Question

Topic: Book Club

Stick: Is Any One Succes Element More Impactful?

Posted by Anonymous on 6/11/2007 at 11:21 PM ET 500 Points
Do you think any one of the SUCCES elements Chip and Dan describe -- Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories -- can have more impact than the others in making an idea sticky? Which and why?

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Moderator Note: This discussion refers to the book Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (topic: communications). Click the title to learn more. Then join the conversation. We'd LOVE for you to participate!

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  • Posted on 6/12/2007 at 12:00 AM Accepted
    Good question and maybe 'the' question we're all looking to crack. This may be a case of 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts' but I personally gravitate to surprise (unexpected) and emotional--that's not to say what will make an idea stickiest with the masses, just me.

    In another discussion thread, Nedra is asking which is the most difficult challenging for marketers to create (vs. the most impactful) so this makes for an interesting flip side to it.

  • Posted on 6/12/2007 at 8:10 AM Author
    I agree that the sum is probably greater than the parts when it comes to stickyness, but I suspect that some parts may carry a bit more weight than others in the total equation. I wonder if that stronger piece is "Story." You can have all the other elements nicely in place, but it seems if the story isn't told well, the whole thing can miss.
  • Posted by Mark Goren on 6/12/2007 at 10:22 AM Accepted
    I'm a fan of simple myself. Coming from a copywriting background, it's easy to get caught up in jargon. However, writing something that's simple enough for audiences to understand – and understand clearly – is the real talent.

    This isn't to downplay the importance of each point, I just happen to believe that keeping things simple is an integral starting point for any message to be understood.
  • Posted by matteo la rosa on 6/12/2007 at 12:35 PM Accepted
    I think that Simplicity could really be a bit more important, or, better, it could be the starting point to reach all the other points improvements.

    Personally, each idea, project and whatsoever should at first be Simple, so reduced to the core, from that point it is easier to reach at least some of the other points, just think at Concrete... shouldn't a Simple thing being Concrete?

    Simply Matteo
    ;)


  • Posted by Mario V on 6/12/2007 at 12:38 PM Accepted
    I like Simple because it's the lead and premise.

    Everything else is support material, the strongest of which is Story because it captivates the mind like no other technique and builds a relational bridge to your message.

    If you can't explicitly win them to your way of thinking immediately, subconsciously they will understand your POV and be more apt to accept it after some time to think it through.
  • Posted on 6/12/2007 at 12:43 PM Accepted
    I feel that "Story" is the most critical component from a marketing standpoint. In this world of social networking people want to hear about other people's experience (their story). I think if you recognize/create/build the "Story" from the emotional component...and present it as a modified case study/white paper...it is a very powerful marketing tool.

    I love the idea that the "Story" move people to action. You might think they are moved by their emotion....but the "Story" is so motivating.
  • Posted on 6/12/2007 at 2:33 PM Author
    I think llink got it. Story and simple together can be the most compelling combination. I still vote for story as the single key element, if we had to pick just one. But I agree that the story must be told in a simple way or it will get lost in conversational clutter.
  • Posted on 6/12/2007 at 2:36 PM Author
    Mark, Matteo (simply Matteo :) and Mario -- I get what you're saying about Simple and I agree that an idea has to be communicated simply so it won't overwhelm people. But if there's some story to it, I think it becomes more memorable. We remember stories, even if not in every detail, more than we recall loose facts or statements. We tend to think in a linear way.
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