i) Describe the tipping point: The author explains that at times there are common everyday events or situations that unexpectedly rise in popularity or frequency. The tipping point is in reference to what actually happens to cause the extremely fast rise and how the dynamics of the situation that causes the events to tip and become a huge phenomena.
ii) At what point does something tip? Most events will increase or decrease at a gradual rate. Events tip when their rise is not gradual any longer and they surpass the normal expected rate of increasing in popularity. The rise after they tip is a fast explosion over a very short period of time.
iii) Is there room in our society for “tippers”? Absolutely, people love to associate themselves with events that provide identity. Often times people will attach to fashion trends, ideas, and values that they think will provide them a strong identity. Tippers are the people that expose these items to others. However, people may not know or intend to be “tippers”. Why people attach to some things often is not predictable and for this reason “tippers” will often show up in unexpected locations and situations.
Chapter 1
1) What are the three rules of epidemics?
The Law of the Few: this states that events that tip can be traced back to very small original group of people or events.
The stickiness Factor: this states that events that type are made appealing above the normal and in turn make a huge impact.
The Power of Context: this state that people are impacted by the events and situations that surround them and they tend to be sensitive to what they are exposed to.
2) What is the 80/20 principle? The 80/20 principle addresses how events and situations do not happen in equal percentages to the number of people in the world. Rather than everyone having an equal influence, 80 percent of events and work is done by 20 percent of the people. This principle is often very visible in our schools with both students and staff members.
3) Who is R.J. Reynolds? R.J. Reynolds is the marketer for Winston cigarettes. They successfully used a catchy phase to attract customers to their filter tipped cigarettes. They used the slogan “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should”.
