Contagious
by Jonah Berger
★ Top 25 book of 2013 · #17 on Best Books of 2013
Drawing on research and vivid stories, Berger explains why some ideas, products, and videos spread while others fade. He lays out six core principles and practical techniques for crafting messages that people want to share.
Best for: Marketers, managers, and business owners who want their message or product to catch on
Contagious is #17 on BookWard's Best Books of 2013, out of 45 2013 books that cleared our data bar.
What Contagious is about
Why do some ideas, products, and videos spread like wildfire while others vanish? Jonah Berger argues that six basic principles make things contagious, and he draws on research and vivid stories to show how they work. His examples range from consumer products and policy campaigns to workplace rumors and YouTube clips. A luxury steakhouse becomes popular through the humble cheese-steak, anti-drug commercials may have increased drug use, and a blender video was shared by more than 200 million people.
The book is accessible and full of anecdotes, and it goes beyond explanation to offer specific techniques for shaping messages, ads, and information that people will want to pass along. Managers, small business owners, politicians, and health officials stand to gain the most.
Contagious on the Best Books of 2013
Contagious came out in 2013. Of the 45 books first published in 2013 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #17 on our Best Books of 2013 list.
Why it made the list: 337 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2013 list
- Inferno Dan Brown, #15
- And the Mountains Echoed Khaled Hosseini, #16
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms George R. R. Martin, #18
- The Day the Crayons Quit Drew Daywalt, #19
See all Best Books of 2013 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2012 Best Books of 2014.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 305 want to read it, 20 are reading it now and 12 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 from 13 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 60 | 55% |
| Reader love | 69 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 62 | 20% |
Questions about Contagious
When was Contagious published?
Contagious by Jonah Berger was first published in 2013.
Was Contagious one of the best books of 2013?
Contagious is #17 on BookWard's Best Books of 2013, out of 45 2013 books that cleared our data bar. 337 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
Why is Contagious on the Best Books of 2013 list?
337 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2013
- House of Hades Rick Riordan, #1
- Hard Luck Jeff Kinney, #2
- Crown of Midnight Sarah J. Maas, #3
- The Screaming Staircase Jonathan Stroud, #4
- Unravel Me Tahereh Mafi, #5
- The Goldfinch Donna Tartt, #6
See the full Best Books of 2013, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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