Greetings. Looking to create much broader interest in your products, services, and ideas? If so, Jonah Berger’s new book Contagious: Why Things Catch On should be at the top of your reading list. Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School, is a thoughtful researcher and a wonderful storyteller…but more importantly, he is one of the smartest people around when it comes to helping us understand why some things take hold, spark amazing buzz, and go viral in a matter of days. And his insights can make a powerful difference in any business or walk of life.

Using powerful examples that include $100 cheesesteaks, blenders that can turn cell phones into smoothies, homemade videos of customer service nightmares, and the clever creation of Hotmail, he shares the “science” (and practice) that drives word-of-mouth…science that will change the way you look at your world and the challenge of being heard. It’s a formula that he summarizes in six essential STEPPS…

SOCIAL CURRENCY

TRIGGERS

EMOTION

PUBLIC

PRACTICAL VALUE

STORIES

And while I’m particularly keen on the power of triggers and emotion, each chapter is filled with clear examples and ideas you can use today to spark your thinking and hopefully unlock the real genius in what you have to offer.

We win in business and in life when we fuel compelling conversations about ideas that really matter. And when we understand what makes ideas and possibilities spread.

Cheers!