sharkGeist

Made to Stick
	Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die 2007 Chip Heath and Dan Heath

With an entertaining blend of case studies and startling research, the Heath brothers lay out the critical elements of a sticky idea. They are:

• Simplicity
• Unexpectedness
• Concreteness
• Credibility
• Emotions
• Stories

As you might expect, the authors use these techniques to drive home their point. For example, in the chapter on stories, they talk about Subway's Jared campaign--quite a dramatic behind-the-scenes story besides being a near perfect example of storytelling in marketing.

Although these six elements seem like common sense, they are woefully underapplied in business communication. The authors state it well:

"Business managers seem to believe that, once they've clicked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas. What they've done is share data."

Well researched, easy to read and hard to forget.