The Tipping Point + Trends

What I learned from The Tipping Point (http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303253767&sr=8-1) is that the concept of the tipping point comes from epidemiology, a study I never thought I would think about in business school. The relevance of the tipping point and the viral effect of certain social media campaigns, however, is undeniable. Interestingly enough Gladwell although impressed by social media is not a fanatical user by any stretch. Here is a piece of an interview with Katie Couric that provides some reasoning to his personal views:

Even if Gladwell tries to not use social media much, it is clear that the idea of the tipping point applies to social media because each ad, comment, video, etc. is done with the end goal of hitting that tipping point where it skyrockets. With the hopes of a campaign going viral (like an epidemic), marketers wan to see their work blow up - reach over a million hits, have millions of fans (or likes). Gladwell says that Facebook and Twitter are enormously powerful tools. I just have to wonder how long this social media trend will be attractive to marketers when, like an epidemic, a viral campaign comes to a crashing halt. It will be difficult to make one massively popular viral campaign, not to mention two or more. From watching the video below I also learned that there isn't one technology that is good at everything. There isn't one simple solution for marketers who want to reach that tipping point. Instead, to reach the tipping point, marketers must use the best and most efficient avenue for creating a possible epidemic.

As for digital trends from 2010, I was most interested by the blurb about flash sale sites. Flash sale sites are the website that sell product (like high-end designer wares) for a limited amount of time at a discount. One of the most notable, and quickly growing, sites is Gilt.com. Not surprisingly, I'm a member. I think these sites have gained popularity because the economy has prompted fashionistas to look for deals, but also (and maybe more importantly) they utilize very powerful behavioral tools that push people to make rushed purchases due to the limited availability. These sites prey upon the psychological tendencies of buyers and push the right buttons to motivate purchases through external and internal motivations.