The Tipping Point
June 29th, 2005
I read a very interesting book while in Melbourne. I bought Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point from Sydney airport for the trip and I can say it was well worth it! It’s a quick read with interesting stories in it.
Gladwell talks about how different epidemics begin and trends grow in the modern world. He bases his opinions and ideas on numerous studies he has been part of during his career. I heard the example of Hush Puppies becoming very popular already in one of my classes here, but the story in itself is always interesting. In short: Hush Puppies, the shoes, became very popular in a couple of years time simply through word-of-mouth marketing. A few kids in East Village NY were wearing the shoes and from there it spread to the main stream audience.
This book relates very closely with my thesis as well. Word-of-mouth marketing is the best way to market your products or services. No doubt about how blogs have increased the potential for WOM marketing. Got to find more material in this sector - very interesting stuff.
Feel free to read on with some related posts:
- Mass marketing - dead?
- Wisdom of Crowds
- The decline of the 30-second spot
- BzzAgent transparency test
- The art of word of mouth
I read Tipping Point on a cold night at a Tim Horton’s in the middle of nowhere in Eastern Canada, so it really seems to be something one reads on the road ;)
I liked the beginning of the book, but in the end the author started repeating things. The issues and phenomena he writes about make a lot of sense though, regardless of the slight lack of “scientific” proof.
He explains things pretty well, but towards the end rambles on about some issues - moving from one explanation to other. But still - it’s a good read I’d say.