How things spread

Question 1

What is Rogers’ theory of diffusion? How use it in marketing?

Answer 1

Adoption curve! (bell curve)
Innovators first, early adopters next, early majority, late majority, then laggards.
Frame things differently if marketing to early adopters than to majority

Question 2

What is an exception to Rogers’ theory of diffusion?

Answer 2

‘Big bang theory diffusion’ = BIG bunch of people that adopt right away

ex: Zoom with Covid (where did skype go lol), Google Maps very quickly overtook GPS in cars

Question 3

What are teh 5 main things that impact diffusion/adoptability rate?

Answer 3

1. Perceived relative advantage
2. Compatibility
3. Simplicity
4. Trial-ability
5. Observability

Question 4

What is perceived relative advantage impact on diffusion?

Answer 4

Is it better than what came before?

Ex: MP3 player much better than discman from before VS new iphone each year, not that huge advantage

Question 5

What is compatibility impact on diffusion?

Answer 5

Is it consistent with consumers existing values beliefs needs? (the way people did things before?)

ex: Apple eliminate ports on macbook or eliminate headphone jack – incompatible with people using corded headphones still / other connections
ex: self driving car ethical choices - need to match with human beliefs etc

Question 6

What is Simplicity impact on diffusion?

Answer 6

easy to understand/use

ex: apple products often understandable even for kids!

Question 7

What is Trial-ability impact on diffusion?

Answer 7

can consumers experiment with it on a limited, low risk, low commitment basis? - no big commitment to unknown innovation

ex: Zappos order online and can try for 30 days and return

Question 8

What is Observability impact on diffusion?

Answer 8

are benefits of innovation visible to potential adopters?

ex: customers reviews writing about it
ex: compare nice high res tv to one beside it that low res

Question 9

What is viral content?

Answer 9

shared by word of mouth = spreads through networks (vs normal stuff just from one source and doesn’t spread from people that hear it from source - all just from the source)

Question 10

What are teh 3 impacts on virality?

Answer 10

• Community participation = it comes into facebook communities and larger groups that have their own audiences (tiktok trends rise and people duet and it goes on)
• Tastemakers = Influential people/celebrities get involved
• Emotional reaction = positive emotions meant more shares, other high arousal emotions (anger, anxiety) also more likely to be shared (sadness much lower)

Question 11

How can ads go viral AND increase sales?

Answer 11

Need more than just emotions, need also information and brand related info (emotional integral = brand info WITH emotions)

ex: hug the coke machine to get a free one! vs android commercials with jsut a bunch of cute animals but pretty unrelated to the brand

** celebrity helps with shares, animals and babies are even more

Question 12

What makes movies and tv popular?

Answer 12

Using AI natural language processing –> quantify tons of text quick, identify shape of stories, check for emotional volatility (low = stay at one emotion for a while // high = flip back and forth) and for speed stories progress (flip between topics/themes)

= more popular if higher emotional volatility and move faster between things

Question 13

How do stories change as they’re retold?

Answer 13

‘Disagreeable personalization’ = becomes more personalized and more disagreeable (facts removed, opinions added, more extreme)
- when people want others to pay attention to their stuff they focus on negatives
- when share news omit facts and add opinion
^ combined!

So stories shared over time become more negative, less detailed, more opinion based
**So sharing can reduce actual fact and increase negativity

Question 14

What is the Barclay Prime example of something going viral / catching on?

Answer 14

Wanted to make a successful steakhouse, needed to solve the typical awareness problem restaurants have = make some buzz, so take the simple philly cheesesteak everyone loves and sees everywhere to the next level, making one $100!
Made people want to try it, and told everyone they could about it = made it a conversation piece, and it worked!

Question 15

What are the main reasons things catch on?

Answer 15

• just plain better product (functionality or more effective at what intended to do)
• attractive pricing
• advertising plays a role too
• WORD OF MOUTH/SOCIAL TRANSMISSION

Question 16

Why is word of mouth so effective? WHy is it awesome?

Answer 16

• more persuasive = our friends/family tell us the truth (vs ads just say hey this is amazing in every possible way) –> objectivity! and candidness
• targeted = friends will really only mention something if they actually think you would benefit - wont be telling out about this amazing golf club they saw if you dont golf

Awesome bc free and available to everyone!

Question 17

What percent of word of mouth happens online?

Answer 17

7%! thats it!

Question 18

what is the blendtec example for word of mouth? What does this mean for virallity?

Answer 18

Dude annoyed about shitty ways to blend flour, built his own that did it better for cheaper, started selling them but wasnt getting many bites, hired marketing friend, friend saw him trying to break blenders with crazy objects, so they filmed it with 2x4s, marbles, a rake, with him in a lil lab coat, and posted them on youtube. Went viral and sales went trhough the roof.

= virality isnt born, its made

Question 19

What are the 6 principles of contagiousness? Acronym?

Answer 19

STEPPS

1) social currency = knowing about cool things makes people feel ‘in’ = status symbol ish
2) triggers = stimuli that prompt people to talk about related things = need products etc that are frequently triggered as well as create new ones by linking to cues in env.
3) emotion = feel something!
4) public = observable means imitable means more likely to become popular, create behavioural residue that stick around (ex: using air freshener for nice smell after cleaning)
5) practical value = highlight how product/idea will improve/decrease/save/give xyz and stand out, make it into nice package so easy to spread
6) stories = broader narrative, that people want to share but keep message integral to story so people cant remove it