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Samenvatting Contagious by Jonah Berger
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ENGELSCONTAGIOUS BOEK – HOW TO BUILD WORD OF MOUTH IN
THE DIGITAL AGE
INTRODUCTION: WHY THINGS CATCH ON
WHY DO PRODUCTS, IDEAS, AND BEHAVIORS CATCH ON?
Social epidemics = social contagion -> instances where products, ideas and behaviors diffuse through a
population. Thay start with a small set of individuals or organizations and spread, often from person to person,
almost like a virus.
Fe. Nonfat Greek yoghurt, Low-fta diets, A certain gym that’s trendy to go… but also the $100 cheesesteak.
Why do some products, ideas and behavior succeed when others fail?
1. Reason one – quality
Some products and ideas become popular is that they are just plain better
We prefer websites that are easier to use, drugs that are more effective,…
Remember the bulky television, flat screens took off just because they are better
2. Second reason – price is attractive
When two products are competing, people prefer paying less rather than more
So if two similar products are competing – the cheaper one wins more often
3. Third reason – advertising
Consumers need to know about something before they can buy it
this doesn’t explain everything, there is more to it -> Social influence and word of mouth
SOCIAL TRANSMISSION
people love to share stories, news and information with those around them. It’s not only as frequent also really
important. What other people tell us has a significant impact on us.
Worth of mouth is the primary factor behind 20% - 50% of all purchasing decisions
Social influence -> “if the other one does it, I’m doing it as well.”
-> Has a huge impact on whether products, ideas and behaviors catch on.
- > Ex. A 5* review on Amazon leads to 20 more books sols than a 1* review.
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,Word of mouth is more effective than traditional advertising – 2 reasons
1. It’s more persuasive
We are more likely to trust, listen to, and believe our friends -> they tell us straight if it a good product
or not
The advertising form a product is not really credible (geloofwaardig)
2. It’s more targeted
Word of mouth is naturally directed toward an interested audience, it tends to reach people who are
actually interested in the thing being discussed
Ex. A book company sends 2 books, just to give one away to someone that you might know that would
be interested OR we don’ tell a friend who hates skiing about new skis
Result: people who refer to their friends
Spend more
Shop faster
Are more profitable overall
Example taken out of his own life:
A few years ago, a company send him two pieces of the same book instead of just one.
-> Goal of the publishers: pass the second book to a colleague who might be interested They got
him to do the targeting for them
GENERATING WORD OF MOUTH
The best thing of WOM - it’s available for everyone
If they can get people to talk about their idea or share their content, it will spread through social networks like
a virus, making their product or idea instantly popular along the way
-> 2 issues with all they hype round social media
1. Focus
People tend to ignore the importance of offline word of mouth, even though offline discussions are
more prevalent, and potentially even more impactful, than online ones
2. Execution
We need to understand why people talk and why some things get talked about and shared more than
others – psychology of sharing – science of transmission
7% of WOM happens online
We forget that most people spend more time offline than online: which creates more time for offline
conversations. We tend to overestimate online WOM because it’s easier to see while offline conversations
might not be that easy to see, they still have an impact on our behavior
Contagious content – so inherently viral that it spreads regardless of who is doing the talking – regardless of
whether the messengers are rally persuasive or not and regardless of whether they have ten friends or two
To fully understand what causes people to share things, you have to look at both successes and failures
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, Issues with hype around SoMe:
1. People tend to ignore the importance of offline WOM: offline conversations are…
More prevalent
Potentially more impactful.
2. SoMe is a technology, not a strategy: WOM is only effective if people actually talk.
ARE SOME THINGS JUST BORN WORD-OF-MOUTH WORTHY?
Virality isn’t born, it’s made
Even regular everyday product and ideas can generate lots of excitement and buzz
Generating WOM is all about finding the right people. (those who are more influential)
Contagious content = so inherently viral that it spreads regardless of who is doing the talking.
George Whright
STUDYING SOCIAL INFLUENCE
How can we design products, ideas and behaviors so that people will talk about them?
School career of Jonah Berger:
1. Highschool: project on urban hydrology;
2. College:
First thought: environmental engineer
Second thought: psychology and sociology.
3. Got involved in research on how people perceive themselves and others.
4. After PhD en 10 years of research he found answers on: “How can we design products, ideas and
behaviors so that people will talk about them?”
SIX PRINCIPLES OF CONTAGIOUSNESS
Content = stories, news, informations, messages, videos
Contagious = likely to spreak
The Blendtec and Barclay Prime stories
Are remarkable
Other useful information, it’s always good to know about products that work well or restaurants that
have good food
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