The Tipping Point
What’s the gist?
What is a “tipping point”?
“That magic moment when
an idea, trend, or social
behavior crosses a
threshold, tips, and
spreads like wildfire”
If you were to read the Introduction…
• Ideas, messages, and behaviors spread
just like viruses do
• Social epidemics are driven by the efforts
of a handful of exceptional people
• There are three rules of the “Tipping Point”
– The Law of the Few
– The Stickiness Factor
– The Power of Context
Today we focus on rule #1…
Law of the Few
We said that social epidemics rely on a few
exceptional people. What makes them
exceptional…?
-Connectors
-Mavens
-Salesmen
Connectors
• “People with a special gift for bringing the
world together”
• A handful of people with a truly
extraordinary knack for making friends and
acquaintances
• Not just your average “social butterfly”
• They “link” us together
Mavens
• “Maven” = one who accumulates
knowledge (Yiddish word)
• Information specialists
– Obsessively glean information usually
associated with price or markets
• Ever heard the term “market maven”?
– Once they have the info, they want to share it
• They want to be helpful
Mavens?
Know anyone obsessed with getting the best
Groupon deals? Or someone that keeps
copies of Consumer Reports on his
nightstand?
Mavens
• According to Gladwell, mavens are
“information brokers”
• They must be able to communicate and
have above average social skills
Mavenhood = brain for accumulating information + social skills for
spreading information
Salesmen
What comes to mind when you think of a
“good” salesperson?
Salesmen
According to Gladwell, a salesman must be:
– Charismatic
– Communicative
– Persuasive
• Verbally
• Non-verbally
So What?
In order for an idea, product, or trend to be
affectively “marketed”, a connector,
maven, and salesperson needs interface
with it at some point along the way.
The odds of this happening are, more or
less, rare. When it does happen,
something magical happens, according to
Gladwell.