REVIEW

Book Review: Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Written by tink
Published January 24, 2007

This book can change your life. 

Communication 101 or how to get people to remember your point of view.

Urban legends are life lessons in how to reach out to other people.

Three declarative statements... three leads to an article... three different yet valid ways that could very well be 'the one' to encourage you to read this book.

In Made To Stick, Chip and Dan Heath look at the ins and outs of why some ideas flourish yet others wither on the vine. Part human nature study, part history lesson and practical wisdom acquired by both experience and experiments, Stick examines how to make your idea stand out in a crowd. 

Before stopping right here, assuming that this book must be geared for those in advertising and that it is not for you, think again.  This book, which is an easy-to-absorb read and entertaining as well, is for anyone out there who has a concept that they want to share. Yes, those in publicity can benefit from Made To Stick - that's a given.  But we all have ideas; scientists, teachers, businessmen, journalists and even parents want to impart their life's knowledge to their offspring.  Their guidelines can help anyone achieve those goals.

The Heaths have put together six principles on what makes a concept 'sticky,' i.e. memorable. They are: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions and Stories.  That's right, SUCCESs. 

To get these points across, it only takes one look at any of the many Urban Legends that, with the advent of our computer age, have taken on a life of their own. Stick  starts off with one such myth, the "Organ Thief" cautionary tale. This is the story that revolves around someone, typically a friend of a friend, who takes a step off of their morality path and pays for it in the end with the loss of a vital body part. It's simple: a guy walks into a bar. Unexpectedly, he's approached by a beautiful woman offering to buy him a drink. It is concrete and credible... even if you've never been in a bar, you surely must know at least one person who has. It evokes the fear that can arise from participating in even the most mundane of actions. It tells a story.

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Formerly a Public Relations/Artist Development maven in the music "biz", I am now a freelance journalist specializing in the entertainment industry. Find out about how I got from there to here (and more!!) when you visit my own home sweet home on the web.
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Book Review: Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Published: January 24, 2007
Type: Review
Section: Books
Filed Under: Books: Business, Books: Nonfiction, Books: Reference, Books: Self-Help, Books: The Writing Life, Culture: Advertising and Marketing
Writer: tink
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Comments

#1 — January 24, 2007 @ 05:55AM — GL Hauptfleisch [URL]

Nice review--and an appealing Patron Saint, too.

#2 — January 24, 2007 @ 15:36PM — tink [URL]

Thanks G!!

LOL...I could probably fill a whole book just with my all-to-numerous first-liners that had great potential.

Maybe with the help of this book and a blessing from my patroness it'll happen some day!!

#3 — May 12, 2008 @ 22:16PM — Laura [URL]

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I cited this article in my own book review. Thanks!

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