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Maureen McDonald
Professor Burzycki
MM 331-01
11/9/13
Word Count: 1,985
Book Review: The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point written by Malcolm Gladwell is a very interesting approach to make
individuals think more deeply with how things happen. Malcolm Gladwell’s book really helps
with connecting what is being taught in business and marketing courses and being able to see it
applied to real life experiences. The book lets us as the reader learn the “biography of an idea,
and the idea is very simple… Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like
viruses do (p.7)”. In the introduction of the book we are introduced to the three characteristics of
change. They are as followed: “contagiousness, the fact that little causes can have big effects,
and that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment (p.9)”. Epidemics are a major
and monumental point in life that is when the transformation occurs from the current state to a
brand new state. This new transformation defines what truly makes something a “tipping point”.
The idea of the transformation is what this whole book is centered around and how it plays such
important part in today’s business world and society.
The first chapter the book is titled The Three Rules of Epidemics. In this chapter we learn
that “epidemics are a function of the people who transmit infectious agents, the infectious agent
itself, and the environment in which the infectious agent is operating (p.18)”. This chapter talks
about a variety of different epidemics including two of the larger focuses, which were on the
breakout of syphilis in the city of Baltimore and the comeback of Hush Puppies shoe line. These
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two epidemics were very interesting and really peaked my interest into two things I knew very
little about. In this chapter Gladwell also lists the “three agents of change, which are the Law of
the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context (p.19).” In this chapter the 80/20
Principle is introduced. “The 80/20 Principle is the idea that in any situation roughly 80 percent
of the “work” will be done by 20 percent of the participants (p.19).” This principle is very
important to the book because “when it comes to epidemics, though this disproportionality
becomes even more extreme: a tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work (p.19).”
The reasoning behind epidemics tipping for different reasons is touched on also in the first
chapter. The second agent of change the Stickiness Factor “says that there are specific ways of
making a contagious message memorable (p.25).” The tiny factors that we normally over look in
our daily lives are another way that our behaviors can be influenced. In order to change we must
look at the overlooked or tiny factors of each individual’s circumstances. “The Power of Context
says that human begins are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem (p.29)”.
The Tipping Point’s three guidelines really help with comprehending epidemics and how to
grasp a tipping point in each situation.
The Law of the Few is covered in the second chapter. “The answer is that the success of
any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular
and rare set of social gifts (p.33).” These people with particular and rare social gifts can be found
within our closes group of friends and they all play important and large roles in our daily lives.
Gladwell refers these people as Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. We normally associate with
others who we feel are similar and are do what we do. In this chapter Gladwell also touches on
the six degrees of separations, which are not a like always. “Six degrees of separation doesn’t
mean that everyone is linked to everyone else in just six steps. It means that a very small number
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of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps, and the rest of us are linked to the whole
world through those special few (p.37).” We are introduced to the first of the three kinds of
people with practical and rare social gifts who are “Connectors”. Connectors are “the people who
link us up with the world, who introduce use to our social circles, and have a special gift of
bridging the world together… and they know everyone (p.38).” Connectors just have the natural
talent of making and finding friends and/or acquaintances. “Their importance is also a function
of the kinds of people they know (p.46)”. They are also very good at penetrating many different
demographics and can connect everyone one together very simply. “However, to think that
Connectors are the only people who matter in a social epidemic, would be wrong (p.59)”. We
shortly after learning about Connectors are introduced to the second kind of person with
particular and rare social gifts called, “Maven”. “Maven is derived from Yiddish, which means
one who accumulates knowledge (p.60).” A Maven can sometimes believed to be filled with
useless knowledge but they are really beneficial to have in your everyday life because you could
be surprised at what they truly know. “The critical thing about Mavens, though is that they aren’t
passive collectors of information… they are a person who has information on a lot of different
products or prices or places (p.62).” Another strong trait that Mavens have is “the knowledge of
and social skills to start word-of-mouth epidemics (p.67).” They pass on information in a way
that they enjoy to do which is sharing, but they do not try to influence others opinions. “In a
social epidemic, Mavens are data banks. They provide the message. Connectors are social glue:
they spread it. But there is also a select group of people – Salesman –with the skills to persuade
us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing (p.70).” We wonder what makes a
“Salesman” so successful in persuasion well that can be answered in three factors. Firstly, “little
things can apparently, make as much of a difference as big things (p.78).” Secondly, “nonverbal
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cues are as or more important than verbal cues (p.79).” Thirdly and finally, “and perhaps most
important – implication of these studies is that persuasion often works in ways that we do not
appreciate (p.79)”. These three factors are so important in order for a “Salesman” to be
successful in persuasion and are a key with getting more people involved in their relationships.
These three types of people are all very unique but once learning more about each of the social
gifts you are able to start pairing your friends to them.
The third chapter is The Stickiness Factor. In this chapter Gladwell talks a lot about the
role Sesame Street, Blues Clues and other children’s television shows how the messenger plays a
role in epidemics. The field of direct marketing is a way that marketers try to make things stick
in more subtle way. “Direct marketers, by contrast, have few such preconceptions… In the
advertising world, direct marketers are the real students of stickiness, and some of the most
intriguing conclusions about how to reach consumers have come from their work (p.93).”
Epidemic ideas a lot of the time sticks because of some of the smallest and over looked things.
“The Distractor, however for all its strengths, is a fairly crude instrument. It tells you that
a child understands what is happening on the screen and as a result of paying attention.
But it doesn’t tell you what the child understands or, more precisely, it doesn’t tell you
whether the child is paying attention to what he or she ought to be paying attention to
(p.107).”
Distractors are like a double-edged sword because you pay attention to it but you do not come
away with any information or better understanding. “We all want to believe that the key to
making an impact on someone lies with the inherent quality of the ideas we present. But in none
of the cases did anyone substantially alter the account of what they were saying (p.131).”
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The rest of the book goes on to talk about The Power of Context and a few case studies.
The Power of Context has more events and studies featured in it and some additional ideas and
additions epidemics. “Epidemics of violence… Crime, on the other hand, isn’t a single discrete
thing, but a word used to describe an almost impossibly varied and complicated set of behaviors
(p.138).” Violence is a terrible epidemic that will never be completely abolished because of
individual’s behaviors and how they interact with their surroundings. “The Law of the Few
looked at the kinds of people who are critical n spreading information… Power of context – is no
less important than the first two. Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of
the times and places in which they occur (p139).” Crime and violence sadly is a major epidemic
that is seen throughout the whole world and in some places it seems as if it is getting better and
others it seems to be just getting worse by the day because of the contagiousness of it. “The
Power of Context is an environmental argument… it also says you don’t have to solve the big
problems to solve crime (p.150-151).” Additionally, the book talks about how “small close-knit
groups have the power to magnify the epidemic potential of a message or idea. That conclusion
however, still leaves a number of critical questions unanswered (p.174).” Minor changes can
make large and lasting impacts on our surroundings and how others interact with them. “The
advantage to adhering to the Rule of 150 is that you can exploit the bonds of memory and peer
pressure (p.191).”
In Conclusion, The Tipping Point covers many different types of epidemics and uses real
stories and studies to help with building the background and to help the audience comprehend
the ideas. “The first lesson of the Tipping Point is starting epidemics require concentrating
resources on a few key areas. The Law of the Few says that Connectors, Mavens, and Salesman
are responsible for starting word-of-mouth epidemics (p.255-256).” We have to stop and not
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think about how we view the world and just take it in. “The world – much as we want it to – does
not accord with our intuition. This is the second lesson of the Tipping Point (p.258).” We have to
remember how much the world around us controls our character and ourselves. “If there is
difficulty and volatility in the world of the Tipping Point, there is a large measure of hopefulness
as well… In the, end the Tipping Points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the
power of intelligent action (p.259).”
The most important ideas in this book are The Three Rules of Epidemics, The Law of the Few,
and The Stickiness Factor. After, reading The Tipping Point it really made me think how much
our surroundings can influence epidemics. Additionally, I learned how much my own personality
seems to so identical to a Maven. I feel that this book is very effective but the use of examples
seem disinteresting at times but overall all are necessary for the reader to grasp full. The book
supports exactly what has been covered not only in my marketing and business courses but also
what has been learned in my mass communications course. The Tipping Point and The Honest
Truth about Dishonesty are very comparable because of how relevant each of the books and their
messages are to the audience and those interested in the business world. In all we must remember
that a Tipping Point can start from anything. The world is not as perfect as we hope to imagine it
and the gentlest nudge can make the ball start rolling on a new epidemic.
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Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston:
Little, Brown, 2000. Print.