Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Extremely boring book. Long long examples. Whole book is a simple idea that everybody knows. This book can be summarized in 10 pages.

This book is a must-read for marketing and/or advertising professionals. I'm new to my position as a marketing coordinator, and this book is actually on my required reading list for work. I'm so glad it is because I have some new insights into making an actual idea "stick."

I won't go into the details of the books SUCCESs checklist, but it is a handy guide to keep in mind when you're promoting a new product or idea for your company. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the discussions on how the "my kidneys were stolen!" urban legend came to be, the tale of the nurse who helped save the baby because she recognized a fatal condition before the doctors did, and the legend of Jared the Subway guy who lost hundreds of pounds by eating Subway sandwiches every day. All of the stories were meant to illustrate how vividly these ideas "stick" with us while others--such as boring checklists and bullet points--simply fade into the background.

If I could say that I took one thing away from this book, it'd be that you should always be looking for ideas and recognize them when they're presented to you. And if you can create a story from that idea, you'll capture more attention than by using your Curse of Knowledge to explain yourself. Ordinary people don't understand jargon, but they do understand tales, examples, and stories.

I bought the book before my presentation, I work in the cement industry= boring. After reading the book, I applied what I have learned, and they liked it, and it really made an impact

This delighful and insightful book has something for everyone. I was initially turned off by the gimmicky cover of this book, but after reading multiple great reviews, I decided to give it a try. The name of this book comes from Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point" (which I also enjoyed). I enjoyed and learned far more from this book than Gladwell's (it is not necessary to read Gladwell's book prior to this). The Heath brothers try to teach readers how to create (or more importantly spot) "sticky messages". The authors show us that sticky messages are not merely useful for advertisers, but can be important in many different situations we encounter in life. You will become a better communicator which can be useful in personal as well as professional situations.

There are lots of books out there that teach readers new concepts but what sets this one apart is that the authors try to keep it simple (as per their own recommendation) and come up with a system that readers can remember and apply years later. Their mnemonic for the six characteristics of a sticky message is SUCCESs:

Simple
Unexpected
Credible
Concrete
Emotion
Story

Interestingly, the other fantastic book that I read a while back that I continue to think about also had six components which I still remember. It was Cialdini's "Influence". The Heath brothers refer to Cialdini in their book.

I highly recommend this book. Besides its educational value, it will dazzle and entertain you.

"Made to Stick" is one of those rare books that just makes you look at everything you write in a fresh light. After reading it, I went and immediately rewrote several fundraising documents on which I had been working. The authors give you a method to cut through the muck and present your case in the most persuasive way. I'm going to have everyone in my department read it.