Week 7: Clear

           The concept that was most clear to me this week was making ideas that stick to create an effective presentation. A sticky idea is one that strikes a chord with its audience, one that is unforgettable, one that people won't stop talking about, and one that is everywhere in the media. The key to finding success is starting with the unexpected, adding in a catch phrase, and mixing it all around for a sticky recipe. Chip and Dan Heath wrote a book called Made to Stick about sticky ideas.  The brothers discuss two different examples of sticky stories. The first is the boy who cried wolf, and the second example is an urban legend about a business traveler who accepts a drink and wakes up in an ice filled bathtub without his kidneys. Both of these stories have a set of principles and provoke emotions and surprise. Stories and examples allow people to connect and remember.
         Sticky ideas are vital to success in the business world. Every company wants a sticky ad that creates a buzz, and consumers who spend time watching will hopefully spend money.The IPod is one of the stickiest products and has consumers lining up for more. A few other examples are the caveman in Geico's commercials and the animal commercials for American Express with Ellen DeGeneres. JFK's speech about putting a man on the moon is one of the stickiest speeches in history because it challenged us to put a person on the moon and bring him/her back. This speech was unexpected yet concrete and allowed people to work together to have a consistent vision. Sticky ideas are important because a good idea isn't enough. A great story is necessary, and the idea needs to stick. In order to influence the public, whether it be to buy, vote, learn, diet, give to charity or initiate a revolution, an idea must be sticky.
         This website talks more about the Heath brothers' book, Made to Stick. They explain that there are six main parts of stickiness that can be remembered with the acronym "SUCCES." These six main criteria for making an idea sticky are that it should be Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotion-evoking, and embedded in Stories. This website serves as an additional resource and adds that important principles of modern psychology come into play. The organization of memory, the effects of emotions on actions, and excess knowledge can serve as barriers to effective communication. Ultimately, sticky ideas are key to successful ideas and products in today's market, and this book provides a formula for creating a sticky idea and an analysis of what specifically makes an idea sticky.

Here is the American Express commercial with Ellen Degeneres. As an animal lover, I found this commercial funny, adorable, and more than anything else, memorable.

Works Cited:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/16/AR2007011601625.html

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1552029,00.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5LR-IZbbc0