Running head: BOOK REVIEW ON CONTAGIOUS BY JONAH BERGER

Book Review on Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Morgan Jackson
Liberty University

Book Review - Contagious: Why Things Catch On

BOOK REVIEW ON CONTAGIOUS BY JONAH BERGER

Main Point of Book

The main point of the book Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger is to
offer research-driven principles for making products and ideas more contagious. Word of
mouth is the primary factor behind the majority of all purchasing decisions, and as such, it is an
incredibly powerful force for driving business success. This book exists to offer practical action
steps for crafting powerful
Chapter Analyses
Introduction: Why Things Catch On
The introduction of Contagious immediately caught my attention by telling the
outlandish story of a successful small restaurant creating a hundred-dollar Philly cheesesteak.
This strategy employed by Howard Wein in 2004 was a massive success. The book explains that
Wein didnt create just another cheesesteak, he created a conversation piece. (p. 3) Jonah
Berger, author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, argues that this viral success was due to
social transmission made up of social influence and word of mouth. According to the author,
Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing
decisions. (p.7) There are two reasons for its effectiveness: word of mouth is more persuasive
and more targeted than traditional advertising. One of the most surprising things to me in the
introduction was the statistic Berger gave about how much word of mouth advertising happens
online. The statistic given was a shockingly low 7%, which places an incredible amount of
pressure on offline word of mouth advertising. In explaining this, Berger went on to argue
against the notions of random virality or innate virality by saying that virality isnt born, its
made. (p. 18) The author then offers just a taste-test of sorts of the Six Principles of

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Contagiousness discussed throughout the book, and by this point, I was on the edge of my seat to
learn how and why some messages catch on.
Principle 1: Social Currency
The first principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On is the
principle of social currency. Social currency, as Berger explains, can be used by marketers to get
ideas or products to catch on by sharing the idea as if it is a secret. Because of its secretive
nature, people are more willing to talk about something theyve been told not to talk about. The
reason is social currency: people share things that make them look good to others. (p. 33)
Berger explains three ways that businesses can leverage social currency to promote their
products and ideas: (1) find inner remarkability; (2) leverage game mechanics; and (3) make
people feel like insiders. (p. 36) First, it is important to emphasize a products remarkability in a
way that promotes discussion. Second, a business can leverage social currency by using game
mechanics, specifically in rewards programs that encourage a customer to achieve something in a
fun and exciting way. Third, a business can leverage the marketing power of social currency by
making people feel like insiders; as Berger explains, scarcity and exclusivity boost word of
mouth by making people feel like insiders. (p.55) Social currency is a powerful idea that works
by customers sharing secrets about remarkable products, the game mechanics of rewards
programs, and their own exclusive insider access.
Principle 2: Triggers
The second principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On is the
principle of triggers. This chapter of the book explained why people talk about some projects
more than others. According to the book marketing isnt about trying to convince people to
purchase things they dont want or need. Marketing is about tapping into their genuine

BOOK REVIEW ON CONTAGIOUS BY JONAH BERGER

enthusiasm for products and services that they find useful. (p. 62-63) To do this well, Berger

identified two types of word of mouth advertising: immediate and ongoing. Both immediate and
ongoing word of mouth advertising are important to different companies and at different times.
The concept of triggers comes into play by making a thought or idea more top of mind for
consumers than it was previously. The reason top of mind thoughts matter is because accessible
thoughts and ideas lead to action. (p. 70) Berger referenced a study done by music researchers
Adrian North, David Hargreaves, and Jennifer McKendrick in regards to triggers. The study
found that when French music was playing, customers were more likely to choose and purchase
French wine from a store, and when German music was playing, customers were more likely to
choose and purchase German wine. (p. 71) The reason for this was that the music acted like a
trigger to make ideas related to those countries more accessible, and those accessible ideas
spilled over to affect behavior. (p. 71) The principle of triggers can be utilized by businesses to
generate buzz about their products and ideas in numerous ways. One of the most important ways
that business can use triggers is to think about whether the message will be triggered by the
everyday environments of the target audience. (p. 79)
Principle 3: Emotion
The third principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On is the
principle of emotion. The author discovered the power of this principle after systematically
analyzing the most emailed list of the Wall Street Journal while in graduate school. Berger found
that emotion is an incredibly powerful force for generating buzz. The reason emotion is such a
powerful force in generating buzz around a product or idea is because talking to others often
makes emotional experiences better and sharing emotions helps us connect. (p. 104-105)
Berger contends that rather than harping on features or facts, we need to focus on feelings; the

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underlying emotions that motivate people to action. (p. 113) One of the examples given in the
book of a successful use of emotion in advertising is Googles Parisian Love ad. The ad tells the
story of budding love through a series of google searches, and it immediately evokes emotion in
the audience. While reading about this ad in the book, I immediately googled and watched the
ad; in less than a minute, I had tears in my eyes and an overwhelming feeling of happiness and
hope. I also immediately texted the link to the ad to several of my friends, unintentionally
reinforcing the truth behind this principle.
Principle 4: Public
The fourth principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On is the
principle of public. This principle is built on the idea that making something more observable
makes it easier to imitate. (p. 127) Observability directly influences the contagiousness of an
idea or product because social influence. The chapter not only talks about the marketing benefits
of social influence, it also spends a significant portion of the text explaining how to make the
private decisions and thoughts of consumers public in order to increase awareness of a product or
idea. The reason this is important is because if people cant see what others are choosing and
doing, they cant imitate them. (p. 139) Berger then explains the idea of behavioral residue as
a way of making the private public. This concept is successfully used by the US government
when voters are given a sticker that boldly states I voted! and stores like Victorias Secret and
Bloomingdales when they place a customers items in a branded, disposable shopping bags.
Berger concludes this principle by stating if something is built to show, its built to grow. (p.
153)
Principle 5: Practical Value

BOOK REVIEW ON CONTAGIOUS BY JONAH BERGER

The fifth principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On is the

principle of practical value. Simply put, this principle is built on the idea that people like to pass
along practical, useful information. News others can use. (p. 158) Berger goes on to explain that
while the principle of social currency is self-focused, this principle is others-focused as people
want to share things that can save others time, money, and effort. Saving money is one of the
most important aspects of sharing things that are of practical value. People want to share with
others deals that they found, coupons they have used, etc. One of the most fascinating concepts I
read in this chapter was the concept of diminishing sensitivity. Berger explains that in a study,
people were more willing to drive 20 minutes to save $10 on a clock radio than they were to save
$10 on a television. The reason is that the same change has a smaller impact the farther it is
from the reference point. (p. 167) Money is not the only currency of the principle of practical
value, however, useful information is another form of practical value. (p. 173) According to
Berger, practical advice is shareable advice. (p. 174) The trick for businesses to best utilize this
principle is to think about why people naturally gravitate toward the product or idea and then
leverage the underlying practical value in a shareable way.
Principle 6: Stories
The sixth and final principle Jonah Berger presents in Contagious: Why Things Catch On
is the principle of stories. According to the author, stories are the oldest form of entertainment
and something each of us engage in without even thinking about it. Berger writes Stories carry
things. A lesson or moral. Information or a take-home message. (p. 183) Stories are an
exceptionally powerful marketing tool for many reasons. One important reason the book
highlights is that people are...less likely to argue against stories than against advertising claims.
(p. 187) This doesnt mean that to effectively use this medium, a business must entice their

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customers to become walking billboards, advertising their products in awkward and unnatural
ways. Just the opposite! The magic of stories is that information travels under the guise of what
seems like idle chatter. (p. 189) The most important thing to note with this principle is that
stories must somehow link to the product or idea they are meant to promote; otherwise, people
will be talking, but not generating buzz about your company. Make sure your desired
information is so embedded into the plot that people cant tell the story without it. (p. 201)
Epilogue
Jonah Berger ends his book Contagious: Why Things Catch On by reminding his readers
of the points he made in previous chapters. He also reminds readers that all ideas can be
contagious. There isnt one product or idea that cant generate buzz if approached in the right
way. In addition, rather than being caused by a handful of special influential people, social
epidemics are driven by the products and ideas themselves. (p. 206) Products and ideas can
become like forest fires when talked about by regular, everyday people in all spheres of life and
influence. Finally, Berger reminded us of why certain products and ideas catch on while others
do not. The reason, he explains, is that successful and viral products and ideas utilize one or
more of the six principles Berger wrote about in his book: social currency, triggers, emotion,
public, practical value, and stories. These principles drive products and ideas to catch on, and by
using them Berger concludes you can make any product or idea contagious. (p. 210)
Overall Significance
The significance of the book Contagious: Why Things Catch On cannot be overstated.
This book has contributed much to the knowledge on the subject of social marketing and virality.
By mixing together in-depth research and case studies with compelling stories of successful
brands, the author expertly identified 6 principles that play into a product or idea going viral.

BOOK REVIEW ON CONTAGIOUS BY JONAH BERGER

Bergers take on this subject was both insightful and incredibly applicable. He presented a

unique solution to the problem of social virality by arguing that any product or idea can
become contagious if business follow his six principles. His fresh point of view and quippy
writing stands in stark contrast to the widely popular idea that virality is random or that only
some products or ideas can become contagious,
Personal Reaction
This book personally impacted me in several ways. First, I found Bergers principles to
be incredibly fascinating both from a marketing point of view and from a social psychological
point of view. I enjoyed how he began each chapter with a story to illustrate the immense power
in the principle he was about to share. By sharing practical examples in a story format, I was able
to better grasp and remember each principle. Another thing I enjoyed about reading this book
was that I was often putting it to the side to look up a brand or advertisement that Berger
mentioned. In fact, after watching a few of the advertisements, I texted links to friends or shared
them with the people sitting around me, unintentionally supporting Bergers principles in real
life! My favorite aspect of this book was how practical and applicable it was. Berger argues that
any product or idea can be contagious, and his principles consistently support this idea
throughout the book.
References
Berger, J. (2013). Contagious: Why things catch on. New York: Simon & Schuster.