hy does product A do well and Product B fail? Or why does a restaurant stand out in a locality when there are 10 others with a seemingly identical menu? At times, we may attribute the difference to pricing or quality or the value from advertising. Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School, has a different take on this.
Berger, in his book Contagious, writes that to be successful, a product needs to crack six principles that make it contagious and, hence, desirable. First, it needs to have social currency: you should feel good talking about it. Second, the product needs to get us thinking about it and then buying it. Third, we should develop a feeling for the product, and hence the word ‘emotion’ is attached to the product. Fourth, we would like to be seen by others associated with the product; Berger calls them ‘public’. Fifth, it should have a practical value and be of use so that we spread the word. Lastly, there should be a story, which he equates with the story of the Trojan horse. Berger goes on to say that ‘physical’ word-of-mouth is far more powerful than social media (the percentage of word-of-mouth that happens online is just 7 per cent).
He explains this theory — which goes by the acronym, STEPPS — with a varied set of examples. He equates social currency with money. Whereas money buys things, social currency is used to buy impressions. Therefore, a blender that can smash an iPhone is worth talking about as it has high social currency value. A restaurant that sells cheesesteak for $100 is news to be shared. Snapple, the soda company, puts little tidbits of ‘Did you know’ to garner attention.
According to Berger, triggers are always needed to spark the mood. He gives the example of singer Rebecca Black, whose song, ‘Friday’, went viral because it spoke of the ‘youth’ waiting for Friday. The song had mundane lyrics, yet it became a big hit and everyone watched its video during weekends. Similarly, Mars chocolate bars witnessed a spurt in sales during NASA’s mission to Mars. The word caught on. Triggers could also be as rudimentary as voting patterns where voters prefer a candidate who talks in favour of education!
On emotion, his examples are based on an idea that makes you either happy or mad. Therefore, the story of a plump matronly lady who walks into a singing challenge invites sniggers. But once Susan Boyle started to sing, everyone loved it and wanted to share this emotion.
On the public aspect, the author says that we are indeed influenced by the public. We choose the longest line for a fast food joint as we assume that if all are going there, then it must be the better one. We are always looking for others for information. Therefore, the product we design must keep this in mind too. Last, stories need to be told all the time by a product, which will strike a chord with the customer.
Berger’s book is extremely engaging as he provides lots of examples when discussing the 6 STEPPs that go into any successful product or venture. In fact, you could apply these six traits to any product — a soap or a gadget – that has done well. It will invariably have it all.
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On By Jonah Berger Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pages 256; Rs 499 -
Berger, in his book Contagious, writes that to be successful, a product needs to crack six principles that make it contagious and, hence, desirable. First, it needs to have social currency: you should feel good talking about it. Second, the product needs to get us thinking about it and then buying it. Third, we should develop a feeling for the product, and hence the word ‘emotion’ is attached to the product. Fourth, we would like to be seen by others associated with the product; Berger calls them ‘public’. Fifth, it should have a practical value and be of use so that we spread the word. Lastly, there should be a story, which he equates with the story of the Trojan horse. Berger goes on to say that ‘physical’ word-of-mouth is far more powerful than social media (the percentage of word-of-mouth that happens online is just 7 per cent).
He explains this theory — which goes by the acronym, STEPPS — with a varied set of examples. He equates social currency with money. Whereas money buys things, social currency is used to buy impressions. Therefore, a blender that can smash an iPhone is worth talking about as it has high social currency value. A restaurant that sells cheesesteak for $100 is news to be shared. Snapple, the soda company, puts little tidbits of ‘Did you know’ to garner attention.
According to Berger, triggers are always needed to spark the mood. He gives the example of singer Rebecca Black, whose song, ‘Friday’, went viral because it spoke of the ‘youth’ waiting for Friday. The song had mundane lyrics, yet it became a big hit and everyone watched its video during weekends. Similarly, Mars chocolate bars witnessed a spurt in sales during NASA’s mission to Mars. The word caught on. Triggers could also be as rudimentary as voting patterns where voters prefer a candidate who talks in favour of education!
On emotion, his examples are based on an idea that makes you either happy or mad. Therefore, the story of a plump matronly lady who walks into a singing challenge invites sniggers. But once Susan Boyle started to sing, everyone loved it and wanted to share this emotion.
On the public aspect, the author says that we are indeed influenced by the public. We choose the longest line for a fast food joint as we assume that if all are going there, then it must be the better one. We are always looking for others for information. Therefore, the product we design must keep this in mind too. Last, stories need to be told all the time by a product, which will strike a chord with the customer.
Berger’s book is extremely engaging as he provides lots of examples when discussing the 6 STEPPs that go into any successful product or venture. In fact, you could apply these six traits to any product — a soap or a gadget – that has done well. It will invariably have it all.
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On By Jonah Berger Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pages 256; Rs 499 -
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