Check out this video. Don’t want to give anything away. It’s got quite a visceral punch. (via one of Chip’s students at Stanford)
“Choice” video
Published by March 11th, 2008 in General, Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness and Emotion. 10 CommentsThe iTunes model has hit publishing. Our publisher, Random House, is selling individual chapters out of books. And Made to Stick is the guinea pig for this noble experiment. The chapters are priced at $2.99 each. Check out the WSJ article on the launch or go directly to the commerce site and load up your basket with chapters.
I want to recommend a few business books that are near and dear to me (I’m leaving out books you would have already seen everywhere, like Gladwell’s books.). I’m sure I’m forgetting some, so consider this a work in progress.
- The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. If you haven’t read this book, stop everything and go buy it right now. It’s critical reading for marketers, managers, and for that matter, people who like a good book. Find out why jeans-shopping can give you that vaguely anxious feeling, like you’re never sure you’ve picked the right pair.
- Mindset by Carol Dweck. The subtitle (”How we can learn to fulfill our potential”) and vaguely new-agey cover may deter you, but don’t be fooled: There are brilliant insights here, supported by serious research. Find out what makes the Tiger Woods psyche different than the John McEnroe psyche.
- The No-Asshole Rule by Bob Sutton. You’ve almost certainly seen this one. If you haven’t bought it, stop waiting. It’s a rare creation: A really fun, plane-worthy read based on lots of research. I’m still in awe that Sutton (and his publisher) had the guts to go with the obscene title. I’ve heard him say that it wouldn’t have worked in a diluted form (”The No-Jerk Rule,” “the No-MeaniePants Rule”), and I’m inclined to agree.
- Group Genius by Keith Sawyer. This book should have been a big bestseller. Sawyer has spent years studying comedy improv groups and jazz bands, and he’s written a provocative book on how to get the best creative work from groups. You need to know what he has to say on brainstorming — there are techniques you’re probably using now that don’t work, and there are techniques you wouldn’t think to try that may work brilliantly. Go pre-order the paperback.
Finally, here are two books to pre-order:
- Kluge by Gary Marcus. This protege of Steven Pinker explains why your brain is, at heart, a Rube Goldbergian contraption. You’ll learn why it’s so hard to stay on a diet and what evolution has to do with it. [OK, this is not really a business book, I’m realizing.]
- Nudge: The Gentle Power of Choice Architecture by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. Look at the authors, look at the blurbers (Michael Lewis, Daniel Gilbert, Don Norman), and look at that great phrase “choice architecture,” and ask yourself, what else do I need to know?
Made to Stick has received some honors recently, and it is high time we said thank you.
- Made to Stick was named Best Business Book of 2007 by The 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards. (We also won the award for best Advertising/Marketing book.) This one has special meaning for us because we know and like and respect the people at 800-CEO-READ. Thank you!
- Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper named MTS #1 on its Top 10 Business Books list for 2007. Thank you to Harvey Schachter for the honor! [The award page now requires a purchase.]
- The Amazon editors picked the book #2 of the Top 10 Business titles of the year.
- MTS was one of the Top 100 Customer Favorites of 2007 on Amazon. We were #26, which put us behind The Reagan Diaries and ahead of O.J.’s If I Did It. That seems about right.
We are grateful for the awards. Thanks everyone.
We begin our book with the famous urban legend of the “kidney thieves.” If only it had stayed an urban legend. According to this article in the NYT, stealing kidneys has become a ghastly reality in one part of India.
You may have seen “The Story of Stuff” by now — if you haven’t, it’s worth your time to check out. It’s an anti-consumerism video narrated by a woman named Annie Leonard. It’s been a huge viral sensation — it logged over 100,000 views in the week after its release.
The video is well done — it shows how a single voice and some simple graphics can tackle a very complex topic. I definitely have quibbles with the content of the video, but I admire it as a thoughtful, artful example of communication. And let’s just take a second to reflect on this rather unlikely success story, shall we?
This is a viral sensation that:
- Is 20 MINUTES LONG (I am not exaggerating)
- Has nothing lurid, sexy, embarrassing, disgusting, or funny in it
- Tackles big, macro, complex issues like production, distribution, consumption, etc.
- Will largely make you feel bad about yourself and your fellow humans
- Requires you to confront your own behavior through the lens of sustainability
This is indeed a Christmas gift to the world of ideas, and it’s a reminder to all of us that the right idea, communicated in the right way, can make a big difference.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for the support you’ve given our book this year!
-dan & chip
Mercy Corps’s thoughtful use of concreteness
Published by December 20th, 2007 in General, Concreteness and Emotion. 1 CommentWhen you give to Mercy Corps, they follow up with an email that gives you a concrete vision of how you’ve helped. For instance: “Your support of $40 provides a Zimbabwean family clean drinking water for two years.”
Lots of charities have figured out that, in soliciting donations, they need to anchor abstract amounts of money in real-world descriptions (e.g., “Adopt a goat for $60,” “$200 pays for the translation expenses in a human-rights field visit,” etc.). I like how Mercy Corps uses the same principle after the fact. You get the initial satisfaction of giving, and then Mercy Corps follows up and says, effectively, “Thanks for your gift — and, by the way, a Zimbabwean family thanks you, too.” Nicely done.
“Canoe Man”
Published by December 20th, 2007 in General, Simplicity, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotion and Story. 0 CommentsThere are 6 principles of sticky ideas, and folks, Canoe Man has all 6. It’s no wonder why this bizarro tale has captivated the UK public.
Robert M brought it to our attention with this introduction: “Man vanishes at sea in 2002, only his battered kayak is found. Wife and two sons mourn, then wife claims life insurance 13 months later. Wife sells house and moves to Panama at the beginning of 2007. In Nov 2007 man walks into a police station, claiming to be the missing person who has lost his memory. Then, a photo turns up which shows man and wife in 2006 in Panama talking to a property developer. Sons are outraged because they were under the impression their father was dead.” And there’s more uncovered every day…
If someone doesn’t have the movie rights to this saga, I’m gonna make the first bid. In the meantime, go kill an hour and read up on the whole thing.
Triggers and water conservation
Published by December 20th, 2007 in General, Simplicity, Unexpectedness and Concreteness. 0 CommentsPark Howell saw our column about “Triggers” in Fast Company and wrote us with a great story:
In 1999, we created the “Water - Use it Wisely” conservation campaign that was completely built on environmental triggers. I think we were simply more intuitive (lucky) in our approach than brilliant (good) when creating the campaign, but it has stood the test of time and has grown to be the largest educational outreach for water conservation in the world. The campaign currently has more the 350 private and public partners using elements of the program.
The whole concept is based around surprising, but highly effective water-saving devices. Like a toothbrush, for instance. It is a physical prompt that reminds you to turn off the water while you brush your teeth (a razor does the same thing for shaving). The campaign is all about presenting these “water-saving devices,” each with it’s own number to emphasize the main campaign theme: “There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.”
You can check out the campaign here.
If everyone had a brain like this guy, it would be a heck of a lot easier to make our ideas stick… What a fascinating story.
Turns out the guy’s brother is making a documentary about him and his remarkable memory.
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