Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

For years, Halloween has been a joy to children and a worry for parents. It certainly affected my family. My sisters and I would “trick-or-treat” and then dutifully bring back our bags of newly-collected goodies for our parents to inspect. Laying the candies out on the coffee table, they would examine each piece with care. 

Across the country, parental concern for the safety of children grew out of the belief that on Halloween evil strangers put razor blades in candied apples and tacks inside taffy, hoping to harm unsuspecting children. As a result, hospitals offered to X-ray Halloween bags free of charge. Churches hosted their own supervised trick-or-treat activities, safely away from the risk of deadly candy injury. But, in truth, not one incident of such alleged candy tampering has ever been reported in the United States.

So what makes this urban myth prevail even decades later? It is the same concept that has kept Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare alive for 2,500 years without the benefit of commercials or blogs. It also explains why many of us can still hear “Where’s the beef?” and think of an elderly woman satisfied only with the large Wendy’s hamburger patty 20 years after the advertising campaign ended. The phenomenon is what Chip and Dan Heath call “the stickiness factor” in their informative, fast-paced book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (Random House, 2007, $24.95).

The authors approach the concept of “stickiness” from two complementary perspectives. Chip Heath, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, encourages students to ponder why even bad ideas survive in the social marketplace. An educational consultant and researcher, Dan Heath has analyzed why some academic lessons resonate with students better than others. When the brothers realized that they had each been asking the same question for years, they decided to combine their expertise to uncover and document just why some messages–true or not–stand the test of time.

The result led them to identify six traits of effective messaging. “Sticky” ideas are simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and tell a story (SUCCESs). Each chapter in Made to Stick presents a discussion of one trait, providing an informative and often comical picture of just how effective ideas are constructed. The book offers frequent examples from a wide range of sources, including political campaigns, public service initiatives and employee relations programs. 

For instance, the authors illustrate the power of a simple message with a concept developed by the U.S. Army, the Commander’s Intent (CI). A CI is important because no matter how well we train our subordinates (be they soldiers or residential staff), we cannot prepare them for what is unpredictable. Unexpected things happen, and in that moment the best plan becomes useless. The CI strips a goal down to its core so as to instruct soldiers unable to receive play-by-play instructions from leadership. 

This concept has contributed to years of success at Southwest Airlines. When surveys suggested customers might enjoy a large food and beverage selection in flight, management quickly dismissed the idea. It did not align with the company CI, “We are THE low-fare airline.” Southwest makes its customers’ desire for low-cost flights the priority even if that means foregoing a requested service. 

In addition, an employee can think about the CI and know how to act in unscripted situations. For example, she might ask herself, “Could I wish the pilot happy birthday on the loudspeaker?” Sure, it does not interfere with the company CI. Or, “Could I throw confetti in his honor?” No, that would result in extra work for cleanup crews and therefore conflict with the CI.

While the principles discussed might initially appear intuitive, the authors’ frequent use of case studies and exercises would benefit even a seasoned marketing professional. The book challenges the reader to consider how to best utilize each factor to craft an effective message both individually and in combination. 

The Heaths encourage practical application of the “sticky” concepts with an “Idea Clinic” at the end of each chapter. These exercises, message makeovers and other elements help the reader make an idea stickier. Also, a reference guide in the epilogue reviews principles and provides examples. It makes a handy tool for training both staff and volunteers.

More for-profits and nonprofits form every year, and the competition to reach an audience or attract consumers is increasing rapidly. To remain visible, effective communication is vital, and the principles illustrated in Made to Stick are crucial for an organization’s survival.

Using the SUCCESs framework, we can craft messages that do not merely interest our audience but make it pay attention, understand and remember our message, believe it, care about it, and then act on it. The book reminds us that, if we step back and examine our communication with knowledge and insight, any of us can make an idea stick.