provided obvious monetary value, making them highly shareable as people wanted to help friends save money.

Actionable Steps:
– Highlight Practical Tips: Create and share content that provides useful information, tips, or tricks relevant to your audience.
– Simplify Complex Information: Break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand formats that provide clear value.

6. Stories

Key Point: Information travels under the guise of idle chatter.

Explanation:
People don’t just share information; they share stories. A compelling narrative can make information more engaging and memorable.

Examples:
– Subway’s Jared Fogle Story: Jared’s journey of losing weight by eating Subway sandwiches became a powerful narrative that boosted Subway’s sales.
– Panda Cheese Commercials: The commercials featuring an aggressive panda made the narrative memorable and shareable, even though they were actually promoting cheese.

Actionable Steps:
– Craft Engaging Narratives: Create stories around your brand that are engaging and worth retelling.
– Embed Your Brand in the Story: Ensure your product or message is a vital part of the story, so it’s carried along when the story is retold.

Conclusion

Jonah Berger’s “Contagious” offers a recipe for creating content and ideas that possess a built-in viral mechanism through understanding and leveraging human psychology. By incorporating Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public visibility, Practical Value, and Stories into your marketing strategy, you can significantly enhance the shareability and impact of your content. Employing these principles encourages natural word-of-mouth promotion, fostering organic growth and greater reach for your ideas or products.