I bought a copy of the "Tipping Point" at the school bookstore thinking it was just another textbook. After turing through the pages I realized that this book really has a significant point. This book refers to the "tipping point" which is the moment that sets into motion an epidemic. These epidmics are initiated from different triggers but they all lead to a spark that will catch to quickly head in another direction.
What the book refers to as "the power of context" set into motion a change in New York's terrible crime rate. It was not fighting crime head on and putting people away for violent crimes that caused the sharp downward spike in crime; it was something different. The power of context relies on the evironment to shape people's actons.
New York's subways were trash and graffiti ridden. When William Bratton took on fixing the subway system he revamped the inerior and trains because it was the environment that was the spark that triggered the violence. This is synonymous with the broken window theory and once the graffiti was wiped clean and fares were paid a change occurred. This epidemic is explained in the fact that "behavior is a function of social context."
By relating this to us as college kids I think I can better keep the attention of my fellow PR bloggers, I will take an intermission from the complexities of the tipping point and relate it to High School musical! I think that in the movie the tipping point is Zack Effron. I am sure most of us agree that he is rather attractive and I think that if it were some other boy up there shaking his bon bon it would not be the same at all. I think that we all admire his dance skills as well as the back pockets of his jeans (win,wink).
Back to a more serious topic... Other than an environment effect in society, there are also types of people who may cause a tipping point. A "connector" is an important type of person who is influencial to those around them and they have to ability to trigger a new wave. There are also salesmen, and mavens who lead as influencers of society. If I labeled myself as one of these types of people, my personality most relates to a maven. If I ever have insite in an opportunity or a deal I share it with as many people as possible. For example when I go to Kroger and hummus is on sale 10/$10 and it is regularly $3.99, I let all my roomates know. Also, if there are sales on websites I tell anyone who I think my be interested so that they can benefit from it as well. I never thought about this quality starting any kind of epidemic but maybe to some degree it has. After reading this book, I am led to believe that perhaps I have lead to a tipping point at least to some small degree.
Our "One team, One spirit" campaign could tip this semester because of what in the book is the golden box factor. We do not have an interactive ads persay, but the Thunders around campus are definitally a converstaion starter. A way that we might further tip this campaign would be via the stickiness factor. People become interested in something depending on how "sticky" it is. We must make our events sticky like the example in the book of the creators of Blue clues. As much as we as PR people do not want to be labeled as marketers, knowing our target audience is the way to giving an idea stickiness. We need to make sure the ways in which we are not only advertising to our students is sticky but also the events themselves. Without stickiness we cannot create traditions.
I feel that Twitter has tipped to many of my fellow pr students. For me, twitter is gradually becoming more interesting. At first I felt like it was just one other thing that I had to check. Now, I feel like I know my classmates better and I am happy to know what they are up to and I think we can relate to each other besides just working on projects with one another.
I think that social media in general has tipped. A lot of social networking through media outlets is in large due to the success of facebook. Facebook was much more sticky than myspace I think partially because of the power of context. Facebook has cleaner content and pictures and started out as only a college network. This factor elimninated many of the creeps so it had a better environment which caused the huge tipping point.
After reading the book if we look around at popular examples like Blue Clues, the New York crime rates, as well as facebook we can see that these epidemics all having crutial tipping points initiated by a nontraditional cause.
10 comments:
Good post Lynn! I agree that you are a Maven but I think you may have some of the qualities of a Salesperson as well. Nothing wrong with that :)
Recognizing that in order to bring about the Stickiness factor we must know our audience is very insightful. Even though "target audience" is very much a marketing term, there is no denying that we cannot be successful in this campaign if we don't know how to reach our desired audience. Your statement "without stickiness we cannot create traditions" is dead-on and it reminded me of a point in Chelsea's posting about the Duke Cameron Crazies. She points out the massivness of this Duke tradition and states that it is based on stickiness. I think you are both onto something there!
I have had the same kind of Twitter experience that you have described. It does make you feel like you know your classmates better!
You are definitely right about Thunders being a conversation starter. Heck, when I was painting the things in front of Terrell one night, I can't tell you how many people asked me what they were for! People are curious by nature about a huge cutout of our mascot. I'm proud to have been a part of it.
Your description of a Maven sounds a lot like me. Sometimes though I find myself sharing totally irrelevant information just because I think it might be useful to at least somebody that is listening to me! (And you've got to love those 10/$10 sales at Kroger!)
Great job!
Very true about the Thunders being sticky. I just hope that we can make the atmosphere of Centennial sticky enough that people are wondering why they wouldn't go to the basketball game.
Haha loved the Kroger reference! I completely that when I find a good deal I tell everyone; and I think the Kroger card is a product straight from the big man Himself... everyone should know!
Lynn, I enjoyed how you talked about "creating a tradition."
I know that getting caught up in this campaign somtimes we forget that we may be starting a TRADITION, not just a spirit competition!
It dawned on me the other day that we will be graduating in may and that the next PR Admin class will also be coming up with events, but will theirs "stick"? I believe that OURS has the potential and ability to stick.
Loved your reference to Zack Efron, only you.
Great post!!
I completely agree with you and everyone else's comments that we have to make our campaign 'sticky'in order for it to work. If we don't, the chances of people remembering it are very slim. I think we have great individual pieces that can become sticky, we just have to figure out what we need to do to accomplish it.
I also definitely see you as a Maven, and I'm sure that will help you with learning about trends in wedding planning, too. :)
I agree with you sooo much that the tipping point is not just another textbook. this book is the textbook of our lives ahead of us. i see how you can be a maven and that you love deal finding. i loved how you said that without stickiness, we can't create traditions. that is so true, and as a team, we are trying to create a lasting tradition for our school. i also agree that twitter has become more interesting. i use to think it was just a "facebook status" website, but it has become much more!
I agree with Lauren's post. I think you have a lot of Saleswoman in you. I feel like you could convice anyone to buy something or buy into an idea, which seems very valuable if you can get into your desired field of being a wedding planner. Which, by the way, I think you would be wonderful at.
Overall, you had an excellent post. It was well written and the examples were clearly explained and detailed.
Correct, The Tipping Point is so much more than just a text book, especially in the context that we read it. I feel that we are in the point in our lives where we can fully digest books like that and grasp the bigger meaning, I'd have to say that we were actively engaged in the book.
I like the point that you made about the Thunders, if anything I would like to see more of them on campus. Its originial. As far as out campaign being sticky, I feel like the special events are good, but that is the wrong message in a way to be sending out to our audience. We want the hype to be about basketball and i think that we have missed the big ppoint by going so straight forward with these special events. only time will tell.
Good post Lynn!
Love your comments on The Tipping Point not being just another text book, but looking back on my career as a Mass Comm student, I can only remember a few times where my classes required an actual textbook. Being so in touch with a rapidly changing phenomena that is the Media requires us to be up-to-date more rapidly than textbooks can be printed and distributed.
Your reference to Mr. Efron was great, as are you.
Good work.
I have not yet seen High School Musical, shocked I know, but Zack Efron is a cutie and I am sure this would not have become such a hit if it wasn't for it tipping. (and the fact that it is him dancing >3 ) I think you are also right that it is in the environment effect and types of people that lead to tipping points. I also agree with you Lynn that what our campaign needs more then anything is the stickiness factor. If you take High School Musical again for example it is very sticky because you cannot go into any store without seeing advertisements for it some how. We need this same stickiness factor with our campaign and our advertisements for it.
It is also very true that we need to make sure that our events are sticky. We need to be able to use our same ideas for events at other athletic events and we need to make sure they get this stickiness quality by making these events successful by starting with the men's basketball games.
I feel the same way about Twitter as you do. I think I am starting to get the hang of it more though. Good job, Lynn.
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