WHATSTICKS ?
Afriendofafriendofoursisafrequentbusinesstraveler.Let’s callhimDave.DavewasrecentlyinAtlanticCityforanimportantmeetingwithclients.Afterward,hehadsometimeto killbeforehisflight,sohewenttoalocalbarforadrink.
He’djustfinishedonedrinkwhenanattractivewomanapproachedandaskedifshecouldbuyhimanother.Hewassurprised butflattered.Sure,hesaid.Thewomanwalkedtothebarand broughtbacktwomoredrinks—oneforherandoneforhim.He thankedherandtookasip.Andthatwasthelastthingheremembered.
Rather,thatwasthelastthingheremembereduntilhewokeup, disoriented,lyinginahotelbathtub,hisbodysubmergedinice.
Helookedaroundfrantically,tryingtofigureoutwherehewas andhowhegotthere.Thenhespottedthenote: don’tmove.call 911.
Acellphonerestedonasmalltablebesidethebathtub.He pickeditupandcalled911,hisfingersnumbandclumsyfromthe ice.Theoperatorseemedoddlyfamiliarwithhissituation.Shesaid, “Sir,Iwantyoutoreachbehindyou,slowlyandcarefully.Istherea tubeprotrudingfromyourlowerback?”
Anxious,hefeltaroundbehindhim.Sureenough,therewasa tube.
Theoperatorsaid,“Sir,don’tpanic,butoneofyourkidneyshas beenharvested.There’saringoforganthievesoperatinginthiscity, andtheygottoyou.Paramedicsareontheirway.Don’tmoveuntil theyarrive.”
You’vejustreadoneofthemostsuccessfulurbanlegendsofthe pastfifteenyears.Thefirstclueistheclassicurban-legendopening:“Afriendofafriend...”Haveyouevernoticedthatourfriends’ friendshavemuchmoreinterestinglivesthanourfriendsthemselves?
You’veprobablyheardtheKidneyHeisttalebefore.Thereare hundredsofversionsincirculation,andallofthemshareacoreof threeelements:(1)thedruggeddrink,(2)theice-filledbathtub,and (3)thekidney-theftpunchline.Oneversionfeaturesamarriedman whoreceivesthedruggeddrinkfromaprostitutehehasinvitedtohis roominLasVegas.It’samoralityplaywithkidneys.
Imaginethatyouclosedthebookrightnow,tookanhourlong break,thencalledafriendandtoldthestory,withoutrereadingit. Chancesareyoucouldtellitalmostperfectly.Youmightforgetthat thetravelerwasinAtlanticCityfor“animportantmeetingwith clients”—whocaresaboutthat?Butyou’drememberalltheimportantstuff.
TheKidneyHeistisastorythatsticks.Weunderstandit,werememberit,andwecanretellitlater.Andifwebelieveit’strue,it mightchangeourbehaviorpermanently—atleastintermsofacceptingdrinksfromattractivestrangers.
ContrasttheKidneyHeiststorywiththispassage,drawnfroma paperdistributedbyanonprofitorganization.“Comprehensivecommunitybuildingnaturallylendsitselftoareturn-on-investmentra-
tionalethatcanbemodeled,drawingonexistingpractice,”itbegins, goingontoarguethat“[a]factorconstrainingtheflowofresourcesto CCIsisthatfundersmustoftenresorttotargetingorcategoricalrequirementsingrantmakingtoensureaccountability.”
Imaginethatyouclosedthebookrightnowandtookanhourlong break.Infact,don’teventakeabreak;justcallupafriendandretell thatpassagewithoutrereadingit.Goodluck.
Isthisafaircomparison—anurbanlegendtoacherry-pickedbad passage?Ofcoursenot.Buthere’swherethingsgetinteresting:Think ofourtwoexamplesastwopolesonaspectrumofmemorability. Whichsoundsclosertothecommunicationsyouencounteratwork? Ifyou’relikemostpeople,yourworkplacegravitatestowardthenonprofitpoleasthoughitweretheNorthStar.
Maybethisisperfectlynatural;someideasareinherentlyinteresting andsomeareinherentlyuninteresting.Agangoforganthieves—inherentlyinteresting!Nonprofitfinancialstrategy—inherentlyuninteresting!It’sthenatureversusnurturedebateappliedtoideas:Areideasborn interestingormadeinteresting?
Well,thisisanurturebook.
Sohowdowenurtureourideassothey’llsucceedintheworld? Manyofusstrugglewithhowtocommunicateideaseffectively,how togetourideastomakeadifference.Abiologyteacherspendsan hourexplainingmitosis,andaweeklateronlythreekidsremember whatitis.Amanagermakesaspeechunveilinganewstrategyasthe staffersnodtheirheadsenthusiastically,andthenextdaythefrontlineemployeesareobservedcheerfullyimplementingtheoldone.
Goodideasoftenhaveahardtimesucceedingintheworld.Yet theridiculousKidneyHeisttalekeepscirculating,withnoresources whatsoevertosupportit.
Why?Isitsimplybecausehijackedkidneyssellbetterthanother topics?Orisitpossibletomakea true,worthwhile ideacirculateaseffectivelyasthisfalseidea?
TheTruthAboutMoviePopcorn
ArtSilvermanstaredatabagofmoviepopcorn.Itlookedoutofplace sittingonhisdesk.Hisofficehadlongsincefilledupwithfake-butter fumes.Silvermanknew,becauseofhisorganization’sresearch,that thepopcornonhisdeskwasunhealthy.Shockinglyunhealthy,in fact.Hisjobwastofigureoutawaytocommunicatethismessageto theunsuspectingmoviegoersofAmerica.
SilvermanworkedfortheCenterforScienceinthePublicInterest(CSPI),anonprofitgroupthateducatesthepublicaboutnutrition.TheCSPIsentbagsofmoviepopcornfromadozentheatersin threemajorcitiestoalabfornutritionalanalysis.Theresultssurprisedeveryone.
TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)recommendsthatanormaldietcontainnomorethan20gramsofsaturated fateachday.Accordingtothelabresults,thetypicalbagofpopcorn had37grams.
Theculpritwascoconutoil,whichtheatersusedtopoptheirpopcorn.Coconutoilhadsomebigadvantagesoverotheroils.Itgavethe popcornanice, silky texture, and released a more pleasant and naturalaromathanthealternativeoils.Unfortunately,asthelabresults showed,coconutoilwasalsobrimmingwithsaturatedfat.
ThesingleservingofpopcornonSilverman’sdesk—asnack someonemightscarfdownbetweenmeals—hadnearlytwodays’ worthofsaturatedfat.Andthose37gramsofsaturatedfatwere packedintoa medium-sizedservingofpopcorn.Nodoubtadecentsizedbucketcouldhaveclearedtripledigits.
Thechallenge,Silvermanrealized,wasthatfewpeopleknow what“37gramsofsaturatedfat”means.Mostofusdon’tmemorize theUSDA’sdailynutritionrecommendations.Is37gramsgoodor bad?Andevenifwehaveanintuitionthatit’sbad,we’dwonderifit was“badbad”(likecigarettes)or“normalbad”(likeacookieora milkshake).
Eventhephrase“37gramsofsaturatedfat”byitselfwasenoughto causemostpeople’seyestoglazeover.“Saturatedfathaszeroappeal,”Silvermansays.“It’sdry,it’sacademic,whocares?”
Silvermancouldhavecreatedsomekindofvisualcomparison— perhapsanadvertisementcomparingtheamountofsaturatedfatin thepopcornwiththeUSDA’srecommendeddailyallowance.Think ofabargraph,withoneofthebarsstretchingtwiceashighasthe other.
Butthatwastooscientificsomehow.Toorational.Theamountof fatinthispopcornwas,insomesense,notrational.Itwasludicrous. TheCSPIneededawaytoshapethemessageinawaythatfullycommunicatedthisludicrousness.
Silvermancameupwithasolution.
CSPIcalledapressconferenceonSeptember27,1992.Here’s themessageitpresented:“Amedium-sized‘butter’popcornata typicalneighborhoodmovietheatercontainsmoreartery-cloggingfat thanabacon-and-eggsbreakfast,aBigMacandfriesforlunch,anda steakdinnerwithallthetrimmings—combined!”
ThefolksatCSPIdidn’tneglectthevisuals—theylaidoutthefull buffetofgreasyfoodforthetelevisioncameras.Anentireday’sworth ofunhealthyeating,displayedonatable.Allthatsaturatedfat— stuffedintoasinglebagofpopcorn.
Thestorywasanimmediatesensation,featuredonCBS,NBC, ABC,andCNN.Itmadethefrontpagesof USAToday, the LosAngelesTimes, and TheWashingtonPost’sStylesection.LenoandLettermancrackedjokesaboutfat-soakedpopcorn,andheadlinewriters trottedoutsomedoozies:“PopcornGetsan‘R’Rating,”“Lights,Action,Cholesterol!”“TheaterPopcornisDoubleFeatureofFat.”
Theideastuck.Moviegoers,repulsedbythesefindings,avoided popcornindroves.Salesplunged.Theservicestaffatmoviehouses grewaccustomedtofieldingquestionsaboutwhetherthepopcorn
waspoppedinthe“bad”oil.Soonafter,mostofthenation’sbiggesttheaterchains—includingUnitedArtists,AMC,andLoews— announcedthattheywouldstopusingcoconutoil.
OnStickiness
Thisisanideasuccessstory.Evenbetter,it’sa truthful ideasuccess story.ThepeopleatCSPIknewsomethingabouttheworldthatthey neededtoshare.Theyfiguredoutawaytocommunicatetheideaso thatpeoplewouldlistenandcare.Andtheideastuck—justlikethe KidneyHeisttale.
And,let’sbehonest,theoddswerestackedagainsttheCSPI.The “moviepopcornisfatty”storylackstheluridappealofanorganthievinggang.Noonewokeupinanoil-filledbathtub.Thestory wasn’tsensational,anditwasn’tevenparticularlyentertaining.Furthermore,therewasnonaturalconstituencyforthenews—fewofus makeaneffortto“stayuptodatewithpopcornnews.”Therewere nocelebrities,models,oradorablepetsinvolved.
Inshort,thepopcornideawasalotliketheideasthatmostofus trafficineveryday—ideasthatareinterestingbutnotsensational, truthfulbutnotmind-blowing,importantbutnot“life-or-death.”Unlessyou’reinadvertisingorpublicrelations,youprobablydon’thave manyresourcestobackyourideas.Youdon’thaveamultimilliondollaradbudgetorateamofprofessionalspinners.Yourideasneed tostandontheirownmerits.
Wewrotethisbooktohelpyoumakeyourideasstick.By“stick,” wemeanthatyourideasareunderstoodandremembered,andhave alastingimpact—theychangeyouraudience’sopinionsorbehavior.
Atthispoint,it’sworthaskingwhyyou’d need tomakeyourideas stick.Afterall,thevastmajorityofourdailycommunicationdoesn’t requirestickiness.“Passthegravy”doesn’thavetobememorable. Whenwetellourfriendsaboutourrelationshipproblems,we’renot tryingtohavea“lastingimpact.”
Sonoteveryideaisstick-worthy.Whenweaskpeoplehowoften theyneedtomakeanideastick,theytellusthattheneedarisesbetweenonceamonthandonceaweek,twelvetofifty-twotimesper year.Formanagers,theseare“bigideas”aboutnewstrategicdirectionsandguidelinesforbehavior.Teacherstrytoconveythemesand conflictsandtrendstotheirstudents—thekindsofthemesandways ofthinkingthatwillendurelongaftertheindividualfactoidshave faded.Columniststrytochangereaders’opinionsonpolicyissues. Religiousleaderstrytosharespiritualwisdomwiththeircongregants. Nonprofitorganizationstrytopersuadevolunteerstocontributetheir timeanddonorstocontributetheirmoneytoaworthycause.
Giventheimportanceofmakingideasstick,it’ssurprisinghow littleattentionispaidtothesubject.Whenwegetadviceoncommunicating,itoftenconcernsourdelivery:“Standupstraight,makeeye contact,useappropriatehandgestures.Practice,practice,practice (butdon’tsoundcanned).”Sometimeswegetadviceaboutstructure: “Tell’emwhatyou’regoingtotell’em.Tell’em,thentell’emwhat youtold’em.”Or“Startbygettingtheirattention—tellajokeora story.”
Anothergenreconcernsknowingyouraudience:“Knowwhat yourlistenerscareabout,soyoucantailoryourcommunicationto them.”And,finally,there’sthemostcommonrefrainintherealmof communicationadvice:Userepetition,repetition,repetition.
Allofthisadvicehasobviousmerit,except,perhaps,fortheemphasisonrepetition.(Ifyouhavetotellsomeonethesamethingten times,theideaprobablywasn’tverywelldesigned.Nourbanlegend hastoberepeatedtentimes.)Butthissetofadvicehasoneglaring shortcoming:Itdoesn’thelpArtSilvermanashetriestofigureoutthe bestwaytoexplainthatmoviepopcornis really unhealthful.
Silvermannodoubtknowsthatheshouldmakeeyecontactand practice.Butwhatmessageishesupposedtopractice?Heknowshis audience—they’repeoplewholikepopcornanddon’trealizehow unhealthyitis.Sowhatmessagedoeshesharewiththem?Compli-
catingmatters,Silvermanknewthathewouldn’thavetheluxuryof repetition—hehadonlyoneshottomakethemediacareabouthis story.
Orthinkaboutanelementary-schoolteacher.Sheknowsher goal:toteachthematerialmandatedbythestatecurriculumcommittee.Sheknowsheraudience:thirdgraderswitharangeofknowledgeandskills.Sheknows how tospeakeffectively—she’savirtuoso of postureanddictionandeyecontact.Sothegoalisclear,theaudienceisclear,andtheformatisclear.Butthedesignofthemessage itselfisfarfromclear.Thebiologystudentsneedtounderstandmitosis—okay,nowwhat?Thereareaninfinitenumberofwaystoteach mitosis.Whichwaywillstick?Andhowdoyouknow inadvance?
WhatLedto MadetoStick
Thebroadquestion,then,ishowdoyoudesignanideathatsticks?
Afewyearsagothetwoofus—brothersChipandDan—realized thatbothofushadbeenstudyinghowideasstickforabouttenyears. Ourexpertisecamefromverydifferentfields,butwehadzeroedin onthesamequestion:Whydosomeideassucceedwhileothersfail?
Danhaddevelopedapassionforeducation.Heco-foundeda start-uppublishingcompanycalledThinkwellthataskedasomewhat hereticalquestion:Ifyouweregoingtobuildatextbookfromscratch, usingvideoandtechnologyinsteadoftext,howwouldyoudoit?As theeditorinchiefofThinkwell,Danhadtoworkwithhisteamtodeterminethebestwaystoteachsubjectslikeeconomics,biology,calculus,andphysics.Hehadanopportunitytoworkwithsomeofthe mosteffectiveandbest-lovedprofessorsinthecountry:thecalculus teacherwhowasalsoastand-upcomic;thebiologyteacherwhowas namednationalTeacheroftheYear;theeconomicsteacherwhowas alsoachaplainandaplaywright.Essentially,Danenjoyedacrash courseinwhatmakesgreatteachersgreat.Andhefoundthat,while
eachteacherhadauniquestyle,collectivelytheirinstructional methodologies werealmostidentical.
Chip,asaprofessoratStanfordUniversity,hadspentaboutten yearsaskingwhybadideassometimeswonoutinthesocialmarketplaceofideas.Howcouldafalseideadisplaceatrueone?Andwhat madesomeideasmoreviralthanothers?Asanentrypointintothese topics,hedoveintotherealmof“naturallysticky”ideassuchas urbanlegendsandconspiracytheories.Overtheyears,he’sbecome uncomfortablyfamiliarwithsomeofthemostrepulsiveandabsurd talesintheannalsofideas.He’sheardthemall.Here’saverysmall sampler:
• TheKentuckyFriedRat.Really,anytalethatinvolvesrats andfastfoodisonfertileground.
• Coca-Colarotsyourbones.ThisfearisbiginJapan,butso farthecountryhasn’texperiencedanepidemicofgelatinousteenagers.
• Ifyouflashyourbrightsatacarwhoseheadlightsareoff, youwillbeshotbyagangmember.
• TheGreatWallofChinaistheonlyman-madeobjectthat isvisiblefromspace.(TheWallisreallylongbutnotvery wide.Thinkaboutit:IftheWallwerevisible,thenanyinterstatehighwaywouldalsobevisible,andmaybeafew Wal-Martsuperstoresaswell.)
• Youuseonly10percentofyourbrain.(Ifthisweretrue,it wouldcertainlymakebraindamagealotlessworrisome.)
Chip,alongwithhisstudents,hasspenthundredsofhourscollecting,coding,andanalyzingnaturallystickyideas:urbanlegends, wartimerumors,proverbs,conspiracytheories,andjokes.Urbanlegendsarefalse,butmanynaturallystickyideasaretrue.Infact,perhapstheoldestclassofnaturallystickyideasistheproverb—anugget
ofwisdomthatoftenenduresovercenturiesandacrosscultures.As anexample,versionsoftheproverb“Wherethere’ssmokethere’s fire”haveappearedinmorethanfifty-fivedifferentlanguages.
Instudyingnaturallystickyideas,bothtrivialandprofound,Chip hasconductedmorethanfortyexperimentswithmorethan1,700 participantsontopicssuchas:
• WhyNostradamus’spropheciesarestillreadafter400years
• Why ChickenSoupfortheSoul storiesareinspirational
• Whyineffectivefolkremediespersist
Afewyearsago,hestartedteachingacourseatStanfordcalled “HowtoMakeIdeasStick.”Thepremiseofthecoursewasthatifwe understoodwhatmadeideasnaturallystickywemightbebetterat makingourownmessagesstick.Duringthepastfewyearshehas taughtthistopictoafewhundredstudentsboundforcareersas managers,public-policyanalysts,journalists,designers,andfilmdirectors.
TocompletethestoryoftheBrothersHeath,in2004itdawnedon usthatwehadbeenapproachingthesameproblemfromdifferent angles.Chiphadresearchedandtaughtwhatmadeideasstick.Dan hadtriedtofigureoutpragmaticwaystomakeideasstick.Chiphad comparedthesuccessofdifferenturbanlegendsandstories.Danhad comparedthesuccessofdifferentmathandgovernmentlessons. Chipwastheresearcherandtheteacher.Danwasthepractitioner andthewriter.(Andweknewthatwecouldmakeourparentshappy byspendingmorequalitytimetogether.)
Wewantedtotakeapartstickyideas—bothnaturalandcreated— andfigureoutwhatmadethemstick.Whatmakesurbanlegendsso compelling?Whydosomechemistrylessonsworkbetterthanothers? Whydoesvirtuallyeverysocietycirculateasetofproverbs?Whydo somepoliticalideascirculatewidelywhileothersfallshort?
Inshort,wewerelookingtounderstandwhatsticks.Weadopted
the“whatsticks”terminologyfromoneofourfavoriteauthors,MalcolmGladwell.In2000,Gladwellwroteabrilliantbookcalled The TippingPoint, whichexaminedtheforcesthatcausesocialphenomenato“tip,”ormaketheleapfromsmallgroupstobiggroups,the waycontagiousdiseasesspreadrapidlyoncetheyinfectacertaincriticalmassofpeople.WhydidHushPuppiesexperiencearebirth? WhydidcrimeratesabruptlyplummetinNewYorkCity?Whydid thebook DivineSecretsoftheYa-YaSisterhood catchon?
TheTippingPoint hasthreesections.Thefirstaddressestheneed togettherightpeople,andthethirdaddressestheneedfortheright context.Themiddlesectionofthebook,“TheStickinessFactor,”arguesthatinnovationsaremorelikelytotipwhenthey’resticky.When TheTippingPoint waspublished,Chiprealizedthat“stickiness”was theperfectwordfortheattributethathewaschasingwithhisresearchintothemarketplaceofideas.
Thisbookisacomplementto TheTippingPoint inthesensethat wewillidentify thetraits thatmakeideassticky,asubjectthatwasbeyondthescopeofGladwell’sbook.Gladwellwasinterestedinwhat makessocialepidemicsepidemic.Ourinterestisinhoweffective ideasareconstructed—whatmakessomeideasstickandothersdisappear.So,whileourfocuswillveerawayfrom TheTippingPoint’s turf,wewanttopaytributetoGladwellfortheword“stickiness.”It stuck.
WhoSpoiledHalloween?
Inthe1960sand1970s,thetraditionofHalloweentrick-or-treating cameunderattack.RumorscirculatedaboutHalloweensadistswho putrazorbladesinapplesandbooby-trappedpiecesofcandy.TherumorsaffectedtheHalloweentraditionnationwide.Parentscarefully examinedtheirchildren’scandybags.Schoolsopenedtheirdoorsat nightsothatkidscouldtrick-or-treatinasafeenvironment.Hospitals volunteeredtoX-raycandybags.
In1985,anABCNewspollshowedthat60percentofparents worriedthattheirchildrenmightbevictimized.Tothisday,many parentswarntheirchildrennottoeatanysnacksthataren’tprepackaged.Thisisasadstory:afamilyholidaysulliedbybadpeoplewho, inexplicably,wishtoharmchildren.Butin1985thestorytooka strangetwist.Researchersdiscoveredsomethingshockingaboutthe candy-tamperingepidemic:Itwasamyth.
Theresearchers,sociologistsJoelBestandGeraldHoriuchi,studiedeveryreportedHalloweenincidentsince1958.Theyfoundnoinstanceswherestrangerscausedchildrenlife-threateningharmon Halloweenbytamperingwiththeircandy.
TwochildrendiddieonHalloween,buttheirdeathsweren’t causedbystrangers.Afive-year-oldboyfoundhisuncle’sheroinstash andoverdosed.Hisrelativesinitiallytriedtocovertheirtracksby sprinklingheroinonhiscandy.Inanothercase,afather,hopingto collectonaninsurancesettlement,causedthedeathofhisownson bycontaminatinghiscandywithcyanide.
Inotherwords,thebestsocialscienceevidencerevealsthattaking candyfromstrangersisperfectlyokay.It’syourfamilyyoushould worryabout.
Thecandy-tamperingstoryhaschangedthebehaviorofmillions ofparentsoverthepastthirtyyears.Sadly,ithasmadeneighborssuspiciousofneighbors.Ithasevenchangedthelawsofthiscountry: BothCaliforniaandNewJerseypassedlawsthatcarryspecialpenaltiesforcandy-tamperers.Whywasthisideasosuccessful?
SixPrinciplesofStickyIdeas
TheHalloween-candystoryis,inasense,theeviltwinoftheCSPI story.
Bothstorieshighlightedanunexpecteddangerinacommonactivity:eatingHalloweencandyandeatingmoviepopcorn.Bothsto-
riescalledforsimpleaction:examiningyourchild’scandyandavoidingmoviepopcorn.Bothmadeuseofvivid,concreteimagesthat clingeasilytomemory:anapplewithaburiedrazorbladeandatable fullofgreasyfoods.Andbothstoriestappedintoemotion:fearinthe caseofHalloweencandyanddisgustinthecaseofmoviepopcorn.
TheKidneyHeist,too,sharesmanyofthesetraits.Ahighly unexpected outcome:aguywhostopsforadrinkandendsuponekidney shortofapair.Alotof concrete details:theice-filledbathtub,the weirdtubeprotrudingfromthelowerback. Emotion: fear,disgust, suspicion.
Webegantoseethesamethemes,thesameattributes,reflected inawiderangeofsuccessfulideas.WhatwefoundbasedonChip’s research—andbyreviewingtheresearchofdozensoffolklorists,psychologists,educationalresearchers,politicalscientists,andproverbhunters—wasthatstickyideassharedcertainkeytraits.Thereisno “formula”forastickyidea—wedon’twanttooverstatethecase.But stickyideasdodrawfromacommonsetoftraits,whichmakethem morelikelytosucceed.
It’slikediscussingtheattributesofagreatbasketballplayer.You canbeprettysurethatanygreatplayerhassomesubsetoftraitslike height,speed,agility,power,andcourtsense.Butyoudon’tneedall ofthesetraitsinordertobegreat:Somegreatguardsarefivefeetten andscrawny.Andhavingallthetraitsdoesn’tguaranteegreatness:No doubtthereareplentyofslow,clumsyseven-footers.It’sclear, though,thatifyou’reontheneighborhoodcourt,choosingyourteam fromamongstrangers,youshouldprobablytakeagambleonthe seven-footdude.
Ideasworkinmuchthesameway.Oneskillwecanlearnisthe abilityto spot ideasthathave“naturaltalent,”liketheseven-foot stranger.Laterinthebook,we’lldiscussSubway’sadvertisingcampaignthatfocusedonJared,anobesecollegestudentwholostmore than200poundsbyeatingSubwaysandwicheseveryday.Thecam-
paignwasahugesuccess.Anditwasn’tcreatedbyaMadisonAvenue advertisingagency;itstartedwithasinglestoreownerwhohadthe goodsensetospotanamazingstory.
Buthere’swhereourbasketballanalogybreaksdown:Intheworld ofideas,wecangeneticallyengineerourplayers.Wecan create ideas withaneyetomaximizingtheirstickiness.
Asweporedoverhundredsofstickyideas,wesaw,overandover, thesamesixprinciplesatwork.
PRINCIPLE1:SIMPLICITY
Howdowefindtheessentialcoreofourideas?Asuccessfuldefense lawyersays,“Ifyouarguetenpoints,evenifeachisagoodpoint, whentheygetbacktothejuryroomtheywon’trememberany.”To stripanideadowntoitscore,wemustbemastersofexclusion.We mustrelentlesslyprioritize.Sayingsomethingshortisnotthemission—soundbitesarenottheideal.Proverbsaretheideal.Wemust createideasthatarebothsimple and profound.TheGoldenRuleis theultimatemodelofsimplicity:aone-sentencestatementsoprofoundthatanindividualcouldspendalifetimelearningtofollowit.
PRINCIPLE2:UNEXPECTEDNESS
Howdowegetouraudiencetopayattentiontoourideas,andhowdo wemaintaintheirinterestwhenweneedtimetogettheideasacross? Weneedtoviolatepeople’sexpectations.Weneedtobecounterintuitive.Abagofpopcornisasunhealthyas awholeday’sworthoffatty foods! Wecanusesurprise—anemotionwhosefunctionistoincreasealertnessandcausefocus—tograbpeople’sattention.Butsurprisedoesn’tlast.Forourideatoendure,wemustgenerate interest and curiosity.Howdoyoukeepstudentsengagedduringthefortyeighthhistoryclassoftheyear?Wecanengagepeople’scuriosityover alongperiodoftimebysystematically“openinggaps”intheirknowledge—andthenfillingthosegaps.
PRINCIPLE3:CONCRETENESS
Howdowemakeourideasclear?Wemustexplainourideasin termsofhumanactions,intermsofsensoryinformation.Thisis wheresomuchbusinesscommunicationgoesawry.Missionstatements,synergies,strategies,visions—theyareoftenambiguousto thepointofbeingmeaningless.Naturallystickyideasarefullofconcreteimages—ice-filledbathtubs,appleswithrazors—becauseour brainsarewiredtorememberconcretedata.Inproverbs,abstract truthsareoftenencodedinconcretelanguage:“Abirdinhandis worthtwointhebush.”Speakingconcretelyistheonlywaytoensurethatourideawillmeanthesamethingtoeveryoneinouraudience.
PRINCIPLE4:CREDIBILITY
Howdowemakepeoplebelieveourideas?WhentheformersurgeongeneralC.EverettKooptalksaboutapublic-healthissue,most peopleaccepthisideaswithoutskepticism.Butinmostday-to-day situationswedon’tenjoythisauthority.Stickyideashavetocarry theirowncredentials.Weneedwaystohelppeopletestourideasfor themselves—a“trybeforeyoubuy”philosophyfortheworldof ideas.Whenwe’retryingtobuildacaseforsomething,mostofusinstinctivelygraspforhardnumbers.Butinmanycasesthisisexactly thewrongapproach.InthesoleU.S.presidentialdebatein1980betweenRonaldReaganandJimmyCarter,Reagancouldhavecited innumerablestatisticsdemonstratingthesluggishnessoftheeconomy.Instead,heaskedasimplequestionthatallowedvoterstotest forthemselves:“Beforeyouvote,askyourselfifyouarebetteroff todaythanyouwerefouryearsago.”
PRINCIPLE5:EMOTIONS
Howdowegetpeopletocareaboutourideas?Wemakethem feel something.Inthecaseofmoviepopcorn,wemakethemfeeldis-
gustedbyitsunhealthiness.Thestatistic“37grams”doesn’telicitany emotions.Researchshowsthatpeoplearemorelikelytomakeacharitablegifttoasingleneedyindividualthantoanentireimpoverished region.Wearewiredtofeelthingsforpeople,notforabstractions. Sometimesthehardpartisfindingtherightemotiontoharness.For instance,it’sdifficulttogetteenagerstoquitsmokingbyinstillingin themafearoftheconsequences,butit’seasiertogetthemtoquitby tappingintotheirresentmentoftheduplicityofBigTobacco.
PRINCIPLE6:STORIES
Howdowegetpeopletoactonourideas?Wetellstories.Firefighters naturallyswapstoriesaftereveryfire,andbydoingsotheymultiply theirexperience;afteryearsofhearingstories,theyhavearicher, morecompletementalcatalogofcriticalsituationstheymightconfrontduringafireandtheappropriateresponsestothosesituations. Researchshowsthatmentallyrehearsingasituationhelpsusperform betterwhenweencounterthatsituationinthephysicalenvironment. Similarly,hearingstoriesactsasakindofmentalflightsimulator, preparingustorespondmorequicklyandeffectively.
Thosearethesixprinciplesofsuccessfulideas.Tosummarize, here’sourchecklistforcreatingasuccessfulidea:aSimpleUnexpectedConcreteCredentialedEmotionalStory.Acleverobserver willnotethatthissentencecanbecompactedintotheacronym SUCCESs.Thisissheercoincidence,ofcourse.(Okay,weadmit, SUCCESsisalittlecorny.Wecouldhavechanged“Simple”to“Core” andreorderedafewletters.But,youhavetoadmit,CCUCESisless memorable.)
Nospecialexpertiseisneededtoapplytheseprinciples.Thereare nolicensedstickologists.Moreover,manyoftheprincipleshavea commonsenseringtothem:Didn’tmostofusalreadyhavetheintu-
itionthatweshould“besimple”and“usestories”?It’snotasthough there’sapowerfulconstituencyforovercomplicated,lifelessprose.
Butwaitaminute.Weclaimthatusingtheseprinciplesiseasy. Andmostofthemdoseemrelativelycommonsensical.Sowhyaren’t wedelugedwithbrilliantlydesignedstickyideas?Whyisourlife filledwithmoreprocessmemosthanproverbs?
Sadly,thereisavillaininourstory.Thevillainisanaturalpsychologicaltendencythatconsistentlyconfoundsourabilitytocreate ideasusingtheseprinciples.It’scalledtheCurseofKnowledge.(We willcapitalizethephrasethroughoutthebooktogiveitthedramawe thinkitdeserves.)
TappersandListeners
In1990,ElizabethNewtonearnedaPh.D.inpsychologyatStanford bystudyingasimplegameinwhichsheassignedpeopletooneoftwo roles:“tappers”or“listeners.”Tappersreceivedalistoftwenty-five well-knownsongs,suchas“HappyBirthdaytoYou”and“TheStarSpangledBanner.”Eachtapperwasaskedtopickasongandtapout therhythmtoalistener(byknockingonatable).Thelistener’sjob wastoguessthesong,basedontherhythmbeingtapped.(Bythe way,thisexperimentisfuntotryathomeifthere’sagood“listener” candidatenearby.)
Thelistener’sjobinthisgameisquitedifficult.Overthecourseof Newton’sexperiment,120songsweretappedout.Listenersguessed only2.5percentofthesongs:3outof120.
Buthere’swhatmadetheresultworthyofadissertationinpsychology.Beforethelistenersguessedthenameofthesong,Newton askedthetapperstopredicttheoddsthatthelistenerswouldguess correctly.Theypredictedthattheoddswere50percent.
Thetappersgottheirmessageacross1timein40,butthey thoughttheyweregettingtheirmessageacross1timein2.Why?
Whenatappertaps,sheis hearingthesonginherhead.Go aheadandtryitforyourself—tapout“TheStar-SpangledBanner.” It’simpossibletoavoidhearingthetuneinyourhead.Meanwhile, thelistenerscan’thearthattune—alltheycanhearisabunchofdisconnectedtaps,likeakindofbizarreMorseCode.
Intheexperiment,tappersareflabbergastedathowhardthelistenersseemtobeworkingtopickupthetune. Isn’tthesongobvious?
Thetappers’expressions,whenalistenerguesses“HappyBirthdayto You”for“TheStar-SpangledBanner,”arepriceless: Howcouldyou besostupid?
It’shardtobeatapper.Theproblemisthattappershavebeen givenknowledge(thesongtitle)thatmakesitimpossibleforthemto imaginewhatit’sliketo lack thatknowledge.Whenthey’retapping, theycan’timaginewhatit’slikeforthelistenerstohearisolatedtaps ratherthanasong.ThisistheCurseofKnowledge.Onceweknow something,wefindithardtoimaginewhatitwaslikenottoknowit. Ourknowledgehas“cursed”us.Anditbecomesdifficultforusto shareourknowledgewithothers,becausewecan’treadilyre-create ourlisteners’stateofmind.
Thetapper/listenerexperimentisreenactedeverydayacrossthe world.ThetappersandlistenersareCEOsandfrontlineemployees, teachersandstudents,politiciansandvoters,marketersandcustomers,writersandreaders.Allofthesegroupsrelyonongoingcommunication,but,likethetappersandlisteners,theysufferfrom enormousinformationimbalances.WhenaCEOdiscusses“unlockingshareholdervalue,”thereisatuneplayinginherheadthatthe employeescan’thear.
It’sahardproblemtoavoid—aCEOmighthavethirtyyearsof dailyimmersioninthelogicandconventionsofbusiness.Reversing theprocessisasimpossibleasun-ringingabell.Youcan’tunlearn whatyoualreadyknow.Thereare,infact,onlytwowaystobeatthe CurseofKnowledgereliably.Thefirstisnottolearnanything.The secondistotakeyourideasandtransformthem.
Thisbookwillteachyouhowtotransformyourideastobeatthe CurseofKnowledge.Thesixprinciplespresentedearlierareyour bestweapons.Theycanbeusedasakindofchecklist.Let’stakethe CEOwhoannouncestoherstaffthattheymuststriveto“maximize shareholdervalue.”
Isthisideasimple?Yes,inthesensethatit’sshort,butitlacksthe usefulsimplicityofaproverb.Isitunexpected?No.Concrete?Notat all.Credible?Onlyinthesensethatit’scomingfromthemouthof theCEO.Emotional?Um,no.Astory?No.
Contrastthe“maximizeshareholdervalue”ideawithJohnF.Kennedy’sfamous1961callto“putamanonthemoonandreturnhim safelybytheendofthedecade.”Simple?Yes.Unexpected?Yes.Concrete?Amazinglyso.Credible?Thegoalseemedlikesciencefiction, butthesourcewascredible.Emotional?Yes.Story?Inminiature.
HadJohnF.KennedybeenaCEO,hewouldhavesaid,“Our missionistobecometheinternationalleaderinthespaceindustry throughmaximumteam-centeredinnovationandstrategicallytargetedaerospaceinitiatives.”Fortunately,JFKwasmoreintuitivethan amodern-dayCEO;heknewthatopaque,abstractmissionsdon’t captivateandinspirepeople.Themoonmissionwasaclassiccaseof acommunicator’sdodgingtheCurseofKnowledge.Itwasabrilliant andbeautifulidea—asingleideathatmotivatedtheactionsofmillionsofpeopleforadecade.
SystematicCreativity
Pictureinyourmindthetypeofpersonwho’sgreatatcomingupwith ideas.Haveamentalimageoftheperson?Alotofpeople,when askedtodothis,describeafamiliarstereotype—the“creativegenius,” thekindofpersonwhothinksupslogansinahotadvertisingagency. Maybe,likeus,youpicturesomeonewithgelledhairandhipclothing,carryingadog-earednotebookfullofironiesandepiphanies, readytodropeverythingandlaunchafour-hourbrainstormingses-
sioninaroomfullofcaffeineandwhiteboards.Ormaybeyour stereotypeisn’tquitesoelaborate.
There’snoquestionthatsomepeoplearemorecreativethan others.Perhapsthey’rejustbornthatway.Somaybeyou’llneverbe theMichaelJordanofstickyideas.Butthepremiseofthisbookisthat creatingstickyideasissomethingthatcanbelearned.
In1999,anIsraeliresearchteamassembledagroupof200 highlyregardedads—adsthatwerefinalistsandawardwinnersin thetopadvertisingcompetitions.Theyfoundthat89percentofthe award-winningadscouldbeclassifiedintosixbasiccategories,or templates.That’sremarkable.Wemightexpectgreatcreativeconceptstobehighlyidiosyncratic—emergingfromthewhimsofborn creativetypes.Itturnsoutthatsixsimpletemplatesgoalongway.
Mostofthesetemplatesrelatetotheprincipleofunexpectedness. Forexample,the ExtremeConsequences templatepointsoutunexpectedconsequencesofaproductattribute.Oneademphasizesthe powerofacarstereosystem—whenthestereobeltsoutatune,a bridgestartsoscillatingtothemusic,andwhenthespeakersare crankedupthebridgeshimmiessohardthatitnearlycollapses.This sametemplatealsodescribesthefamousWorldWarIIslogandevisedbytheAdCouncil,anonprofitorganizationthatcreatespublicservicecampaignsforothernonprofitsandgovernmentagencies: “LooseLipsSinkShips.”Andspeakingofextremeconsequences, let’snotforgettheeggssizzlinginthe1980scommercial“Thisisyour brainondrugs”(alsodesignedbytheAdCouncil).Thetemplatealso popsupspontaneouslyinnaturallystickyideas—forexample,the legendthatNewtondiscoveredgravitywhenanapplefellonhis head.(Fortheothertemplates,seetheendnotes.)
Theresearchersalsotriedtousetheirsixtemplatestoclassify200 otherads—fromthesamepublicationsandforthesametypesof products—thathadnotreceivedawards.Amazingly,whentheresearcherstriedtoclassifythese“lesssuccessful”ads,theycouldclassifyonly2percentofthem.
