Spreading and Sharing Info Flashcards
Sticky ideas
Sticky ideas are designed to be memorable, shareable, attention-grabbing, and persuasive
Some principles that promote stickiness
Simplicity
Unexpectedness
Concreteness
Credibility
Emotion
Story structure
Ex: “The Latte Factor” is unexpected and simple– idea that if you never buy little treats you can save up and become rich
Simplicity in consumer choice
People prefer simplicity over variety
Ex: all white beers instead of 3 white and 1 yellow
Unexpectedness
Get attention by breaking a pattern: humor, add a celebrity, etc.
Fake news travels quickly and aggressively because it’s more novel and unusual than the reality that we’re used to
Novelty → sharing information
Concreteness
We’re wired to remember concrete, tangible images
Visual imagery is more powerful
Examples of concreteness
Donating with “the social swipe”
Every $2 swipe shows cutting a piece of bread for someone who needs it
Detailed descriptions help us visualize
Ex: Hoover’s campaign “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage”
John F. Kennedy wanted to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth” vs. just explore the moon
Credibility
Credentials + details is best
Signals that suggest credibility:
Confident
Consistent
Calm, maybe even boring…
Emotion
To change behavior, supportive beliefs are often necessary, but not sufficient
An emotional reaction is often needed
Ex: identifiable victim effect
Statistics are less impactful than an identifiable victim (1 obvious person) to help, like an ad showing a sad kid
Numbers numb emotional response
Sadness is effective, but too much causes people to turn away
What emotions get us to share info online?
Anxiety, anger, awe
Sadness discourages sharing
Story structure
Must be coherent in order to persuade
Stories are inspiring and spark interest
Stories can misconstrue/stretch the truth about data
