An Infectious Epidemic

Book Title: Contagious: Why Things Catch on

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Author: Jonah Berger

Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Price: $18.89

An Infectious Epidemic by Allie Bauman

 Remember making art projects as a little kid? What was the first thing you wanted to do after it was done? You wanted to show someone, right? As human beings, we desire to express our opinions, thoughts, and ideas with those around us.  Furthermore, we are constantly aware of how we appear to others, and what we talk about tends to influence that perception. The concepts of self- sharing and public visibility are just two of the contributing factors to word of mouth contagion discussed in Jonah Berger’s book, Contagious.

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Jonah Berger, an Associate Professor of Marketing at Wharton, has devoted his research to the study of social epidemics and teaches a course called “Contagious” at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has appeared in popular newspapers such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal as well as some of the top academic journals.

To read his article, Hurricanes and Hot Baby Names, click here. 

            

The six principles of contagiousness contained in this book are relevant to almost any field of study. It is important to know how get your “ideas to catch on” whether you are a pharmacist for the latest medical discovery or the creative director for an advertising agency.

Overall, I found this book to be interesting and very informative. Berger broke down each principle by using current examples that are pertinent in our society today. These insightful examples helped emphasize the key points in his research. 

I recommend this book to anyone interested in advertising, marketing, or public relations.