When trying to generate word of mouth, remember to focus on “What people are talking about”

On August 16, 2004, Canadian Ron Bensimhon had broken into the Olympics. He wasn’t actually on the Canadian swim team. When Rom jumped off the springboard, he wasn’t naked, but he wasn’t wearing swim trunks either. He wore a blue tutu and white polka dot tights. And emblazoned across his chest was the name of an Internet casino, GoldenPalace.com. Millions of people were watching, and the story got picked up by news outlets around the world. It also got huger amount of word-of-mouth chatter. Someone crashing the Olympics and diving into a pool in a tutu? What a story. Pretty … Continue reading When trying to generate word of mouth, remember to focus on “What people are talking about”

You can try to get people to learn information… But people remember stories

That’s because people don’t think in terms of information. They think in terms of narratives. But while people focus on the story itself, information comes along for the ride. 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. […] You started down a path and you want to know how it ends. Until it does, they’ve captured your attention. Take the story of the coat my cousin bought from Land’s End. -Contagious, p.181 Continue reading You can try to get people to learn information… But people remember stories

I was in Bulgaria and I was shopping…

I was in Bulgaria and I was shopping, and I went off the main drag, and this little store, it was hard to even tell it was open because the room was dimly lit. I went in there, and I was traveling with a girlfriend. Our relationship’s history now. But I remember she was always looking for ways to look younger. She was 45 years old, and we were talking to this woman in there. And she was astonishing. She was like a teenager. We got talking to her. We couldn’t believe she was 59. My girlfriend said,”How?” And she … Continue reading I was in Bulgaria and I was shopping…