The law of the few
The author of the book notes ironically that the biggest changes and events that end up influencing in one way or another a person’s life did not start in an extraordinary manner. The narrator point out that in most cases, pandemics, epidemics and other important social changes took place because one or two people behaved in a certain way and their behavior influenced those around them. In this sense, a few influenced many and created a ripple effect that continued to influence and affect humanity.
Not only the information matters
The general impression left is that the most powerful person is the one who has access to information and who knows how to use it at the right time. Ironically, the examples offered by the author in the book proves that the most powerful person is not the one who has the information but rather the one who can ‘’steal’’ it from someone else and then present it in such a way as to impress those around them. This proves that in certain situations, the mode of presentation is more important than the information presented.
The Gold Box
When talking about the stickiness power of a message or idea, the author mentioned an ad campaign and a competition between two ad agencies that were fighting for the rights to create ads for a big company. The company that won used a simple "competition’,’ asking the viewers to find a hidden Gold Box in a printed issue to have the chance to win a prize. At first, the company owners were reluctant to think that the strategy would work, thinking that it is too simple. Ironically, however, the strategy worked because it was simple and because it didn’t forced the viewers to engage in a complicated process.
Used to be a hero
In the fourth chapter, the author mentions Bernhard Goetz who in 1984 shot four African-Americans in New York City. The reason why he shot those men was because they went begging to Bernhard and he felt entitled to do what he believed to be self-defense. Initially, he was considered a hero, many people looking up to him and giving him as an example regarding the ways in which someone should deal with violence. Ironically, shortly afterwards, the tables turned and Bernhard became a symbol for terror, a face associated with unnecessary violence and with negative aspects.
The content is not that important
Society likes to think that an item has to be of good quality in order to become something successful. In chapter five, this is proven not to be true as the author proves that more than often, what matters is how many people know about a product and if their acquaintances used it at some point in their lives. This proves that in most cases, what matters the most is not the quality of a product but its odds of becoming successful in the future. This proves that society is not searching for quality but rather for something accepted by the majority.
Gone just as fast as it came
In the sixth chapter, the author talks about the rise to fame of a particular company called Airwalk that produced shoes. The company became successful in a short period of time and the company owners earned a lot during the short period of time during which the company was successful. After only a few years, the company’s sales declined and it was no longer the once powerful company it was in the beginning. This element is presented as being ironic, especially when analyzing the success the company had in the beginning.
