Contagious Why Things Catch On

Made to Stick
, Chip and Dan Heath talk about using the “Three Whys” to
find the emotional core of an idea. Write down why you think people are doing something. Then ask
“Why is this important?” three times. Each time you do this, note your answer, and you’ll notice that
you drill down further and further toward uncovering not only the core of an idea, but the emotion
behind it.
Take online search. Why is search important? Because people want to find information quickly.
Why do they want to do that? So they can get answers to what they are looking for.
Why do they want those answers? So they can connect with people, achieve their goals, and fulfill
their dreams. Now that’s starting to get more emotional.
Want people to talk about global warming and rally to change it? Don’t just point out how big the
problem is or list key statistics. Figure out how to make them care. Talk about polar bears dying or
how their children’s health will be affected.
KINDLING THE FIRE WITH HIGH-AROUSAL EMOTIONS
When trying to use emotions to drive sharing, remember to pick ones that kindle the fire: select high-
arousal emotions that drive people to action.
On the positive side, excite people or inspire them by showing them how they can make a
difference. On the negative side, make people mad, not sad. Make sure the polar bear story gets them
fired up.
Simply adding more arousal to a story or ad can have a big impact on people’s willingness to share
it. In one experiment we changed the details of a story to make it evoke more anger. In another
experiment, we made an ad funnier.
In both cases, the results were the same. More anger or more humor led to more sharing. Adding
these emotions boosted transmission by boosting the amount of arousal the story or ad evoked.
Negative emotions can also drive people to talk and share. Marketing messages usually try to paint
products and ideas in the most positive light possible. From razors to refrigerators, ads typically
show smiling customers who extol the benefits they derive from using the product. Marketers tend to
avoid negative emotions out of fear they could taint the brand.
But if used correctly, negative emotions can actually boost word of mouth.
BMW kindled the fire beautifully in a 2001 campaign. The German automobile company created a
series of short Internet films entitled 
The Hire.
Rather than being typical feel-good commercials
showing BMWs driving down various idyllic country roads, the movies were riddled with
kidnappings, FBI raids, and near-death experiences. While the fear and anxiety they evoked were far
from positive, the clips so highly aroused viewers that the series racked up more than 11 million
views within four months. Over the same period, BMW sales increased 12 percent.
Or consider public health messages. It’s often hard to put a positive spin on things when you’re
trying to get people to realize that smoking causes lung cancer, or that obesity reduces life expectancy

---

by more than three years. But certain types of negative emotional appeals should be more effective in
getting people to spread the word than others.
Think back to the “Man Drinks Fat” public service announcement we talked about in the Triggers
chapter. A huge glob of white fat plopping down on a plate? Gross! But because disgust is a highly
arousing emotion, it encouraged people to talk about and share the PSA. Designing messages that
make people anxious or disgusted (high arousal) rather than sad (low arousal) will boost
transmission. Negative emotions, when used correctly, can be a powerful driver of discussion.
And that brings us to babywearing.
BABYWEARING, BOYCOTTS, AND BLUNTING BAD BUZZ
The year 2008 had many firsts. The first time China hosted the Olympics, the first African American
elected president of the United States, and one that you might not have been aware of. The inaugural
celebration of International Babywearing Week.
The practice of carrying your baby in a sling or similar carrier has been around for thousands of
years. Some experts have even argued that the practice strengthens the maternal bond, improving the
health of the baby and the mother. But as strollers and other gadgets have been popularized, many
parents have moved away from this practice. So in 2008, a celebration was held to raise awareness
and encourage people around the world to reconsider the benefits of babywearing.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the maker of painkiller Motrin, saw this swell of interest as a
perfect opportunity. Motrin’s motto at the time was “We feel your pain.” So in an attempt to show
solidarity with mothers, the company created an ad centered on the aches and pains mothers can suffer
from carrying their babies in slings. The ad noted that while babywearing can be great for the baby, it
can put a ton of strain on the back, neck, and shoulders of the mom.
The company was trying to be supportive. It wanted to show that it understood mom’s pain and
Motrin was there to help. But a number of so-called mommy bloggers saw things differently. The
mom’s voice-over in the ad said babywearing “totally makes me look like an official mom. And so if
I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.”
Deeply offended on two fronts—by the implication that they wore their babies as fashion
statements and that they looked crazy—mothers took to their blogs and Twitter accounts. The anger
spread.
Soon thousands of people were involved. “A baby will never be a fashion statement. How
outrageous is that thinking!” one cried. The posts multiplied. Many of the writers said they would
boycott the company. The topic started to trend on Twitter, and the movement got picked up by