Made to Stick

Abstract

Sticky ideas persist and succeed. In "Made to Stick," Chip and Dan Heath tell the story and secrets of sticky ideas. Sticky ideas share a set of common principles including simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. The Six Principles of Sticky Ideas, compacted into the acronym SUCCESs, present a model of systematic creativity that facilitates the creation of sticky ideas. The principles of sticky ideas translate to a formula, a checklist of sorts, that most anyone can use to create winning ideas and messages. Simple ideas express the essential element of an idea in the briefest way possible. Sticky ideas must be simple and profound. Proverbs describe the desired simplicity of a sticky idea while sound bites do not. Unexpected ideas violate expectations, surprise, and generate interest and curiosity. Sticky ideas must be unexpected if they are to maintain people's curiosity over an extended period of time. If you want your ideas to stick in this crazy, chaotic world, be simple. Find the core of your idea. Concrete ideas are expressed in terms of human actions and sensory information. Sticky ideas include concrete descriptions and images rather than ambiguous or vague content. Credible ideas include their own support and credentials. Sticky ideas must be characterized by credibility that allows people to respond and accept the idea without skepticism. Emotional ideas make people feel something. The challenge of developing the emotional side of a sticky idea can be finding the right emotion to target. Sticky ideas are most effective when they are framed and presented as stories. Ideas presented as stories stick in our minds. People respond to stories more quickly and effectively than other types of idea presentation. Made to Stick presents a systematic way to help idea makers transcend their natural levels of creativity and develop or identify sticky ideas that lead to action and success. The SUCCESs checklist is an effective tool for marketers, managers, and idea-makers in general.