Contagious

The 6 Principles of Virality

1. Social Currency
   1. people use money to buy products/services, and use social currency for positive impressions among families, friends.
   2. find inner remarkability - break a pattern people expect (eg $100 philly cheesesteak/Will it Blend)
   3. leverage game mechanics - motivate on an interpersonal level through social comparison (eg Avios levels). requires quantifying performance, and public leaderboards.
   4. make people feel like insiders -
2. Triggers
   1. accessible thoughts and ideas lead to action (eg Kitkat and coffee break)
   2. forge a fresh link rather than link a product or idea that is already associated with many things
3. Emotion
4. focus on feelings; the underlying emotions that motivate people to action. Remember to pick ones that kindle the fire, activate people, and drive them to action
5. Public
   1. observable things are also more likely to be discussed (eg Hotmail link)
6. Practical Value
   1. people don’t evaluate things in absolute terms. They evaluate them relative to a comparison standard, or “reference point.”
7. Stories