The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big differenceBy Malcolm Gladwell (Little Brown & Company, 2000, ISBN: 0 316 64852 3 £14.99 [£18.40 inc p&p]) Why is it that some ideas or behaviours or products start epidemics and others don't? And what can we do to deliberately start and control positive epidemics of our own? This book gives you all the answers. Occasionally, an arts event takes on a life of its own and, with very little effort, audiences seem to come from everywhere. Something, somewhere happens. If only we could identify what causes this amazing reaction we would be able to make it happen again, surely. Frustratingly, it often seems impossible to track down just what or who started the epidemic. New York journalist Malcolm Gladwell opens the door on the world of 'viral communication', when he examines how medical epidemics start. He explains about their obvious contagiousness, how small environmental changes can bring about the most astonishing shifts and how dramatic change can, at a certain point, happen suddenly - the 'tipping point' in the title. But he then investigates a very different kind of infection - word of mouth epidemics. We are introduced to cast of individuals as he explains the law of the few who he calls 'Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen' who play a critical role in the word of mouth epidemics that dictate our tastes and trends and fashions. He explains the importance of the power of context and how changing small things (the most famous example is the removal of graffiti from the New York subway system) can have the most far-reaching effects on group behaviour. He also tells us just what you have to do - the stickiness factor - to create the right kind of message. Finally, he shows us, what is perhaps the most difficult element to understand, that major change can and often does happen very quickly. Situations stay the same and then, seemingly all of a sudden, exhibit a major change. All this and more is presented in an highly readable and entertaining way. In one elegant, thought provoking and compelling book, Gladwell weaves together an impressive weight of evidence, covering everything from Paul Revere's ride to direct marketing and from crime waves to the rise of a best seller. The Tipping Point is packed full of practical and pragmatic examples that the only way to really take it all in is to read it twice. Or even better buy two copies and give one away. Start your own epidemic!
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