Summary: Made to Stick Chip and Dan Heath

This work offers a summary of the book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. “Sticky” ideas are those which are highly memorable and exceptionally longlasting in their impact: it's the ideas that every business would like to develop. Made to Stick analyses “sticky” ideas, finding that, whilst there are no hardandfast formulas for developing a sticky idea, there is a short checklist of six principles which most of the successful sticky ideas of the past have tended to use. Sticky ideas are usually simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional and storybased.

In practical terms, this means that there must be one, central message. In the 1980s, the US Army developed a concept called “Commander's Intent”. This means whenever an order is given, there is a crisp, plaintalk statement included which specifies the order's goal. This has been very effective. Try to think in terms of what you want the customer to ask, rather than what information you want ton convey. Images and “fun facts” will also be more powerful than a regurgitating advertising “message”. Make an effort to find ways to make your product emotionally appealing.

Some of these concepts will doubtless be familiar, but Chip and Dan Heath present them together in a coherent structure, with specific examples and clear recommendations. This is a very useful book.