Why some ideas survive and others die
Introduction
Some good ideas are often forgotten, while others are not. Ideas may stay with us for years. This book teaches us exactly how to create "sticky" ideas with long-term impact.
But first, consider the "Curse of Knowledge" dilemma. Conducting study on the "tapper and listeners game" may be the best way to describe this. The tapper was taught to tap out the beat of a song without revealing the music to the listener. The listener comprehended the tune. As a result, the listener almost never recognised the music.
Surprisingly, the tapper anticipated that the audience would find the music obvious. They expected people to understand what they were communicating. The person hearing the tap, on the other hand, had no idea about the music because they couldn't hear it inside the other person's head.
The curse of knowledge occurs when we believe that others comprehend what we are trying to express. It denotes that we have defined the problem, recognise its importance, and wish for others to do the same.
The Heath brothers suggest six factors for making ideas stay or identifying "stick-worthy" ideas. These concepts may be summed up in a single word: SUCCES.
S - Simple
U - Unexpected
C - Concrete
C - Credible
E - Emotional
S - Stories
Simple
The first characteristic of a sticky concept is its simplicity. To be fascinating and remembered for a longer period of time, a concept should be as easy as possible for a common person to grasp.
The objective is to reduce the notion to its fundamental core without losing its significance. Find the idea's essential premise and present it in a concise manner.
The military Commander's Intent provides an analogy for keeping the notion concise (CI). The CI is a concise explanation of the commander's order. Rather having a detailed strategy on how to break the adversary, the commander's goal may simply be "break the enemy."
Similarly, journalists create headlines that are brief, sharp, and catchy. They employ the "inverted pyramid" strategy, in which they first reveal the most significant aspects, then customise, and last add further information. This forces priority and simplifies the concept.
South-west Airlines, a profitable airline, with the tagline "The low-fare airlines," therefore adding a new more expensive food on board is out of the question.
Unexpected
There are two aspects to successfully conveying an idea
Getting the listener's attention
Keeping it by arousing curiosity
Attracting attention
The element of surprise is required to capture the attention of the listeners. Humans want to think in patterns. We can disrupt the trend by including a surprise element in the message.
Surprise shifts our brain from autopilot to manual mode, where the thought receives our full attention.
A TV commercial, for example, featured a family inside a new minivan. The commercial continues with the automobile driving down the street as the voiceover describes its characteristics. A fast-moving automobile collides with the minivan, creating a scary situation. Didn't see that one coming, did you? The transportation department prepared this advertisement to raise awareness about the need of wearing a seat belt.
Keeping it
It is critical to maintain focus after receiving fantastic ideas. A strategy known as mystery narrative is an excellent approach to keep people's attention. The aspect of "what happens next" in mystery fiction keeps the reader interested. This creates a gap in inquiry. It's our ravenous need for answers. This approach is very well utilised by television news stations. A presenter may begin by saying, 'There's a new drug sweeping the teen population, and it could be in your medical cabinet!' 'The narrative following these commercials.' This causes an itch that we can't get rid of.
If you want your ideas to stick, you must first break and then repair someone's guessing machine.
'Before a message can be remembered, the audience must want it.'
Concrete
Concrete ideas are simple to grasp and hence simple to recall.
We've all heard the fable about the fox and the grapes. The fox attempts but fails to reach out to the grapes, concluding that they are sour. This is a tale by Aesop. These have been remembered vividly for over 2500 years because they give a concrete representation of the notion.
If we can describe and picture a concept, it is concrete. A V-8 engine is tangible; 'high-performance' is ethereal.
It's simpler to recall 'bicycles' and 'avocado' than 'justice' and 'personality.'
Abstraction obscures nuances and complicates things, but concreteness creates a clear mental image that is easier to comprehend and recall.
Credible
To convince others to believe a concept, it must feel trustworthy. If it is not believable, it will not last long. Trustable ideas have credibility.
People believe in concepts because of their family, personal experiences, religious views, aspirational or authoritative leaders. If a concept lacks authority, it might obtain credibility in the following ways:
Anti-Authority
For example, spreading awareness about the risks of smoking through the experiences of a dying smoker lends credibility to the message.
Consider the scientist who couldn't convince anyone that germs cause ulcers: he ingested the bacteria himself to prove his point.
Concrete details
Most of the time, getting any external authority to vouch for the proposal is tough. As a result, the concept should have internal credibility. Detail knowledge is often solid indication of a person's skill.
Details increase reliability.
Statistics
Statistics are not always useful. However, when statistics are combined with context and suitable comparison, they become more powerful.
For example, instead of asking people to pay $100 to supply medicine to the poor, remind them that they may save lives for the cost of one cup of coffee each month.
Statistics should be viewed as input rather than output.
Sinatra Test
'If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere,' says Frank Sinatra in his song New York, New York.
For example: if a security business is awarded a security contract for Fort Knox Prison, they will receive exceptional distinction in the security industry. Obtaining this contract strengthens their reputation.
Emotion
To make your concept stay, you must have a "emotional" component. People who care about your concept will take action.
For instance, in a study to generate cash for starving African children, researchers gave two distinct tales to two separate groups.
The first group provided figures showing millions of youngsters dying from malnutrition. They showed a photograph of a youngster who may be spared by the given monies to the second group. The first narrative stimulated the analytical portion of the brain, but the second story stimulated the emotional component of the brain. The second tale piqued the donors' interest and generated additional donations.
If you want people to act on your message, you must appeal to their emotions.
Mother Teresa famously said, 'If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.'
Stories
Stories elicit emotions and motivate people to take action. Stories imprint the concept on the listener's mind. There are two aspects to stories:
Experimentation (knowledge on how to act)
Motivation (motivation to act)
In one of its most successful commercial campaigns, Subway's marketing team recounted the story of a man named Jared. Jared was suffering from obesity. He sampled a Subway sandwich and became addicted to it. He shed over 100 pounds in three months by eating two sandwiches every day.
There are three kinds of tale plots: challenge plots, connection plots, and creative plots.
Challenge Plot
The protagonist overcomes obstacles and wins over adversity. This inspires individuals and motivates them to act.
Connection Plot
The protagonist forms a relationship that spans some ethnic, ethical, or religious divide. These socially inspire us. It aids in the development of tolerance and empathy.
Creativity Plot
When someone has a mental breakthrough that allows them to solve a complicated problem in novel ways. This encourages us to approach challenges from new angles.