Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

by Chip Heath

MAKING IDEAS STICK: THE EASY REFERENCE GUIDE What Sticks? Kidney heist. Halloween candy. Movie popcorn. Sticky = understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behavior. SIX PRINCIPLES: SUCCESs. SIMPLE UNEXPECTED CONCRETE CREDIBLE EMOTIONAL STORIES. THE VILLAIN: CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE. It’s hard to be a tapper. Creativity starts with templates: Beat the Curse with the SUCCESs checklist. 1. Simple FIND THE CORE. Commander’s Intent. Determine the single most important thing: “THE low-fare airline.” Inverted pyramid: Don’t bury the lead. The pain of decision paralysis. Beat decision paralysis through relentless prioritization: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Clinic: Sun exposure. Names, names, names. SHARE THE CORE. Simple = core + compact. Proverbs: sound bites that are profound. Visual proverbs: The Palm Pilot wood block. How to pack a lot of punch into a compact communication: (1) Using what’s there: Tap into existing schemas. The pomelo. (2) Create a high concept pitch: “Die Hard on a bus.” (3) Use a generative analogy: Disney’s “cast members.” 2. Unexpected GET ATTENTION: SURPRISE. The successful flight safety announcement. Break a pattern! Break people’s guessing machines (on a core issue). The surprise brow: a pause to collect information. Avoid gimmicky surprise—make it “postdictable.” “The Nordie who. . .” “There will be no school next Thursday.” Clinic: Too much on foreign aid? HOLD ATTENTION: INTEREST. Create a mystery: What are Saturn’s rings made of? Scr...