We continue to learn more about how and why ideas and products go viral. To keep you up to speed, we continue to cover this topic. About a year and a half ago, we pointed out a Wall Street Journal article featuring Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger. We later brought you the tongue-in-cheek Buyral video. Now Jonah Berger is back with more insights. You can catch some of them in this Fast Company article “Why Ideas and Products Become Contagious: The Jonah Berger Formula” (February 11, 2013) which includes six STEPPS to make any idea or product go viral. If that intrigues you, you can read more in his forthcoming (March 5) book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On.”
Now here is a fun activity for class. Show students a currently trending viral video. Then bring out the Buyral video to inject a bit of humor. Then ask students to work as teams to figure out what makes videos go viral. Finally present them with Berger’s formula — and compare their ideas with Berger’s.