Why isn’t your idea easily grasped and spreading like wild fire? Why isn’t everyone “on board” and working vigorously to implement it? You’ve written the proposal, sent the emails, and even given the PowerPoint presentation – so what’s wrong? Why haven’t minds or behavior changed?
In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath explore and analyze dozens of great campaigns where ideas did spread rapidly and were effective in driving change. From military strategies to the work of Mother Theresa, from the presidential campaign of Bill Clinton to the “Jared” marketing campaign of Subway sandwiches, the Heath brothers deduce six principles for shaping and communicating ideas so that they are “sticky” – so that they spread easily and change minds and behavior.
The six principles are conveyed using clear and interesting examples, such as those listed above. To bring home the major points, the book also contains several “clinics” – review exercises of scenarios that require improvement, complete with their suggested answers.
Everyone should read this book. Not only will it likely improve your writing and communication style, it’s helpful in thinking strategically about that next marketing campaign, proposal, or organizational change. No matter what your idea is, the lessons from this book will greatly help to shape and package it for maximum impact.
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Why the photo of “Don’t Mess with Texas?” .. because the now widely famous slogan that has expanded in meaning and interpretation started as an anti-littering campaign in the 1980s. Just one of the neat little stories in the book.
Photo credit: brionv
