Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"


Fascinating exploration of the viral nature of trends and the movement of information


I was interested to read Gladwell's book because it deals on a macro level with how things spread. He doesn't really explore organized marketing campaigns to create buzz, but rather how buzz naturally evolves.

That being the case, the stories contained within the book range from some one can relate pretty easily to marketing (how Hush Puppies shoes became hip again) to some one can't fit into a marketing framework so easily (why the crime rate in NY dropped so drastically in the early 90's.)

On that last one, I should probably tell Gladwell that I moved back to California from NY in 1990, so the crime rate dropped there, while a drought got underway in California. Coincidence?

Gladwell's tries to define a set of Laws or Contributing Factors that can lead to a Tipping Point, a point where all the little things add up to a BIG result, a drastic change. And he tries to compare that to how or why viral epidemics run through a population.

I didn't find the medical analogy gripping, but I did appreciate his clear Laws: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. he does an excellent job of defining and supporting his Laws.

My one disappointment is that he spends little time on talking about HOW to create a tipping point, and when he does, it's a noble cause, but not one that's too helpful to me. He discussed HOW to create a tipping point to reduce teen smoking.

The guy obviously has some interest or background in health or medicine, but I felt like reminding him this was marketed as a book on business and marketing. Perhaps he could have devoted his last 50 pages to solving a marketing problem, not a public health problem.

But that makes me sound a bit curmudgeonly, huh?

Bottom line: It's a quick book and concise. It has some fresh ideas and supports them well. Definitely worth a read.

Buy "The Tipping Point" at Amazon.com

Posted: Wed - June 30, 2004 at 03:37 PM       EmailFeedback

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