This book was fairly interesting, but definitely outdated. It came recommended, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. If I read about 15 years ago, it’d been amazing, but the overall concepts, while still fairly true today, lacked the connections of today’s marketing world. Sure, Jarrod’s Subway stories are interesting… knowing the ending of that story. In addition, Golden Palace was an interesting nostalgia that I’d soon like to forget again. But overall there were some strong points:

  • Create conversation pieces in your brand that deliver (e.g., the $100 cheesesteak, the swirl machine…). Create that piece that can generate that story.
  • Only 7% of WOM happens online.
  • The 6 ingredients to making something “contagious:”
    • social currency: Exclusivity matters
    • triggers: What cues make people think of it
    • emotion: Focus on feelings
    • public: Can people see when you use it
    • practical value: How does it help a person
    • stories: Embed in a narrative
  • In sales, if under $100, show the %. Seems drastically higher. If over $100, show the dollar amount… seems drastically higher
  • Monkey see. Monkey do. Do not advertise the bad things that people do… Or that will encourage that behavior. This was the reason why anti-drug campaigns failed and why telling people not to steal because other generations did…
  • Customer can (should) act as advertisements for products themselves. This goes beyond the logo: e.g., White headphone cords are uniquely Apple (used to be black), Pringle chip cans, Microsoft sound when booting up, etc.
  • People are more likely to share content or share information more when they’re aroused. This includes running, a close call on a car crash, or even the final moments of CSI Miami. When emotion comes.. “We may end up talking more about ads that show up close to these exciting moments.”
  • People don’t want to feel like they’re being told something. They want to be entertained. They want to be moved.
  • Triggers are the foundation of word of mouth and contagiousness… Triggers are the drummer (of the band). It’s the workhorse that gets the job done… It lays the groundwork that drives success. The mroe something is triggered, the more it will be top of mind, and the more successful.
  • Marketing isn’t about trying to convince people to purchase something they don’t need. Marketing is about tapping into their genuine enthusiasm for products and services they find useful. Or beautiful. Marketing is spreading the love.