Feed Hungry Minds, One Idea at a Time.

Jonah Berger

Jonah Berger is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an author, and a viral marketer. He has published over 50 articles in academic journals and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. More than a million copies of his books Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior, and The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind are in print in over 35 countries.

Jonah Berger

Contagious

Entrepreneur

Social

Virality is most valuable when the brand or product benefit is integral to the story. When it’s woven so deeply into the narrative that people can’t tell the story without mentioning it.

-- Jonah Berger

Virality isn’t born, it’s made.

-- Jonah Berger

The most powerful marketing is personal recommendation.

-- Jonah Berger

Make sure your desired information is so embedded into the plot that people can’t tell the story without it.

-- Jonah Berger

Emotion sharing is thus a bit like social glue, maintaining and strengthening relationships.

-- Jonah Berger

Observability has a huge impact on whether products and ideas catch on.

-- Jonah Berger

Narrower content may actually be more likely to be shared because it reminds people of a specific friend or family member and makes them feel compelled to pass it along.

-- Jonah Berger

Make sure the information you want people to remember and transmit is critical to the narrative.

-- Jonah Berger

High-arousal emotions significantly boost shares, driving engagement and a wider spread of content.

-- Jonah Berger

Offering practical value helps make things contagious.

-- Jonah Berger

Practical advice is shareable advice.

-- Jonah Berger

Physiological arousal promotes social transmission—anger, awe, and humor ignite the fire that drives people to share what they see with others.

-- Jonah Berger

Practical value is one of the most motivating forces behind sharing; useful information increases the value of the conversation and makes people look knowledgeable.

-- Jonah Berger

Valuable virality requires that the best part of the story and the brand name are intertwined.

-- Jonah Berger

Virality isn’t born; it’s made. Even regular everyday products and ideas can generate lots of word-of-mouth if someone figures out the right way to do it.

-- Jonah Berger

When we care, we share.

-- Jonah Berger

Remarkable things provide social currency because they make the people who talk about them seem, well, more remarkable.

-- Jonah Berger

Triggers are like little environmental reminders for related concepts and ideas.

-- Jonah Berger

Top of mind means tip of tongue.

-- Jonah Berger

Even negative attention can be useful if it makes products and ideas top of mind.

-- Jonah Berger

High-arousal emotions kindle the fire... activate people, and drive them to take action.

-- Jonah Berger

Positive articles were more likely to be shared than negative ones—but anger or anxiety could also increase sharing by boosting arousal.

-- Jonah Berger

Contentment decreases arousal. You’re happy, but you don’t particularly feel like doing anything.

-- Jonah Berger

Activating emotion is the key to transmission. Physiological arousal or activation drives people to talk and share.

-- Jonah Berger

If something is built to show, it’s built to grow.

-- Jonah Berger

If lots of people are doing something, it must be a good idea.

-- Jonah Berger

The nice thing about a wristband is that it lives on... But the wristband creates more behavioral residue than the cross-country ride ever could.

-- Jonah Berger

If something is supposed to be secret, people might well be more likely to talk about it.

-- Jonah Berger

People use social currency to achieve desired positive impressions among their families, friends, and colleagues.

-- Jonah Berger

Triggers drive talking. Social currency gets people talking, but triggers keep them talking.

-- Jonah Berger

The more things a given cue is associated with, the weaker any given association... Poke too many holes and you’ll get barely a trickle from each.

-- Jonah Berger

Scarcity and exclusivity help products catch on by making them seem more desirable.

-- Jonah Berger

Understanding that arousing situations can drive people to pass things on helps shed light on so-called oversharing.

-- Jonah Berger

Engineered Virality

Virality is not a matter of luck but the result of intentional design. Jonah Berger illustrates this by showcasing Blendtec’s *Will It Blend?* campaign, where blending unconventional items turned an ordinary product into a viral sensation. Berger emphasizes, “Virality isn’t born; it’s made,” highlighting that strategic creativity can transform any product or idea into something remarkable and shareable.

-- Jonah Berger

Social Currency

People share things that make them look good or interesting to others. By providing content that highlights uniqueness or insider knowledge, brands can enhance their customers’ social standing. Berger explains with the example of the $100 cheesesteak, stating, “Social currency amplifies the cool factor of sharing a product,” demonstrating that when consumers feel they are offering something special, they are more likely to spread the word.

-- Jonah Berger

Effective Triggers

Triggers are environmental cues that remind people of related products or ideas, keeping them top of mind. Berger uses Kit Kat’s association with coffee to show how linking a product to everyday activities increases its visibility and discussion. He notes, “Top of mind means tip of tongue,” underscoring the importance of embedding products in regular routines to sustain ongoing word-of-mouth.

-- Jonah Berger

Emotional Arousal

High-arousal emotions, whether positive like awe and excitement or negative like anger and anxiety, drive sharing behaviors. Berger highlights that such emotions ignite the desire to share, stating, “High-arousal emotions kindle the fire, activate people, and drive them to take action.” This principle explains why emotionally charged content spreads more effectively than neutral or low-arousal material.

-- Jonah Berger

Public Visibility

Making products and behaviors visible encourages imitation and discussion. Berger uses Movember’s mustache campaign as an example, where visible markers acted as walking billboards that sparked conversations. He asserts, “If something is built to show, it’s built to grow,” emphasizing that public visibility not only fosters social proof but also keeps the product or idea in continuous public discourse.

-- Jonah Berger

Practical Value

Sharing useful information that helps others save time, money, or improve their lives is highly contagious. Berger explains that practical value drives sharing because it fulfills a genuine need, stating, “Offering practical value helps make things contagious.” Examples include how sharing tips or hacks can foster closer relationships and encourage widespread dissemination of helpful content.

-- Jonah Berger

Storytelling

Stories serve as vessels for ideas, making information more engaging and memorable. By embedding products or messages within compelling narratives, brands can ensure their content is easily shared and retained. Berger likens stories to Trojan horses, stating, “Stories save time and hassle and give people the information they need in a way that’s easy to remember,” highlighting the power of storytelling in driving word-of-mouth.

-- Jonah Berger

Design for Social Currency

Create products or content that make users feel special or knowledgeable. Highlight unique features or insider information that users can proudly share, enhancing their social standing.

-- Jonah Berger

Leverage Everyday Triggers

Associate your product or idea with common daily activities or environmental cues. This ensures your brand remains top of mind and is frequently discussed in relevant contexts.

-- Jonah Berger

Evoke High-Arousal Emotions

Craft marketing campaigns that trigger strong emotional responses, whether through awe-inspiring visuals, humorous content, or provocative messages, to boost sharing and engagement.

-- Jonah Berger

Enhance Public Visibility

Make your product or brand highly visible in public spaces. Use distinctive designs, visible markers, or public events to encourage imitation and conversation around your brand.

-- Jonah Berger

Provide Practical Value

Share useful tips, hacks, or actionable advice related to your product or industry. Ensuring your content is helpful increases the likelihood of it being shared and appreciated by others.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Virality is most valuable when the brand or product benefit is integral to the story. When it’s woven so deeply into the narrative that people can’t tell the story without mentioning it.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Narratives are inherently more engrossing than basic facts. They have a beginning, middle, and end. If people get sucked in early, they’ll stay for the conclusion.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Ducks need water and grasses to eat. Deer thrive in areas that contain open spaces for grazing. Products and ideas also have habitats, or sets of triggers that cause people to think about them. Take hot dogs. Barbecues, summertime, baseball games, and even wiener dogs (dachshunds) are just a few of the triggers that make up the habitat for hot dogs.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Game mechanics are the elements of a game, application, or program—including rules and feedback loops—that make them fun and compelling

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Remarkability explains why people share videos of eight-year-old girls flawlessly reciting rap lyrics and why my aunt forwarded me a story about a coyote who was hit by a car, got stuck in the bumper for six hundred miles, and survived. It even explains why doctors talk about some patients more than others.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Information travels under the guise of idle chatter

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Built to show, built to grow

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

We share things that make us look good

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Stories: Stories are a fast and easy way for people to pass on lots of information in a vivid, engaging and persuasive way. Embed your product/idea in a captivating story and ensure your brand/message is integral to the story.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Practical Value: People like to help others. We’ll pass on content with practical value that’ll benefit the recipients. Highlight incredible value and package your content accordingly.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Public: We’re more likely to discuss and imitate something that’s public and observable. Create Social Proof using (i) self-advertising and (ii) behavioral residue.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Emotion: Both positive & negative emotions can spur action, so long as they trigger a high level of arousal. Use this principle to find your emotional hook or leverage situational factors for emotional arousal.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Triggers: People tend to talk about whatever’s at the top of their minds. Create effective triggers that meet 3 criteria: (i) Frequency, (ii) Relevance, and (iii) Context.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Social currency: People share products/ideas that make them appear smart, cool or informed. Create social currency by (i) making your product/idea remarkable, (ii) leveraging game mechanics and (iii) by using scarcity and exclusivity.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

One way to generate surprise is by breaking a pattern people have come to expect.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

People don’t just care about how they are doing, they care about their performance in relation to others.

-- Jonah Berger

Virality isn’t born, it’s made.

-- Jonah Berger

The most powerful marketing is personal recommendation.

-- Jonah Berger

Make sure your desired information is so embedded into the plot that people can’t tell the story without it.

-- Jonah Berger

Emotion sharing is thus a bit like social glue, maintaining and strengthening relationships.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Some products or ideas may seem better suited than others for evoking emotion. It seems easier to get people excited about a new, hip lounge than logistics management. Pets and babies seem to lend themselves to emotional appeals more than banking or nonprofit financial strategy does.

-- Jonah Berger

Observability has a huge impact on whether products and ideas catch on.

-- Jonah Berger

Narrower content may actually be more likely to be shared because it reminds people of a specific friend or family member and makes them feel compelled to pass it along.

-- Jonah Berger

Make sure the information you want people to remember and transmit is critical to the narrative.

-- Jonah Berger

High-arousal emotions significantly boost shares, driving engagement and a wider spread of content.

-- Jonah Berger

Offering practical value helps make things contagious.

-- Jonah Berger

Practical advice is shareable advice.

-- Jonah Berger

Physiological arousal promotes social transmission—anger, awe, and humor ignite the fire that drives people to share what they see with others.

-- Jonah Berger

Practical value is one of the most motivating forces behind sharing; useful information increases the value of the conversation and makes people look knowledgeable.

-- Jonah Berger

Valuable virality requires that the best part of the story and the brand name are intertwined.

-- Jonah Berger

Virality isn’t born; it’s made. Even regular everyday products and ideas can generate lots of word-of-mouth if someone figures out the right way to do it.

-- Jonah Berger

People share information that makes them look good or enhances their social status. This concept, known as Social Currency, drives individuals to talk about products or ideas that reflect positively on them. For instance, Jonah Berger highlights the $100 cheesesteak at Barclay Prime, which wasn't just about an extravagant sandwich but about creating a conversation piece that customers proudly shared. By offering something remarkable or unique, brands can tap into individuals' desire to appear interesting and savvy. As Berger states, "Remarkable things provide social currency because they make the people who talk about them seem, well, more remarkable." This principle emphasizes designing products and experiences that offer intrinsic value to the sharer, making the act of sharing a status-enhancing gesture.

-- Jonah Berger

When we care, we share.

-- Jonah Berger

Remarkable things provide social currency because they make the people who talk about them seem, well, more remarkable.

-- Jonah Berger

Triggers are like little environmental reminders for related concepts and ideas.

-- Jonah Berger

Top of mind means tip of tongue.

-- Jonah Berger

Even negative attention can be useful if it makes products and ideas top of mind.

-- Jonah Berger

High-arousal emotions kindle the fire... activate people, and drive them to take action.

-- Jonah Berger

Positive articles were more likely to be shared than negative ones—but anger or anxiety could also increase sharing by boosting arousal.

-- Jonah Berger

Contentment decreases arousal. You’re happy, but you don’t particularly feel like doing anything.

-- Jonah Berger

Activating emotion is the key to transmission. Physiological arousal or activation drives people to talk and share.

-- Jonah Berger

If something is built to show, it’s built to grow.

-- Jonah Berger

If lots of people are doing something, it must be a good idea.

-- Jonah Berger

The nice thing about a wristband is that it lives on... But the wristband creates more behavioral residue than the cross-country ride ever could.

-- Jonah Berger

If something is supposed to be secret, people might well be more likely to talk about it.

-- Jonah Berger

People use social currency to achieve desired positive impressions among their families, friends, and colleagues.

-- Jonah Berger

Triggers drive talking. Social currency gets people talking, but triggers keep them talking.

-- Jonah Berger

The more things a given cue is associated with, the weaker any given association... Poke too many holes and you’ll get barely a trickle from each.

-- Jonah Berger

Scarcity and exclusivity help products catch on by making them seem more desirable.

-- Jonah Berger

Understanding that arousing situations can drive people to pass things on helps shed light on so-called oversharing.

-- Jonah Berger

Entrepreneur

Social

Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.

-- Jonah Berger