The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell : A Book Review

chillibreeze writer — Sangeetha Sampath

Ever wondered how Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code became such a huge success overnight? Or how pedal pushers (or capris as they are better known as) suddenly became a fashion rage all across the world? Malcolm Gladwell provides some answers in his path-breaking book The Tipping Point.

According to Gladwell, “Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do”. And the specific moment when a virus becomes an epidemic is called The Tipping Point. Citing the example of Hush Puppies, Gladwell explains how the brand, which had almost faded out of malls and shops and was dying a slow but certain death, suddenly became the ‘it’ accessory. He reasons with the reader how a group of teenagers in New York, by wearing Hush Puppies for the precise reason that no one else was wearing them, exposed other people to their fashion sense, or fashion ‘virus’. The virus slowly spread and soon became an ‘epidemic’. This was The Tipping Point for Hush Puppies. The shoes became so popular that they were being embraced not just by ‘cool’ teenagers, but also by fashion designers.

The book goes on to explain three factors, which determine the occurrence of The Tipping Point: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor and The Power of the Context.

The Law of the Few

According to Gladwell, epidemics are the work of a handful of people. Just as a single person with flu can spread the virus to an entire office, a handful of people can spread the virus that starts a social epidemic. These people, through their connections, charm, personality, persuasiveness and expertise, spread the word around.

The Law of the Few identifies these people under three types:

Connectors: These are people who know lots of people. They quite simply ‘collect’ people, like others collect stamps or baseball cards. When something appeals to their fancy, they spread the virus among their acquaintances and friends.

Mavens: Gladwell describes Mavens as ‘data banks’. These are people who are experts on particular subjects. They want to give others the benefit of their expertise and their advice is regarded as helpful.

Salesmen: These are people who have the magical powers of convincing others. They ‘sell’ ideas to others. Few can resist their persuasive skills.

The Stickiness Factor

According to Gladwell, for a virus to spread, the idea has to be memorable, or sticky, in the first place. (For e.g. ‘Looks like it’s gonna rain today’ pales in stickiness to ‘Fire!’) It is however possible to tinker with an idea to make its message sticky. (For e.g. compare ‘XYZ is a great restaurant where food tastes like it is home made’ to just ‘XYZ is a great restaurant’.)

The Power of Context

According to Gladwell, “epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur.” (For e.g. If the kids wearing Hush Puppies were in Alaska, instead of Manhattan, the virus, in all probability, would not have started an epidemic.)

This is a book that offers some very persuasive answers to why and how ideas work. The book is radical at times, for instance Gladwell’s views on teenage smoking and the advice to “…stop fighting this kind of experimentation. We have to accept and even embrace it.” The book literally brims over with amazing bits of information such as how the American Revolution began, or origins of the phrase ‘six degrees of separation’. Written in a lucid, uncomplicated manner, the book is a welcome change from confusing theories, complicated equations and dreary business models. The book makes you start guessing about the tipping point of ideas, trends and brands around you, and especially about the tipping point of The Tipping Point.

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—About our writer:

Sangeetha writes for chillibreeze.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell : A Book Review

The Law of the Few

The Law of the Few identifies these people under three types:

The Stickiness Factor

The Power of Context

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