What causes a sudden drop in the crime rate of a major city?
Under what circumstances can a political cause explode into a revolutionary mass movement?
Why do some advertisements stick in people’s minds while others are ignored?
How does a book become a best-seller?
These are the kind of questions for which Gladwell tries to find a common denominator. Just as a single match can start a large wildfire under the right conditions, or one sick individual in a crowd can bring about a flu epidemic, Gladwell argues that little things can make a big difference in social dynamics. He selects examples from a wide variety of social situations to illustrate how an idea or trend can become contagious, spreading quickly from a small beginning to a mass audience.
Malcolm Gladwell describes the "three rules of epidemics" (or the three "agents of change") in the tipping points
1. The Law of the Few - Gladwell explains that 80% of the work is completed by 20% of the population.
a. Connectors-Connectors are the kinds of people who have a foot in many different social circles, know everyone, and link us to new worlds by introducing us to people.
b. Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information
c. Salesmen are "persuaders", charismatic people with powerful negotiation skills.
2. The Stickiness Factor - The specific content of a message that renders its impact memorable.
3. The Power of Context - Human behavior is sensitive to and strongly influenced by its environment
For example, Hush Puppy shoes, with lightweight crepe soles and suede uppers, were a popular brand in the 1970’s, but by the early 1990’s sales had dropped to about 30,000 pairs per year and executives at the Wolverine Shoe Company were thinking about phasing them out. In 1995, however, Hush Puppies became a local fad among a group of young people in Manhattan. Subsequently, several nationally known fashion designers decided to incorporate the shoes in their fall showings. By the end of the year, over 400,000 pairs were sold. In 1996, sales increased to more than one million pairs, and the next year to almost two million. All this happened basically by word of mouth, without an advertising campaign by the manufacturer. Read more in book
No comments:
Post a Comment