SOCIAL SCIENCES

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

by Jonah Berger
S. & S. Mar. 2013. 224p. index. ISBN 9781451686579 $26; ebk. ISBN 9781451686593. BUS
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Berger (marketing, Univ. of Penn.) informs and entertains while presenting his argument for why some products and ideas generate interest by word of mouth, and grow virally, and why others don't. Berger's writing is, in a sense, "contagious." This superbly written and thought-provoking book is hard to put down; the stories, especially those describing innovative social media campaigns, drawn from a variety of industries, are extremely engaging. Berger introduces six important "STEPPS" to ensure that products and ideas are "contagious": they must have Social Currency; must be Triggered, Emotional, Public, Practically Valuable; and can be told as a Story.
VERDICT Readers don't need a business or marketing background to understand this text. The scientific data blend persuasively into the arguments. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Caroline Geck, Camden Street School. Lib., Newark, NJ , Jan 01, 2013
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