Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Everything is Contagious


Book Title: Contagious
Author: Jonah Berger
Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Everything is Contagious
By: Taylor Jurica
                                                        
             Picture produced by bostonglobe.com                                                                                 Picture produced by amazon.com       

            
            Everyone who watches television has seen anti-drug commercials. The point of them is too remind kids to say “no” to drugs when they are being pressured to fall under the influence. But, did you ever think that these commercials could have the opposite affect? In the book, Contagious, by Jonah Berger, the author discusses why these commercials have the opposite affect with the support of statistics. There are many examples such as this one in the book that really caught my attention while reading. Statistics like these really make me think deeply into why audiences react in certain ways and how certain ideas can become “contagious.”
            Jonah Berger is a Marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His work and articles have appeared in such places as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He also teaches an elective called Contagious: How Products, Behaviors, and Ideas Catch On. This is exactly what his book covers as well.
            From this, the author is obviously an expert on this topic, and proves it throughout the book. What this book has that many others do not, are great examples backing up explanations and facts. In one section, the author describes how the McDonald's McRib became so popular. It is then followed up by a detailed story of the strategies and tactics that were used to get the public hooked on this product.
            As a PR major, this book helps me to understand why certain things become popular. Being a girl, I am constantly looking at the latest fashion trends. After reading this book, I had a much better idea of the way people think and why certain clothing becomes popular. This book would be great for anyone at any age remotely interested in the marketing of products.  
           


















1 comment:

  1. Nice comments. I thought the "McRib" was interesting, too.

    ReplyDelete