Contagious, Jonah Berger
Contagious, Jonah Berger
66 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Contagious
Why Things Catch On

Author: Jonah Berger

Narrator: Keith Nobbs

Unabridged: 6 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/05/2013


Synopsis

The New York Times bestseller that explains why certain products and ideas become popular.

“Jonah Berger knows more about what makes information ‘go viral’ than anyone in the world.” —Daniel Gilbert, author of the bestseller Stumbling on Happiness

What makes things popular? If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?

Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He’s studied why New York Times articles make the paper’s own Most E-mailed list, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children.

In Contagious, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheesesteak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the most boring products there is: a blender.

Contagious provides specific, actionable techniques for helping information spread—for designing messages, advertisements, and content that people will share. Whether you’re a manager at a big company, a small business owner trying to boost awareness, a politician running for office, or a health official trying to get the word out, Contagious will show you how to make your product or idea catch on.

About Jonah Berger

Jonah Berger is a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and internationally bestselling author of Contagious, Invisible Influence, and The Catalyst. He’s a world-renowned expert on social influence, word of mouth, and why products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and has published over 50 papers in top-tier academic journals. He has consulted for a range of Fortune 500 companies, keynoted hundreds of events, and popular accounts of his work often appear in places like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. His research has also been featured in the New York Times Magazine’s “Year in Ideas.”

About Keith Nobbs

Keith Nobbs has appeared on Broadway in The Lion In Winter and off-Broadway in Dog Sees God, Romance, The Hasty Heart, Bye Bye Birdie, Dublin Carol, and Four (Lucille Lortel Award, Drama Desk Nomination). His film credits include Phone Booth, Double Whammy, and 25th Hour. Television credits include The Black Donnellys (series regular), Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and The Sopranos.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rowan on July 23, 2022

I picked this book up in my local library, only intending to flick through a few pages. Some 50 pages later, I realised I couldn’t put it down! I think that's evidence enough that Jonah Berger knows what he’s talking about in regards to making something viral or “contagious”. This book is really a st......more

Goodreads review by ScienceOfSuccess on July 13, 2018

Contagious is a well-written book for marketers, full of interesting stories. If you are interested why people talk about certain things more than about others this book can explain it perfectly. Here is a link to the animated summary: [URL not allowed]......more

Goodreads review by David on June 15, 2014

This is a fun book, full of ideas for advertising new ideas or products. It contains many good anecdotes about promotions that worked and didn't work. For example, there is a description of a youtube video that went viral, that advertised a blender--and boosted sales enormously. Then there is a vide......more

Goodreads review by Andreea on April 01, 2022

Loved it! Nu e o carte care sa revolutioneze felul in care creezi continut, dar e atat de plina de povesti inspirationale si atat de bine explicat totul incat eu as pune-o musai pe lista de lecturi a oricarui creator de continut. E in acelasi timp studiu sociologic si carte care aduna studii de caz......more

Goodreads review by Nada on December 15, 2020

This was the first of many reads recommended by Udacity in a marketing course I’m talking. Needless to say after it I’m going to read all every book on the reading list......more