Book Review: Made to Stick
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, was one of the books gifted to me on my recent Zappos tour. In it, authors/brothers Chip and Dan Heath look at the common characteristics of “sticky” ideas, and actually present them in a pretty “sticky” way.
They came up with a clever acronym to describe the 6 underlying characteristics found in successful sticky ideas: SUCCES(s). In short, they are:
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
At its heart, Made to Stick is about how to communicate more effectively. And in that sense, it has application for a wide audience: CEOs, parents, job-interviewers, teachers, politicians, marketers, etc. The book makes it’s SUCCES message stick by using a series of stories that employ the same characteristics.
For example, they explore Subway’s Jared campaign as a perfect example of a sticky idea.
- It’s simple: Eat Subway sandwiches and lose weight.
- It’s unexpected: A guy loses lots of weight by eating fast food.
- It’s concrete: The photos of Jared holding up his old oversized pants.
- It’s credible: Actual results from a non-celebrity spokesperson.
- It’s emotional: The guy turned his life around.
- It’s a story: Jared’s story is an inspirational one about overcoming the odds.
Remember the red paperclip guy? Another example of a very sticky idea not mentioned in the book.
Sticky ideas spread farther and faster, inspire action, and can make a lot of money for the people behind them. I’m thinking of what changes I could make to my advertising or website copy to make it stickier. And if a book has any kind of actionable takeaway like that, I think it’s a winner.
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