Have You Caught What's Contagious

Book Title: Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Author: Jonah Berger

Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Price: $18.89 USD (Amazon)

Have You Caught What’s Contagious?

Photo Produced From: nytimes.com

Do you ever wonder how or why things become popular? In Jonah Berger’s book “Contagious: Why Things Catch On,” he discusses and explains how and why things like this happen. He discusses how word of mouth can be one of the fastest ways to learn about a new product or idea. This concept makes me think of the saying “monkey see, monkey do.” This reminds me of when the popular TV show “Friends” made a hairstyle iconic. “The Rachel” made famous by actress Jennifer Aniston, became one of the most popular hairstyles of the 90s – if even got its own name!

Photo Produced From: limeylitgirl.blogspot.com

Jonah Berger is a successful writer and professor whose works have been published in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  He is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, even teaching a class called: Contagious: How Products, Behaviors and Ideas Catch On.

This book discusses and explains why things go viral and what it takes to make it a sensation. Having published many articles and even teaching a class on social epidemics (how products, ideas, and behaviors become popular), Berger is obviously an expert on the subject. He proves his theory with relatable and relevant examples such as Rebecca Black’s infamous “Friday” song.

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting read. I always noticed when things caught on, but never really thought about the reasoning behind how or why it happened. This book opened my eyes on how sensations occur and why as well. Many of his ideas in the book can be applied to many fields, especially my own, Public Relations. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Psychology fields.

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.