The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is definitely a must read and is now at the top of my book list. The definition of a tipping point is any idea, product or message that spreads like an epidemic. In the book’s introduction, Gladwell explains how tipping has three characteristics. One is contagiousness, two is the fact that little causes can have big effects, and three is that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment. A great example that Gladwell used about "tipping" is the Hush Puppies epidemic. The shoe brand, Hush Puppies, was very unpopular at one point. Nobody wanted to purchase these unfashionable shoes until the right person spotted some local kids in New York wearing them. Once people recognized the potential in these shoes, designers from all over became interested, and just like that the epidemic began.
This bestseller makes you think more critically and analyze the concept of change.
Why is word of mouth so powerful? How does a TV show like “Sesame Street” help children grasp the concepts of reading and writing? This book helps us answer these questions by giving us an understanding of social change.
Gladwell focuses on three concepts in The Tipping Point. The first concept is Law of the Few, which tells the reader that there are three types of people who tip ideas. These individuals are known as connectors, mavens and salesmen. The second concept Gladwell presented was The Stickiness Factor. Gladwell defines the stickiness factor as the quality that compels people to pay close attention to a service, product or idea (p.92). The last concept that was introduced in the book was Power of Context. This concept determines if something will tip and spread. An example used in this chapter was the decline of crime in New York in the 1990s.
Public relations relates to the book The Tipping Point because of the concepts used to counsel organizational leaders, and to analyze trends throughout organizations and the public. Public relations introduces new ideas and change, and The Tipping Point has done the same.
Ms. Mitchell
- Marri Mitchell
- I am a 4th year PR student, from the beautiful city of Tallahassee, Florida. I currently attend Florida A&M Universtiy. In life I have many goals, and I am currently acheiving one of them by obtaining my degree. I hope to continue to studying and working in PR and I'm considering grad school. I hope you are encouraged to read my blog posts!
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I agree one hundred and ten percent. I think that it is vital for public relations professionals to know the concepts of the "Tipping Point." Most public relations professionals generate messages to different publics but cant differientiate what type of communicator they are. By reading Gladwell's novel, public relations practitioners can evaluate themselves and determine how to move a message and make it stick!
ReplyDeleteRight. The Tipping Point does help me think more critically and analyze the trends more. It helped me open my mind more an realize especially the power of context. That states that people act differently depending on their context or situation. This book does indeed help out with public relations and the concepts of analyzing trends.
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