Functional value: helps goal attainment.

Expressive value: visible sign of user values.Engagement: fosters emotional involvement.Association: generates positive associations.Uniqueness: clear one-of-a-kind differentiation.Although he does not address consumer products more generally, the recent meta-analysis of a wide range of cult brands in the Journal of Product Management (2000) shows us the ten critical factors that make any product sticky or infectious: A show is ‘sticky’ when we don’t want to switch channels, and Gladwell gives examples from television and books to show how small tweaks to increase relevance, talk-ability and memorability can have a massive effect on success. They are naturally charismatic and contagious consumers – who often work in sales – whose enthusiasm rubs off on those around them.Īn epidemic spreads when the contagious agent, the product, is naturally infectious, or ‘sticky’ to use the broadcasting term. Salesmen are the third type of opinion leading influencer, people with the power of persuasion.As centres of social gravity, around whom people cluster, connectors are popular people who have a viral capacity to showcase and advocate new products. Connectors are a second type of opinion leading consumer, deriving their influence not through expertise, but by their position as highly connected social network hubs.Mavens are gate-keepers of innovation diffusion because their adoption patterns are respected by peers as informed decisions. Mavens are opinion leading consumer experts who spread influence by sharing their knowledge with friends and family.Gladwell identifies three key types of infectious opinion leaders with whom you should seed your product at launch: The Law of the FewĪn epidemic begins when a few highly infectious individuals become viral vectors for a product or idea by adopting it themselves and spreading the word. Using the three basic laws of epidemics, Gladwell outlines a simple three-point plan to get your product to its own tipping point. This triggered a chain reaction that cascaded though the US, increasing sales 70-fold and creating a word of mouth epidemic. For example, Hush Puppies ‘tipped’ in 1993, when a few fashion-forward hipsters from Soho New York started wearing the languishing brand again. Using the science of epidemics, Gladwell shows how small actions at the right time, in the right place, and with the right people can create a ‘tipping point’ for a product – the moment when a domino effect is triggered and an epidemic of demand sweeps through a population like a virulent virus.

The Tipping Point is a book about how hits happen. But what does Malcolm Gladwell’s influential bestseller actually advocate, and how can it be applied to real world marketing? The Tipping Point has gained something of a cult status in marketing – as the black book of 21st Century Marketing. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell