Malcolm Gladwell manages to effectively organize his ideas about the factors that cause an idea, trend or social behavior to tip and spread. After reading The Tipping Point, I have gained a clearer understanding of the big picture on what causes epidemics to start. Although many of the ideas may seem obvious, I have never connected them together into a coherent set of guidelines, as Gladwell does in his book. Gladwell's book was both informative and interesting because he provided numerous examples and case studies to support his ideas. This book was particularly helpful to me because I am planning on starting some viral marketing campaigns in the near future.

Throughout most of the book, Malcolm presents and supports his three rules of epidemic. The first rule is the Law of the Few. He states that it's a small percentage of the population that fuel the epidemic the most. This rule is also known as the 20/80 rule, where 20 percent of the people cause 80 percent of the problems (or solutions).

The second rule is the Stickiness Factor, which means exactly what it sounds like. For a message to turn into an epidemic, it must be sticky, or easy to remember. Gladwell dispels a common misconception by explaining that the stickiness of a message is determined by quality of the presentation of the message, not by the quality of the message itself.

Gladwell's third rule is the Power of Context. The surroundings, environment and situation contribute largely to the outcome of an epidemic. Who knew that cleaning subway cars could result in a lower crime rate? I have noticed from my own experiences that the environment I'm in has significant influence over my actions. When I'm in my room studying alone, I can get far more done than when I'm not. This summer I plan on moving my business operations into a commercial office space, even though the extra space is unnecessary and it would cost a large sum of money. The work environment and vibe created in a commercial office setting should force me to work seriously and discipline myself to get things done. During my interim this year, I learned the importance of culture and the surroundings within a corporate setting. The company I shadowed at, Knetwit Inc., spends tens of thousands of dollars a year to maintain a relaxed, fun environment for their mere 20 employees. That says something about the importance of the work environment. Again, the idea is that the context of the situation greatly affects its outcome.

Gladwell goes on to elaborate on a specific aspect of the context. He introduces the Magic Number, 150, which is the largest number of people that can work effectively in one group. He has come to this conclusion by analyzing the human social channel capacity. A typical human can only maintain 150 close relationships. Everything beyond that number is usually just an acquaintance, or a person with whom you have "loose ties."

In sum, The Tipping Point was worth reading, as it offers insight and reasoning on why some things can achieve widespread appeal while others can't. For anyone who is planning on spreading an idea, trend or social behavior and wishes to achieve viral growth, The Tipping Point is a must read.

Posted in 0 comments Posted by Umang Patel at 8:05 PM