Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Word of mouth is more effective than traditional advertising for two key reasons. First, it’s more persuasive. Advertisements usually tell us how great a product is. You’ve heard it all—how nine out of ten dentists recommend Crest or how no other detergent will get your clothes as clean as Tide. But because ads will always argue that their products

SIX PRINCIPLES OF CONTAGIOUSNESS

Principle 4: Public

Researchers find that whether a discount seems larger as money or percentage off depends on the original price. For low-priced products, like books or groceries, price reductions seem more significant when they are framed in percentage terms.

MORE THAN MONEY

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DEALS

A NOTE ON TRUTH

1. Social Currency

Facebook and Twitter are technologies, not strategies. Word-of-mouth marketing is effective only if people actually talk.