Jonah Berger > Quotes

“People don't think in terms of information. They think in terms of narratives. But while people focus on the story itself, information comes along for the ride.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Making things more observable makes them easier to imitate, which makes them more likely to become popular.”
― Berger, Jonah, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Virality isn’t born, it’s made.”
― Berger, Jonah, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.”
― Berger, Jonah, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Marketing is about spreading the love.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Why does it matter if particular thoughts or ideas are top of mind? Because accessible thoughts and ideas lead to action.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“In contrast to the notion that any publicity is good publicity, negative reviews hurt sales for some books. But for books by new or relatively unknown authors, negative reviews increased sales by 45%.... Even a bad review or negative word of mouth can increase sales if it informs or reminds people that the product or idea exists.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“People don't need to be paid to be motivated.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“When we care, we share.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“How does it make people look to talk about a product or idea? Most people would rather look smart than dumb, rich than poor, and cool than geeky. Just like the clothes we wear and the cars we drive, what we talk about influences how others see us. It’s social currency. Knowing about cool things—like a blender that can tear through an iPhone—makes people seem sharp and in the know. So to get people talking we need to craft messages that help them achieve these desired impressions. We need to find our inner remarkability and make people feel like insiders. We need to leverage game mechanics to give people ways to achieve and provide visible symbols of status that they can show to others.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“We need to design products and ideas that are frequently triggered by the environment and create new triggers by linking our products and ideas to prevalent cues in that environment. Top of mind leads to tip of tongue.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the power of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Trying to change company culture or to get a team to go along with a tough reorganization? Rather than taking a predetermined plan and pushing it on people, catalysts do the opposite. They start by asking questions. Visiting with stakeholders, getting their perspectives, and engaging them in the planning process.”
― Jonah Berger, The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind

“It has been said that when people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate one another. We look to others for information about what is right or good to do in a given situation, and this social proof shapes everything from the products we buy to the candidates we vote for. The phrase ‘Monkey see, monkey do’ captures more than just our tendency to follow others. If people can’t see what others are doing, they can’t imitate them. So to get our products and ideas to become popular we need to make them more publicly observable”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Even in cases where most people are doing the right thing, talking about the minority who are doing the wrong thing can encourage people to give in to temptation.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Research by the Keller Fay Group finds that only 7 percent of word of mouth happens online.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“In fact, the messages actually seemed to increase drug use. Kids aged twelve and a half to eighteen who saw the ads were actually more likely to smoke marijuana. Why? Because it made drug use more public. Think about observability and social proof. Before seeing the message, some kids might never have thought about taking drugs. Others might have considered it but have been wary about doing the wrong thing. But anti-drug ads often say two things simultaneously. They say that drugs are bad, but they also say that other people are doing them. And as we’ve discussed throughout this chapter, the more others seem to be doing something, the more likely people are to think that thing is right or normal and what they should be doing as well.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“For the piece of gold lies 3 feet deep, but your hole is only 2 feet steep, so dig on my friend, there's no time to weep. You've only a foot to go.....”
― Jonah Berger

“Harvard neuroscientists Jason Mitchell and Diana Tamir found that disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding. In one study, Mitchell and Tamir hooked subjects up to brain scanners and asked them to share either their own opinions and attitudes (“I like snowboarding”) or the opinions and attitudes of another person (“He likes puppies”). They found that sharing personal opinions activated the same brain circuits that respond to rewards like food and money. So talking about what you did this weekend might feel just as good as taking a delicious bite of double chocolate cake.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“As it turns out, if something is supposed to be secret, people might well be more likely to talk about it. The reason? Social currency. People share things that make them look good to others.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“So to get people talking, companies and organizations need to mint social currency. Give people a way to make themselves look good while promoting their products and ideas along the way. There are three ways to do that: (1) find inner remarkability; (2) leverage game mechanics; and (3) make people feel like insiders.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Word of mouth is more effective than traditional advertising for two key reasons. First, it’s more persuasive.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“People search for, interpret, and favor information in a way that confirms or supports their existing beliefs.”
― Jonah Berger, Catalyst

“If something is built to show, it’s built to grow.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“A five-star review on Amazon.com leads to approximately twenty more books sold than a one-star review.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“Contagious content is like that—so inherently viral that it spreads regardless of who is doing the talking.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“complacent.26 When it comes to hiring, raising money, or even conserving energy, people aren’t rational robots. Where they stand in relation to others affects motivation.”
― Jonah Berger, Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior

“Word of mouth is more effective than traditional advertising for two key reasons. First, it’s more persuasive. Second, word of mouth is more targeted. It is naturally directed towards an interested audience. But want to know the best thing about word of mouth? It’s available to everyone. And it doesn’t require millions of dollars spent on advertising. It just requires getting people to talk.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On

“The right blend of familiarity and novelty also drives what becomes popular.”
― Jonah Berger, Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior

“Yet science articles, like Denise Grady’s piece about the cough, made the Most E-Mailed list more than politics, fashion, or business news. Why? It turns out that science articles frequently chronicle innovations and discoveries that evoke a particular emotion in readers. That emotion? Awe.”
― Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On