The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Review

If you ever wondered why some fads seem to catch on overnight or how some old fashions, such as Hush Puppies, seemed to go from a shoe that were sold in smaller shops to a shoe that every young and trendy person was wearing? Well than, The Tipping Point is for you.

What I love about Malcolm Gladwell's books is that he provides so many examples to help you grasp a particular subject (in this case epidemics) that it is hard not to understand where he is trying to go. Just a few pages into the book you are filled with information that you probably have never even heard of before.

He uses research to back up his explanations such as stories about the popular children television shows, Blue's Clues and Sesame Street. He also talks about the ride of Paul Revere and how and why his message seem to spread like wildfire, unlike his counterpart, who had a similar ride but seemed to not connect with anyone.

Galdwell goes from research on diseases such as syphilis outbreaks in cities (only a few people were infecting others, but were infecting a lot) to why e-mails who hit certain types of people seem to spread to everyone (they know more people than others do).

Connectors, mavens, and salesman are all terms we are familiar with, but not necessarily in the way Galdwell would like you to be in terms of epidemics. He describes these types of people as the components of what "tips" an epidemic into happening.

Any marketing professional or anyone who is interested in Advertising would love this book. Gladwell takes you on a little trip into the minds of consumers, and what "types" of people you should go after, not necessarily how many. I believe the more people who are in tuned with how the word-of-mouth epidemics start, the better our marketing industry will be at reaching the people who matter the most.

Not all consumers are considered equal, and some have their own special qualities that could make enough of a difference to turn something into an epidemic...that's in your favor!

If you are not a marketing or advertising professional, read it anyways. There is enough psychology and real life information that it is definitely worth your time!