Practical value no matter what you do
This delighful and insightful book has something for everyone. I was initially turned off by the gimmicky cover of this book, but after reading multiple great reviews, I decided to give it a try. The name of this book comes from Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point" (which I also enjoyed). I enjoyed and learned far more from this book than Gladwell's (it is not necessary to read Gladwell's book prior to this). The Heath brothers try to teach readers how to create (or more importantly spot) "sticky messages". The authors show us that sticky messages are not merely useful for advertisers, but can be important in many different situations we encounter in life. You will become a better communicator which can be useful in personal as well as professional situations.
There are lots of books out there that teach readers new concepts but what sets this one apart is that the authors try to keep it simple (as per their own recommendation) and come up with a system that readers can remember and apply years later. Their mnemonic for the six characteristics of a sticky message is SUCCESs:
Simple
Unexpected
Credible
Concrete
Emotion
Story
Interestingly, the other fantastic book that I read a while back that I continue to think about also had six components which I still remember. It was Cialdini's "Influence". The Heath brothers refer to Cialdini in their book.
I highly recommend this book. Besides its educational value, it will dazzle and entertain you.
Made for Success
"Made to Stick" is one of those rare books that just makes you look at everything you write in a fresh light. After reading it, I went and immediately rewrote several fundraising documents on which I had been working. The authors give you a method to cut through the muck and present your case in the most persuasive way. I'm going to have everyone in my department read it.
Get your communication to "stick" just like an urban legend
The authors try to identify what makes an idea "stick" and the learnings can be applied to most types of communication.
As a marketer, I didn't learn anything revolutionary new but it reminds you of what is important and I really like the checklist they came up with:
1. Simple
2. Unexpected
3. Concrete
4. Credible
5. Emotional
6. Story
The checklist comes to life by numerous examples in each category. For example, in the presidental campaign Ronald Reagan, instead of rambling of some economic stats, simply said: "ask yourself if you are better off today than 4 years ago". They recite a classic urban legend of the businessman who gets drugged and gets his kidney removed. They analyze this urban legend and it turns out it has all the ingredients that make something "stick".
The challenge in writing a book about sticky ideas is that it sets the readers' expectations very high about the book itself being written in a sticky way. In this respect, I think the authors are doing an OK job, but not great. At times, the book gets a bit slow (non-sticky!), but I would still recommend this book not only to marketers, but to anybody for whom communication is an important aspect of their work.
Veteran reviews Made to Stick by Heath.
Insightful take on timely marketing influences you may not have considered, or maybe not as focused as this book does. Good read for marketers who need to compete and marketers who seek the 'edge' needed to win in an ever more demanding market.
Like Cotton Candy: Sticky But Nearly All Fluff.
I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed it so much I almost bought their 'argument' until I realized it was nothing but empty fluff and repackaged common sense, but avoids any in depth insights. Its like a book about how so succeed in business said 'work hard and be honest'. well that's good advice, but is that the whole story? Nor do they ever use an example of truly challenging idea (just politically correct, safe ones) that have broken boundaries and REALLY challenged the status quo.
the book is much like Malcolm Gladwell's book (whom the authors admire) - almost designed to bring the authors lucrative speaking fees from big corporations but avoiding anything really controversial or challenging. They just re-enforce ideas we're comfortable with.
I went to the books website and posted a couple of comments on some of the authors posts - nothing nasty or inflammatory - just challenging some of their ideas. The comments were quickly deleted. I suspect the same thing has happened here. So are the authors using the same tactics they advocate? Or other methods to spread their ideas? Like suppressing ones that challenge theirs?
(226 reviews)
