The Tipping Point
The Tipping point: how little things can make a big difference by Malcom Gladwell is a novel that reveals how ideas, messages, products, and behaviors spread, which is explained through three rules heavily influence the Tipping Point and are required for one to consider a scenario as the Tipping Point. The Tipping Point is described as the moment of critical mass, the threshold or boiling point that results in change (Gladwell, 2000, p.12). To explain the Tipping Point Gladwell informs the reader of the three primary components of the Tipping Point. Throughout the novel the author includes a number of examples support the Tipping Point, which the reader could easily understand as well as relate to. In the beginning of the book, the Tipping Point is compared to a virus. Both a virus and a trend need a Tipping Point in order to spread. Once the Tipping Point is reached, the virus or trend becomes an epidemic, According to Gladwell there are three rules of the Tipping Point. There is the Stickiness Factor, which explains that “there are different ways of making a contagious message memorable; there are relatively simple changes in the presentation and structuring of information that make a big difference in how much of an impact it makes.” (Gladwell, 2000, p.25). This refers to the degree of how memorable an idea or message is. Stickiness is not only about how well people will remember the message but also if they will spread the message by sharing it with their friends, family, and peers. The second component of the Tipping Point is the Law of the Few, which describes that there are few types of personalities that people have, which facilitates the process of the Tipping Point. Such personalities include the connector, those who are extremely social and know many people, the maven who is extremely knowledgeable in regards to the consumer market, and the salesmen who have the influence to persuade or convince others. Individuals with such personalities must be
Citations: Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point. (pp. 12-133). New York, Ny: Time Warner Book Group. Schiffman, L., Kanuk, L., & Wisenblit, J. (2009). Consumer behavior. (10 ed., p. 98). New Jersey: Pearson Education.