What makes things go viral?

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Jonah Berger

244 pgs

Simon and Shuster

$26.00

Review by: Spenser Hicks

Contagious is a book I found hard to put down. It contains so much insightful and actually shocking information on why certain products and trends become so popular. Jonah Berger, an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote the book and it seems like he knows what he is talking about all the way throughout. He studies social influence and social epidemics in depth and was honored in the New York Times “Year in Ideas” Issue. A theme that is spread throughout the whole book and one that I found extremely interesting was when social transmission is discussed. Berger describes word of mouth as being the best manner for social transmission of new products or ideas and it makes sense. I would suggest knowing a little bit about social transmission in general before diving into the book. One of the best metaphors he gives in the book and definitely the most memorable is when he compares a contagious product to a forest fire and says, “They can’t happen without hundreds, if not thousands of regular Joes and Janes passing the product or message along. He proposes 6 principles that will make a message more contagious: social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories. He then gets into talking about certain products over the years that have demonstrated these such as Cheerios, Hotmail, and even Vietnamese nail salons. Overall the book is a good read that is easy to understand. I could personally connect to this book, which made it even more interesting for me. I though of Razor scooters when I was a kid and how popular they became and how everyone wanted one just cause all their friends had them. It has many great comparisons but at some points lacks in depth. I would have liked to read a specific case study or two on some of the products he talked about. At times it also tries to do too much and gets a little to general, not recognizing all the intricacies that go into some of the ideas or products. Other than that it was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone.