The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

I have recently completed the book, The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, and found it to be extremely informative. The Tipping Point is about how ideas can be transformed into trends, which can then spread like wildfire, becoming extremely popular. This process is not limited to ideas though, diseases, and even a company’s products can spread in all the same way. Gladwell uses multiple examples to explain how these trends spread, but they all connect back to three central concepts. These concepts are three things that every trend must have in order to spread: The law of the few, a stickiness factor, and the power of context. Gladwell uses these three concepts to show a large audience how he finds trends to expand. This audience includes most of the public, but also any marketers who are looking to enhance sales or the popularity of their products. These concepts can be applied to a great number of things, but can be especially useful in a marketing setting if one would want to increase sales. The first concept Gladwell discusses is the law of the few. This concept states that there are a few people who will push an idea until it gains a lot of popularity. These people can be broken up into three categories: connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors are people that have many social connections, and can create relationships, deals, and connections that may have otherwise not occurred. Mavens are the people who feel passionately about the trend that is expanding, and help to sell its ideas to others over other choices. Mavens give information to other consumers that help them to make well-versed decisions. Last, salesmen are the people who have unusual charm and charisma, who are able to persuade other people’s buying decisions. The first example that Gladwell uses is the spread of syphilis in the streets of Baltimore. He applies his the law of few concept to this scenario by pointing out that there are many people in the city who fit his model of connector, maven, or salesmen; who helped to contribute to the spread of the disease. One of these people is “Darnell ‘Boss Man’ McGee. He was big- over six feet- and charming, a talented skater, who wowed young girls with his exploits on the rink,” (20). His charming personality easily allowed him to persuade girls to do what he wanted, which is a perfect fit for Gladwell’s law of the few. McGee is an easy fit for Gladwell’s salesmen concept, because he is able to easily convince and persuade people to make decisions. There is truth to Gladwell’s concepts, because McGee was a huge instigator in the spread of syphilis, and he fits Gladwell’s mold of the salesmen so perfectly there can be no denying his involvement in the advancement of the disease. The next key concept that Gladwell introduces is his idea of the stickiness factor. This concept states that a trend cannot become popular unless it is memorable and sticks to the minds of those who encounter it. This concept usually cannot be applied to the spread of diseases, but is crucial to other kinds of trends such as a business selling a product. The stickiness factor is simple, but essential to a trend’s success, if something is not memorable, then it cannot become a popular idea or product. Gladwell uses examples from television in order to explain the uses and importance of the stickiness factor. He talks about Joan Ganz Cooney’s, “show… that was contagious enough it could serve as an educational Tipping Point: giving children from disadvantaged homes a leg up once they began elementary school… lingering long enough to have an impact well after the children stopped watching the show,” (89). Cooney’s plan would later turn into Sesame Street which not only achieved this goal, but received great popularity and praise for doing so as well. Sesame Street won such praise for meeting this goal because teaching is usually done to target a child’s strengths and weaknesses, which is extremely difficult to do through television because there is a set script that cannot be changed and must effectively teach all the children that may be watching. The show’s founders discovered ways to still successfully deliver educational messages to children, which are still efficient today. These techniques are what give the show its stickiness factor, proof that a stickiness factor will help something gain immense popularity. Gladwell’s final concept he discusses is the power of context. The power of context is an interesting concept that has largely to do with human nature. Gladwell’s definition of the power of context is that human nature is heavily influenced by its environment; the environment being not just a physical location, but the actual situational surroundings and social settings of a group of people as well. In his exact words, Gladwell says, “Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur,” (139). In order to justify this concept, Gladwell used the declining crime rate in New York City during the 1990s. In this example, Gladwell states that the decline in crime in New York was due to a lot of factors, but mostly argues that the change in environment was the largest contributing factor. 1990s New York was a time that the broken window theory was introduced, which stated that many neighborhoods were becoming tremendously conscious of their own quality of living and would not allow even small signs of deterioration to occur; even a broken window. This made numerous New York neighborhoods a lot nicer, and safer, reducing the sale and use of crack cocaine, and violent crimes. Gladwell’s concepts to hold strong truth in the world that we live in. There is no denying the fact that trends exist, and that they receive enormous popularity, and Gladwell’s concepts finally give us a sense of how this occurs. The law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context all have clear implications on how trends spread, and they are all backed up in Gladwell’s historical research. The examples Gladwell provides are exemplary when it comes to arguing his points because they show all sorts of trends in history that blew up because of all his theories. The example I found to be particularly strong was the stickiness factor of Sesame Street. Sesame Street is one of the most popular children’s television shows and now there is a solid explanation as to why this is true. Gladwell was smart to use this example because it is relatable to a large number of people, which makes it easy for a large audience to quickly grasp and understand his concept that is the stickiness factor. This example is, in its own way, the novel’s own stickiness factor. The concepts discussed in The Tipping Point are closely related to another book, which is entitled Made to Stick, written by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Made to Stick builds off of The Tipping Point’s concept of the stickiness factor, examining what makes ideas memorable. It states that in order for an idea to be memorable, it must meet these requirements: simplicity, it must be a concrete idea, it must be unexpected, emotional, and have stories behind it (Heath). Since this book even exists, it is a statement to how well written and truthful The Tipping Point actually is. Other authors want to explore the concepts that Gladwell created, showing his success in dissecting how trends are set. I found Gladwell to achieve his goals very efficiently throughout the novel. He clearly shows his audience how his concepts create trends, and provides explicit examples of historic trends that prove his concepts to be true. For example, Gladwell used the spread of syphilis as his topic, applied a concept to it; the law of the few; and showed an example of it. In that case, he showed his audience the exploits of Darnell “Boss Man” McGee, a flawless example for the law of the few. All in all, The Tipping Point is a must read because it shows so much light on how things spread, or gain popularity. Whether the reader is a doctor, trend setter, or even a chief marketing officer of a firm, there is valuable information for just about everyone. Even casual readers should take joy in learning about the causes of trend setting and maybe even find ways to apply it to their lives. Anyone involved in marketing should definitely give The Tipping Point a read because it contains extremely valuable information, in the three concepts of trend setting, which can be used to market any product.

Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point, takes the reader through a myriad of colorful stories to help the reader understand how communication, whether verbal or non-verbal are key contributors to effecting a change. Gladwell compares the way "changes occur" to an epidemic or virus that is spread throughout an area. He discusses how these changes start with only a few people at the helm of the change. These few people have the ability and qualities to make these changes happen. While the changes in the beginning seem small, the result of these changes can be strong and measurable. One example Gladwell uses is how around the mid 1990's the crime rate in New York City had decreased dramatically. While many had their own supposition as to why this occurred, Gladwell looks at the obvious and the not so obvious for answers. Gladwell reviews how many experts had expressed individual theories as to why the crime level had declined. These theories ranged from drug traffickers reduced in the area to an actual mass exodus of criminals out of the New York City area. Gladwell looks at these changes from an entirely different perspective. He reviews how small changes and groups of people can have an overwhelming effect on changing something. Gladwell mentions that these small groups can be categorized into three areas: connectors, mavens and salesmen. To provide the reader some insight into these three groups Gladwell effectively uses both stories and definitions to assist the reader in recognizing the different groups. The first group referred to as the Connectors is someone who appears to know everyone. Reading Gladwell's description, this author had several friends who immediately came to mind. One might even joke that this person could be mayor of the area as they seem to have a connection to everyone. Gladwell even makes reference to the game of six degrees of separation where people try to name a movie and actors that links back to Kevin Bacon in less than six links. Gladwell makes reference to the famous ride of Paul Revere and how Paul was a connector. While his ride did not cover vast territory, he did connect with those he was telling and had the ability to pass the pertinent information along to the rest of the townspeople. The second group of people would be called Mavens. Mavens are those people who seem to know anything and everything. These are people that you know who consume knowledge at an expediential rate of speed. The maven's motivation is to be helpful to those around them. Maven's gather knowledge and then want to share it. An example of this is the story Gladwell mentions about Mark Alpert. Mark was someone who had a never ending thirst for knowledge. He actually contacted Consumer Reports on two separate instances to notify them of misguided information related to two different vehicles. In true Maven form, Mark had acquired enough knowledge about these vehicles to identify what was not accurate with the report and wanted to know sure Consumer Reports set the story straight. The last group of people would be the salesmen. Salesmen are categorized as such based on what most people believe salesmen do which is talking prospective customers into buying something. The salesmen are considered to be very persuasive with what they are trying to get one to understand or buy. When being described as persuasive it is more of an objective observation as it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes someone persuasive. When one is being persuasive many assume that this is done relying solely on verbal communication, when in reality, it truly has just as much to do with the non-verbal cues that someone is receiving. These three categories in conjunction with the concept of stickiness which is having the ability to take concepts and turn them into actions are what Gladwell identifies as key contributors to why change happens in society, both large and small. Reading this book reminded me of a movie once viewed called "Pay It Forward". The premise of the movie is that a young boy wants to change the world and make it a better place. He embraces a school project and uses this platform to see if one person can ultimately make a change in the world, for the better. During the movie, the boy is supported by both his mother and his school teacher. These two people along with the assistance of a reporter begin to pass the word of what the mission this boy has placed on himself and anyone he comes in contact with. The boy decides that if he can do someone nice for someone and instead of that person feeling indebted to him, he asked them to pass that kindness forward in order to push the momentum of this good deed further into the community. I identify with all of the main characters in this movie even more after reading The Tipping Point. The premise of this movie proves Gladwell's point that change does not have to be accepted by the masses but one person at a time. Gladwell mentions that eighty percent of most work done in organizations is completed by only twenty percent of the population. People can make a difference one action at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While digesting what Gladwell was trying to say in the book, I was continually reminded of the previously mentioned movie. I feel that with the combination of knowledge that Gladwell gives to his readers and the willingness of the readers to make a change, the world could be a better place.

The Tipping Point Review by Ben Lundeen Whether it is H1N1 or a social epidemic, epidemiologists help track patterns in relation to changes. Malcolm Gladwell in his book, The Tipping Point , uses the work of epidemiologists who evaluate how small changes gradually have a big effect on social events. Gladwell has a history of a very solid career working for the New Yorker, The Washington Post and many of his books have gained national attention like Blink and Outliers. The Tipping Point focuses on the minority viewpoint of epidemiologists. The author envisioned Tipping Point to show examples of past historical events, media, and how epidemiologist's patterns change people without a whole lot of effort or awareness. Gladwell helps the average person look at a world though a microscope of little daily changes in life in connection to their own. His past experiences and idea for this book came from talking to epidemiologists on the spread of aids in the 1980s. Aids is a worldwide issue today, but started out at a local scale. Certain behaviors carry the traits of a virus. People tend to feed off the energy and nonverbal actions of others. The average person if they saw someone yawning or smiling at them they would smile back, if the motion was repeated enough and the circumstances were right. If you have ever remembered how you felt at a funeral, you remember your emotions run high. Once you think you have a threshold of pain, you see someone crying and most people mimic the emotion. In movies that aspect has played with people's emotions and has acted as a major selling point for the industry. In the movies Simon Birch and Shawshank Redemption your mind feeds your body emotions to act upon the visual images. Once you leave the room whatever feeling of agony or anger you felt vanishes. If you ever have had a child, parents can recall all the cute faces their kid has made. Studies show that babies are trying to mimic what adults are saying and doing through facial expressions. TV shows such as Blues Clues and Sesame Street have used two strategies to target the youth. Blues Clues used repetition by putting a 30-minute show on five times a week to get a simple message across. In a similar fashion, Sesame Street used magazine norms like 60-second trials of clips to engage its viewers to link characters like Big Bird to themes like the alphabet by tinkering the message. The youth don't mind repetition because each time their brains process the show in a different way and they want predictability in their shows. Media affects us in ways we don't want it to and, at times, have no control over. Repetition is the key to why most commercials and billboards become so successful. Transitive property like a song to sell a product, under the right circumstances, affects our habits. Gladwell says it becomes irresistible to customers; this is referred to as the "stickiness factor." Another example is attaching an emotional message to a product like in 1954 Winston Filter Up Cigars Slogan, "Winston tastes like a cigar should." This was a simple message that got a lot of people to act on it. Sometimes commercials try to say too much and this creates a clutter problem. In 1992, Coca-Cola was the main sponsor of the Olympics, but only 12% of viewers knew this due to the massive amounts of commercials put on before and after their segment. It's amazing how powerful the human mind can become under the influences of outside media forces. The "stickiness factor" has changed the way marketers target potential age groups and teachers reinforce key concepts in education. Social epidemics in the past have been documented in several different periods in history. The 1920s started with a minority group of women who started to express their feelings through nonverbal cues like short hair and more revealing clothing lead to a huge fashion movement and voting rights. This trend turned into the roaring twenties and inspired the youth to experiment outside the walls of their family's ideals to explore social experiences. In 1960's, Martin Luther King Jr. used speeches to inspire action for equal civil rights for the African American population. This was an example of "word of mouth epidemic" and change slowly started to happen. This was large part of the civil rights movement. In the mid 1990s, Baltimore experienced a massive Syphilis epidemic. Experts pointed the causes towards: the type of people that lived there, economic status, and knowledge about the disease. Gladwell bought in a new theory called the 80/20 concept to explain the spread of the STDs. He said that twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the damage or inventions. We use this concept to explain a lot of trends and issues in our society to the average person. Darnell "Boss Man" McGee was a coach in St. Louis who slept with 100 underage girls and single handling increased the HIV epidemic by infecting thirty of them. As a whole our culture maybe following and functioning according to the rules created by our constitution, but the minority twenty percent become the difference in an epidemic occurring or not in connection to a social trend. A couple more people like McGee take that path and it creates an epidemic issue for the rest of society to deal with. Not all epidemics are perceived as negative. Some of the greatest changes in the history of the world have been decisions made by individuals like Franklin Roosevelt to push the New Deal to tip the depression or cars being made in more than one color of black opened up a huge market for the auto industry to customize cars and break up the Ford Monopoly. How people react to situations will always be the X- factor; if an epidemic trend will turn into a positive or negative outcome for the people involved in it. Cell phones in the 1990s became the center of media once they became cheaper and the epidemic eventually tipped due to the demand being so high. In the phone industry, this opened the door for new products with added benefits like the Internet with the I-phone and Blackberry. The market seems to tip and better products become available as the result. Social epidemics occur at the hands of exceptional people to create them. When trends tip it opens up the window of opportunity for new markets, people and products to shine or habits to haunt us. Let's thank Malcolm Gladwell for explaining the power behind the words "tipping point" in a very structured way to his readers.

This is an important book in today's world, where global heating (`warming' is an unacceptable euphemism), exhaustion of natural resources, pollution; and the potentials for major wars over dwindling food, water and other necessities of life are threatening the continuation of life as we know it on our planet. No one knows when we might reach a point of no return, a crucial tipping point, in any of these processes - as well as in countless, possibly even unrecognized and unknown other ones. This is an important book in today's world, where global heating (`warming' is an unacceptable euphemism), exhaustion of natural resources,pollution; and the potentials for major wars over dwindling food, water and other necessities of life are threatening the continuation of life as we know it on our planet. No one knows when we might reach a point of no return, a crucial tipping point, in any of these processes - as well as in countless, possibly even unrecognized and unknown other ones. Malcolm Gladwell discusses various elements that contribute to the development of, transition through, and adaptations to the effects of varieties of tipping points. In a very readable and engaging manner, he takes us through the sudden breakthroughs of awareness in individuals that then spread rapidly through segments of society, sometimes just locally and sometimes globally. Consider major shifts of consciousness · In clothing - such as Hush Puppies, the brushed suede shoes that jumped from sales of 30,000 pairs per year in 1994 to 430,000 pairs in 1995: What led this sudden fad to catch on? · In health - such as the outbreak of syphilis in Baltimore, where cases jumped by 500 percent between 1995-1996: What social changes occurred to cause this many new venereal infections? · In education - such as "when the number of professionals [in the local community] dropped below 5 percent, the problems explode. For black schoolchildren, for example, as the percentage of high-status workers falls just 2.2 percentage points - from 5.6 percent to 3.4 percent - drop-out rates [from schools] more than double. At the same Tipping Point, the rates of child-bearing for teenaged girls... nearly double." (p. 13) What shifts occur in the communal consciousness at that point in time in the social flows of existence? · In crime - such as the rapid decrease in criminal activity in New York City in the 1990s. Gladwell hypothesizes that there are three rules which help to understand such tipping points: 1. The Law of the Few: It only takes a small number of people to spark a shift; 2: The Stickiness Factor: Words or concepts that have an impact; and 3: The Power of Context: People are more likely to respond in distinct manners within particular contexts. Considering the importance of shifting consciousness towards more healing ways of relating to each other and to our planet, these laws suggest that it may be possible to develop the healing memes (conceptual viruses) that could tip global consciousness towards survival rather than suicide of humanity and genocide of most other living organisms on our planet. Gladwell continues with further suggestions for how the rules can be deliberately activated in creating desired tipping points. Potential contributors to these processes are mavens, who are unusually knowledgeable people with gifts for lateral thinking; connectors, who are people with extensive lists of people who are relevant to given areas of social consciousness and activity; and salespeople, who are gifted at getting the new concepts across to all and sundry. Gladwell presents another fascinating fact contributing to harmonious communications. People can comfortably and harmoniously communicate with 150 other people in a working or living environment. Within that number, it is possible to know everyone personally. This facilitates mutual understanding and cooperation. Beyond that number, people become anonymous; it is more difficult to understand and trust their intentions and actions; and it is easy for mistrust and disharmony to creep in and wreak havoc. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone considering working towards making positive changes in our world.

THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell. I loved Outliers by this author, so I wanted to try another of his books and chose this. It's not as fascinating or entertaining, but it has interesting ideas. There is not much science. It's more about suggestions and musings about why things happen. These are anecdotal stories which happen to fit his theories. It's psychology and sociology about what makes people do things and how a new idea becomes widespread. His examples include Hush Puppies (shoes) becoming popular, syphilis epidemic growing, reduced crime in New York City, suicide spreading, and the influential ride of Paul Revere. He defines three types of people involved in this "influencing process." He also talks about a few other subjects, for example 150 being the maximum number of people for a community that allows them to get along well with each other. He talks about normal well balanced guys who became cruel and sadistic when they were assigned to be prison guards. I was particularly interested in how a book by an obscure author took off and became a best seller. I was disappointed that he only talked about it briefly. I wish he would have spent more time on how books become popular. He spoke about one book, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells. San Francisco has a large number of female book clubs. A few of them read this book and encouraged daughters and others to read it. These book club members started doing social activities with each other that they hadn't done before which were motivated by events in the book. Gladwell thinks part of the success was due to Wells being an actress. She was entertaining when she performed readings at book stores. But I wonder about that because she wrote an earlier book titled "Little Altars Everywhere" which did not take off the way Ya-Ya did. I assume she did readings for that as well, but Gladwell didn't talk about why one succeeded and the other did not. I had another question. The author showed specific things being done in New York City in the 1990s that significantly reduced crime. That was fascinating, but it reminded me of another book "Freakonomics." The Freakonomics authors state that crime was reduced "across the country" in the 1990s. They suggest a reason being abortion was legalized in the early 1970s and fewer unwanted babies were born in environments which produce more criminals, who would have been at a key criminal age in the 1990s. As the author spoke about various subjects, he would refer to his examples (Hush Puppies, Paul Revere, etc.) over and over again throughout the book. At times it was repetitive. He could have just stated "for example Hush Puppies," but he would say several sentences about Hush Puppies each time he referred to it, and those sentences had been said before. NARRATOR: The author narrated this book. His manner and voice were good. DATA: Unabridged audiobook reading time: 8 hrs and 38 mins. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: none. Setting: Most examples are in the U.S. Copyright: 2000. Genre: Psychology & Sociology Nonfiction.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes how the smallest things can cause an epidemic of change. Gladwell's concept of how ideas, products, messages and behaviors "spread just like viruses do" is interesting, educational, and should be used everyday in the business world. The book is filled with a combination of examples, data, stats, and different case studies that involve everyday issues like teenage smoking, teenage suicide, crime, and fashion. Although Gladwell could have got the same concept across in a much shorter length, I feel that the examples were like short stories that clearly explained his ideas while keeping the reader intrigued. The variety of examples also demonstrates to the reader how Gladwell's concept applies in multiple situations. Gladwell introduces the three rules of epidemics to explain what makes certain trends become a nationwide phenomenon while others just disappear after a short amount of time; The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context. The book tells a story about how a few teenagers in NY brought back the almost off the market Hush Puppie sneaker and made it a fashion icon; the Hush Puppie sneaker was a strong example of how The Law of the Few works. The Law of the Few explains how this epidemic is started by only a small group of people, but this small group of people must have the right traits to make the trend contagious enough to spread dramatically. Connectors, mavens and salespeople, are the tree type of people described in the book; Connectors are social butterflies which link different groups of people together, Mavens are like sponges in that they soak up as much knowledge as they can, and salespeople are the persuaders who are able to make others think a certain way or follow a certain trend. The book also explains that certain people can be more than one of these types, Paul Revere is used as an example of both a connector and a maven. The second rule of epidemics focuses on the importance of not only making something contagious but making something stick. Gladwell explains how a message or trend may reach a large amount of people but for an epidemic to occur the message or trend must stick in people's minds. The book dives into the success of young children's TV programs such as Sesame St., explaining that producers do so much research to figure out what intrigue young people. Sesame St. producers understand what they're viewers want to see and are able to produce each episode to make it educational and fun for young children. The idea that a product or message needed a sticky factor was a given to me before reading this book, but what this book made me realize was how much research and hard work goes into making something stick even with something as easy as a young children's program. Lastly the power of context explains how human behavior is highly affected by they're surroundings and specific circumstances which the context is presented. Gladwell explained how certain factors such as the state of the economy, shift in age demographics in the population etc could all potentially have an impact on crime taking place in New York City. An example used was how zero tolerance for minor crimes on the NY subway helped a dramatic decline in the amount of major crimes throughout NY, although this example got Gladwell's point across I did not find it as realistic as others. What I found to be most interesting in describing the power of context were the case examples and psychosocial studies showing that people are less likely to help people if there are other people around to help and if they are not under time pressure for other commitments. Taking everything into account, I found The Tipping Point to be both educational and intriguing. I think Gladwell did a great job in using plenty of data and examples to discuss how social behavior plays a major role in turning a certain product or message into a nationwide trend. I would recommend everyone to read this book.

The Universe Invisible Sales Force-- Epidemics "I wrote my book without any clear expectation of who would read it, or what, if anything, it would be useful for, It would seemed presumptuous to think otherwise." ~Malcom Gladwell I've been experimenting with ways to tap deliberately into the energy that makes things go viral. That is one of the reasons I wrote How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers. Imagine if you could turn your ideas into viruses that spread like wildfire? Marketing mavens have been trying to discover the secret formula for years, but now with advances in technology and the Internet it opens up new galaxies of possibilities. The Tipping Point. It's a fascinating study into why things spread. Just as there is a Tipping Point for diseases, there are also epidemics for--ideas, trends, crime, books, diseases, smoking, drugs, alcohol, suicide, etc. The book delves deep into the phenomena why and how things go viral--moving from one person to the next, and from one street corner to the next, from one city to the next, and from one country to the next. Epidemics are the Universe invisible sales force--it carries and distributes everything without care or concern--leaving participants unaware what happened. "The tipping point is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." The tipping point occurs when the right energy, elements, circumstances, people, time, and place, crosses a certain threshold--it tips and affects everyone it touches. It affects social behavior, health, buying patterns, and the way people think. This phenomena can lead to success, failure, or devastation. No one can predict or explain its power--why, or how it happens. It just happens--turning an unknown author into a success, a Fortune 500 company into a fallen empire or an entire country devastated by disease. "We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that sometimes big changes follow from small events, and that these changes can happen very quickly. This possibility of sudden change is at the center of the idea of the Tipping Point and might well be the hardest of all to except." The slightest change in context can make the biggest difference, and cause things to tip, for better or worse. A sudden reversal of fortune can turn your life upside down. Your vision changes--you don't see things the same anymore. Your memory is not normal, you don't think the same. Your capabilities change. What you normally wouldn't do, now you do. Look back on your life, and tell me, this isn't true? When things hit a boiling point, something happened--a Tipping Point, that sent things reeling in the opposite direction. This book is thought provoking and illuminating--a look into the Universe invisible sales force--epidemics of all types. This is a Game Changer--businesses and marketers will never be the same. As one reader said, "Use the thinking in the book to create something new." If you want an illuminating rush, then read this book. Five Big Stars.

If you ever wondered how an idea becomes a worldwide phenomenon then you will enjoy Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping point". In his book, Gladwell discusses how these phenomena are not pure coincidences, but rather the result of a calculated push by a key group of individuals who, through word of mouth, have the ability to connect with others. These individuals teach and share their wealth of information making products, ideas and behaviors contagious. Essentially, these key individuals create social epidemics; creating a "tipping point" that spreads new ideas rapidly and significantly impacting society. In his book, Gladwell argues that certain ideas become infectious due to the three rules of epidemics. The first rule, The Rule of Few, explains that the majority of change comes from the smallest percentage of the population (Gladwell, 2002). Specifically, these key people can be broken into three core segments: connectors, those who bring individuals together, mavens, those who gather and share a wealth of information with one another and finally, salesmen, who persuade us into thinking or acting in a particular way (Gladwell, 2002). The second rule, The Stickiness Factor, explains how a message seems to stand out and "stick" with individuals, significantly impacting the decisions they make (Gladwell, 2002). The Power of Context, the final rule, explains how ideas are a product of their environment and can easily spread or die depending on the circumstances that surround the situation (Gladwell, 2002). Specifically, the push of the connectors, mavens and salesmen help make an idea sustainable and eventually turn it into an epidemic. One of the best examples of a phenomenon that applies to the three rules is the rise of social media, specifically websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites have completely changed how people communicate with one another, gather information and the speed in which they gather that information. Social networking has become one of the fastest growing forms of media, changing the way companies are communicating with their target consumers. Using Gladwell's model, Generation Y are the connectors and the mavens, bringing people together and rapidly sharing a wealth of information with one another. As a result, companies are trying to use social networking tools to create targeted messaging that has a stickiness factor and resonates with this core group of consumers. Overall, this book is a wonderful read, providing thought provoking examples of events that have created tipping points and changing the world that we live in today. Relating medical epidemics such as the spread of AIDs to more positive epidemics such as Sesame Street's affect on teaching children to read exemplify Gladwell's underlying theme that ideas, whether unplanned or purposely designed, can spread rapidly given the right environment and the right people. I found this book to be very insightful, explaining how social behavior plays a key role in "tipping" key ideas in a new direction. If you are in business, this book will make you think about how you spread your message and more importantly, how you make it stick. It is clear that little things can make a difference and understanding how something will become a tipping point will make you rethink how you go about communicating and selling to your customers.

Nel 1994 le scarpe scamosciate Hush Puppies sembravano destinate a scomparire dal mercato statunitense, con appena 30.000 paia vendute all'anno. Nel 1996, però, le vendite erano quadruplicate ed il presidente della casa produttrice ritirò il premio 'Fashion Accessory of the Year', dichiarando che le strategie di marketing della sua compagnia non avevano nulla a che fare con l'improvviso successo dei mocassini, ma che la moda era stata scatenata da un gruppo di ragazzi dell'East Village e di Soho che avevano iniziato ad indossarli. E'' a partire dall'esempio dell'inaspettata popolarità delle Hush Puppies che il giornalista newyorchese Malcom Gladwell sviluppa l'intuizione che i fenomeni sociali (dalla trasformazione di libri sconosciuti in bestseller all'aumento del fumo tra gli adolescenti) seguono modelli di trasmissione epidemici: allo stesso modo dei virus, idee, mode e comportamenti si diffondono grazie al contagio del "passaparola", fino a raggiungere il punto critico, una soglia oltre la quale ottengono un effetto a valanga. In particolare, secondo la cosiddetta 'legge dei pochi', il successo di un''idea o di un prodotto dipende dal coinvolgimento di persone che dispongono di qualità sociali estremamente particolari e rare. Primi, i Connettori, ovvero persone curiose, eclettiche ed dinamiche, che possiedono una naturale tendenza alla socializzazione. La loro rete di amici e conoscenti è vasta e si estende nei contesti sociali più vari. Per questo, i connettori agiscono come una cerniera di trasmissione tra mondi eterogenei, dando origine a contaminazioni di idee dagli effetti dirompenti. In secondo luogo, gli Esperti, che hanno un''innata predisposizione a raccogliere grandi quantità di informazioni, effettuano accurati controlli sui beni e sui servizi presenti sul mercato, ed amano condividere le conclusioni a cui giungono con gli altri consumatori. Infine, i Venditori, persone estremamente carismatiche e, di conseguenza, eccezionalmente efficaci nell''influenzare le opinioni e nell''indirizzare le decisioni di chi li circonda. L''azione comunicativa di queste tre tipologie di individui non è però sufficiente. Il secondo elemento che influenza la diffusione di un fenomeno è il 'fattore presa'. Quotidianamente riceviamo informazioni provenienti dai più vari canali di comunicazione. Ciò rende sempre più difficile confezionare un messaggio incisivo e durevole. In molti casi, cambiamenti minimi nella strutturazione dell'informazione ne amplificano l'impatto, come dimostra l''esperienza di un gruppo di ricercatori dell''Università di Yale, che fece impennare il numero di vaccinazioni tra gli studenti del campus, inserendo nell''opuscolo di presentazione l''indicazione della sede e degli orari d''apertura dell''ambulatorio. A nulla erano servite le precedenti campagne d''informazione né i richiami allarmistici alla pericolosità dell''infezione. Infine, gli esseri umani sono estremamente sensibili all''ambiente in cui vivono cosicché bastano piccoli ma ben mirati cambiamenti nel contesto di riferimento per influenzarne drasticamente il comportamento (è questo, appunto il terzo fattore, ovvero il 'potere del contesto'). Gladwell sostiene la teoria secondo cui i gruppi, per servire da incubatori di messaggi contagiosi, non devono superare i 150 componenti. Alcune ricerche sembrano infatti dimostrare che questo è il numero massimo al di là del quale entrano in gioco impedimenti strutturali alla coesione e all''operatività del gruppo. Ad esempio, l'azienda W L Gore & Associates, famosa per la produzione di Gore-Tex, pur essendo una compagnia molto articolata, ha una gestione simile a quella di una start-up. Non c'è una gerarchia visibile e, quando il numero di dipendenti che lavorano nello stesso edificio supera le 150 persone, viene costruito un nuovo stabilimento. Grazie all''azione congiunta dei tre fattori sopra elencati, la diffusione di un fenomeno sociale raggiunge il punto critico e diventa inarrestabile. Inizialmente gli innovatori sono i soli a sperimentare idee, oggetti e comportamenti. Seguono gli adottatori precoci, ovvero gli opinion leader della comunità, che osservano il comportamento degli innovatori e, in alcuni casi, lo adottano. Il fenomeno si trasforma in un'epidemia sociale quando anche la maggioranza precoce e la maggioranza tardiva, ovvero le massa scettiche ed esitanti di consumatori, si lasciano contagiare dalla moda. In coda troviamo i ritardatari, i tradizionalisti che non vedono alcun motivo urgente per cambiare abitudini. Se è difficile, per non dire impossibile, trovare una formula che garantisca il diffondersi delle epidemie sociali, Malcom Gladwell ci aiuta però ad aprire gli occhi sui modelli che esse sembrano seguire, che si tratti della folla di persone in coda per acquistare un paio di scarpe, del successo di un programma televisivo, o dell''abbattimento dell''indice di criminalità cittadino.

very good, a very interesting essay

Le "Tipping Point" ("point de bascule" dans la langue de Molière) est un terme emprunté à l'épidémiologie qui correspond au seuil critique à compter duquel le nombre de personnes atteintes par un virus s'accroit de manière exponentielle (il a été aussi utilisé pour décrire le taux de criminalité d'une ville, les effets d'une catastrophe nucléaire, etc.). Dans son ouvrage éponyme, Malcolm Gladwell s'attache à appliquer ce terme à des domaines plus entrepreneuriaux en introduisant la notion de "contagion ou viralité des idées". Bombardée par un flot continu de messages publicitaires, notre attention n'est que peu réceptive aux informations. Selon Malcolm Gladwell, notre entourage est encore le seul à pouvoir nous influencer efficacement et le bouche-à-oreille représente de loin le meilleur moyen de propager une idée. Encore faut-il en comprendre les mécanismes d'interactions ! Le succès de la viralité des idées nécessite la mise en place de : 1) Les déclencheurs ou la loi du petit nombre (the law of the few). Il se réfère ici au principe économique du "80/20" qui dit que 80% du travail se fait par 20% des participants et qu'une minorité de personnes ayant des qualités sociales hautement développées permettent à la viralité de s'étendre. Il distingue 3 typologies sur lesquelles il sera nécessaire de s'appuyer : - Les experts (Mavens), extrêmement bien informés, toujours à l'affut des nouveautés, ils accumulent les connaissances et sont très doués pour les partager dans l'unique but de rendre service. - Les connecteurs (Connectors) qui possèdent un vaste réseau social et qui sont donc de véritables carrefours de relations, capables de rassembler beaucoup de gens en très peu de temps. - Les prescripteurs (Salesmen), véritables vecteurs de persuasion, leur force de conviction et leur charisme poussent les autres à adhérer à ce qu'ils disent. Le processus de diffusion peut être résumé de la manière suivante : Les experts (Mavens) prennent connaissance d'une nouvelle idée et se l'approprient, ils la triturent dans tous les sens et commencent à en parler autour d'eux. Dans leurs cercles de relations se trouvent un ou plusieurs connecteurs (Connectors) qui propageront l'idée à un large groupe de personnes. Plusieurs de ces personnes sont des prescripteurs (Salesmen) qui exerceront leur talent de persuasion pour les vendre aux autres créant ainsi une viralité "sociale". 2) Le principe de l'adhérence (the stickiness factor) ou la capacité d'une idée de rester imprimée dans l'esprit des gens. Même si un large groupe de personnes est au courant d'une idée, nous dit Malcolm Gladwell, si le message n'adhère pas, les gens ne s'en préoccuperont pas. Pour lui, la manière dont sont présentées les idées à un impact plus important encore que son contenu même. 3) Le contexte de viralité (the power of context). L'environnement dans lequel les gens évoluent influence profondément leur comportement. Des changements mineurs dans au sein de celui-ci peuvent avoir des répercussions importantes sur la manière dont les gens se comportent (il cite l'exemple de la propreté ou l'absence de propreté des quais du métro qui influe complètement sur la civilité des usagers dans les transports). Anecdote amusante en opposition avec la viralité, Malcolm Gladwell nous parle aussi du nombre de Dunbar. Robin Dunbar, célèbre anthropologue britannique, après avoir analysé la taille du néo-cortex de différents primates et l'avoir comparé au nombre d'individus de leurs groupes respectifs en a déduit par extrapolation que le nombre d'amis, avec lesquels un humain peut entretenir une relation stable, à un moment donné de sa vie est de maximum 150 (147,8 pour être exact). Comme tous les livres de Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point regorge d'exemples de construction de viralité.

The book is 12.7 cms wide for anyone who values such information. The book itself is one of my favorite books.

Muy buena lectura y ejemplos muy ilustrativos.