In 2011, Rebecca Black debuted her infamously catchy song “Friday.” Despite the fact that the tune was universally hated and panned by critics, it was one of the most viral videos of 2011, garnering 50 million views on YouTube. How did something so darn bad, get so darn popular? 

In 2003, Lance Armstrong’s Nike sponsor Scott MacEachern debuted the classic yellow “Livestrong” wristbands that became an instant hit. They were so popular, in fact that they couldn’t keep up with demand. Eventually, more than 85 million bands were sold. For an idea that was originally called stupid by Armstrong’s agent, it has now become one of the most recognizable symbols of the fight against terminal disease. Yet, how did a simple rubber band become so insanely popular? 

Jonah Berger’s new book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On,” the marketing expert breaks down the reasons why everything from cereal, Kit Kat Bars, restaurants and soap become viral. What about certain products makes them so contagious that people want to share them? How do you make something catchy, even if it’s as bland as a piece of gum? 

Berger, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, is an expert in viral social phenomenon and he studies the behaviors and social implications of why ideas and products spread as quickly as they do. His book “Contagious” gives six clearly laid out steps as to why people like you and I prefer to talk about certain goods over others and why some of us make the choices we do when it comes to passing along a good tip about a new restaurant or suggesting the use of a new electric toothbrush. Some of the marketing tactics may be commonly known to us as consumers, but others may surprise you.

For example, which of the two do you think gets more word of mouth: Disneyland or Cheerios cereal? And think of all the friends you know that work hard to accumulate frequent flyer miles, even going out of their way to book connecting flights instead of direct flights. Then try to guess what percent of people actually end up redeeming those miles. 

But Berger’s book is more than just a list of interesting stories; it’s thoughtful insight into why we prefer the things we do, even if it makes no sense logically. Becoming viral is not necessarily a game of chance or an organic phenomenon. There are specific elements to the author’s concept of “virality,” and even one simple misstep can be the difference between being talked about for a month or for years. 

Even if you’re not a budding entrepreneur or a fresh face trying to make it in the marketing business, you’ll find “Contagious” to be an informative read because it’s essentially a book about you. Why you like things, why you don’t like things, why you talk about things and why you don’t talk about other things. Once you’re done, you’ll find that Berger will have used some of his six step methods on you because you can’t help but share about the cool stuff you read in this book.  

Reach Staff Reporter Judy here or follow her on Twitter here.