The Tipping Point

Posted on 24. Apr, 2010 by in Blog, Leadership Development, Personal Development

This week I was part of a marvelous conversation between brilliant innovators in their field. The experience was powerful because ultimately, it was an intimate sharing among friends. And it got me thinking....we are influenced by our surroundings and we are influenced by the people we associate. And it reminded me of this wonderful marketing story. When it came time to Market the new game, Wii, Nintendo decided to spurn traditional marketing technique of commercials and print advertising. Instead, they gave the new game to a select influential mothers, or what Malcolm Gladwell calls "connectors" in his book, The Tipping Point, These trend setting moms made the Wii the "gotta have it"item.
One mom's email resulted in 200 other moms buying Wii based on her single recommendation. It didn't matter that they had never heard of the game, or it was too expensive.
Word of mouth from the right person was all that it took to create the tipping point, resulting in a mass product shortage and hysterical parents everywhere. Gladwell surmises that "behavior is contagious" Learning that a person's behavior is directly influenced by the context of his surroundings will give you a better understanding on how to influence your consumers. When you figure out who the connectors are within your client base, you will be able to create the circumstances that affect behavior and ultimately improve your business Lead From Within: Who influences your business and life and how does it impact you?
Please share... I would love to hear your thoughts.

One Response to “The Tipping Point”

  1. Martijn

    25. Jul, 2010

    Nice question. First there’s David Ogilvy, the pope of modern advertising, who saw me when I was 14 and took me in at a time that I definitely didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. And his wit and wisdom are still with me today. Then there’s David Kantor, my mentor in the field of human dynamics who is still at it at age 83 – and we’re hanging out with him next week, which is a delight. His work is the cornerstone of my practice. Of course there’s Dirk, my business partner for the last 10 years or so, who’s Mr. Clarity and it amazes me how we continue to find areas of complementarity even after such a long time. And then last, but certainly not least, my parents of whose upbringing I am the product and increasingly, without muttering from me, the synthesis of what they’ve done in life. They’re always there to back me up even if they must sometimes have been worried sick. And as we say: your parents have more influence over your business results than you do. So you better come to terms with them…

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