In Gladwell’s bestselling book The Tipping Point, he suggests that in order for a change of epidemic proportion to occur, the message underpinning the movement needs to be “sticky.” By sticky, Gladwell implies that the idea is either so appealing, motivating, or memorable that it will influence a person’s behavior. The stickiness factor says that messages must have a certain character which causes them to remain active in people’s minds. When an idea, concept, product, etc., is considered to be sticky to a significant population of people, epidemics happen. This is a key aspect of successful marketing tactics today.
Authors Chip and Dan Heath extended Gladwell’s concept in their book Made to Stick. They basically broke the stickiness concept down into fundamental components in the acronym Success (Simplicity, Unexpected, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotion, and Stories). Their message is in order for something to “stick” it should meet as many of the following criteria as possible.
First, the idea or concept needs to be simple. Complex ideas or concepts are too difficult to remember for most individuals. The simpler it is, the easier it is for people to recall and recite. Next ideas often stick if they have an element of surprise or in other words are unexpected. Concepts consistent with people’s expectations don’t always get your attention. Ideas need to be concrete. That is, the more obtuse or vague an idea is, the more difficult it is to relate to and remember. A concrete concept is also more credible in the minds of people which are therefore more believable and more attractive to our memory processes. Ideas that appeal to a person’s emotions are also more likely to be memorable. Anytime emotion can accompany logic, the chances of recognition and remembering are significantly increased. Lastly, many ideas are best conveyed through messaging or morals such as in stories. Often concepts are more understandable when supported by analogies that people can relate to their personal experience, values or mythologies.
A good example I can offer is the advertisements for supporting third world relief efforts known as financially adopting a child. These advertisements meet most of the criteria suggested in Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick. Clearly the images of starving children appeal to a person’s emotions. The program is simple but unexpected in that just a few dollars a day can save a child’s life. The program is deemed concrete and credible by showing how the money you donate goes directly to the relief efforts of your “adopted” child and not towards bureaucratic administrative expenses. The story component comes into play when you receive a pamphlet in the mail with the child’s personal story, history and pictures.
This is a video of Chip and Dan Heath's book Made to Stick.
