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Made to Stick
Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Made to Stick explains why some ideas become popular, while others wither and die.
The book lays out the most important characteristics of “stickiness”; that is, what makes ideas “stick” in the mind, and how to make them work for you.
- Anyone with an idea to share
- Anyone interested in why some ideas catch on and others don’t
- Every film director, advertising executive, NGO worker and so on.
Chip Heath is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University. He holds a BSc in industrial engineering and a PhD in psychology.
His brother Dan Heath is an academic, consultant and founder of the publishing company Thinkwell, which takes a new, didactic approach to writing textbooks.
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Made to Stick
Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
- Read in 15 minutes
- Audio & text available
- Contains 9 key ideas
Synopsis
Made to Stick explains why some ideas become popular, while others wither and die.
The book lays out the most important characteristics of “stickiness”; that is, what makes ideas “stick” in the mind, and how to make them work for you.
Key idea 1 of 9
A sticky idea must be simple.
It’s tempting to try to explain an idea as thoroughly as possible. But, when it comes to stickiness, too much detail is counterproductive.
Instead, cut the idea down to just one simple statement; any more detail will be instantly forgotten, along with the key idea behind it all. A simple statement makes an idea easier to grasp and understand.
This doesn’t mean an idea should be dumbed down unnecessarily – the art of simplifying is to encapsulate the core idea in terms that anyone can understand, without changing the meaning. Although this can be surprisingly tricky, it makes for sticky ideas.
Journalists have to master this skill to come up with good headlines that grab readers’ attention and convey the meaning of an entire article in just a few words. Journalists know a bad headline can prevent a great article from getting the attention it deserves.
A great example from the business world is Southwest Airlines’ slogan “THE Low Fare Airline.”
A catchy statement like this will stick. A complex comparative breakdown of their prices would be instantly forgotten and fail to make an impression.
Key ideas in this title
- A sticky idea must be simple.
- A sticky idea must be unexpected.
- Curiosity gaps help make an idea stick.
- Sticky ideas are concrete and descriptive.
- A sticky idea must be credible.
- Emotional appeals inspire people to action.
- Appeals to action are most effective if there’s something in it for the audience.
- Ideas stick best when they’re told as stories.
- Final summary