'Contagious': Jonah Berger on Why Things C

'Contagious': Jonah Berger on Why Things Catch On
Published: March 13, 2013 in Knowledge@Wharton

If you have watched and shared PSY's "Gangnam Style" video or gone into an unknown restaurant simply because it was full of people and appeared to be popular, you have the basis for understanding what makes things go viral. In Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger's new book, Contagious: Why Things Catch On, he identifies six principles that cause people to talk about and share an idea or product. Knowledge@Wharton recently sat down with Berger to learn more about his findings, including why people share cat memes, which organizations and individuals have conceived and implemented the most successful viral campaigns -- from Blendtec to 'Movember' -- and why making something contagious does not have to be expensive.

An edited transcript of the conversation follows.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=3206