Malcom Gladwell defined the Tipping Point as, the name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once. The Tipping Point has to be contagious, little effects of the Tipping Point must become big effects, and change has to happen at one drastic moment. To make our campaign, “One Team, One Spirit” “tip” we must emphasize the three rules of the Tipping Point: The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. As a small campaign team, we need to use the famous word-of-mouth technique to better broadcast our plans for the athletic department this year. Most people will respond more to a person that they know, and are acquainted with, and will listen to what they have to say. This will allow us to implicate the word-of-mouth strategy. We all know so many people on campus, whether it is in our fraternities or student organizations, or the people we work with, so we need to start using our word of mouth to bring students to the games. We also have to use the stickiness factor, which says that repetition is the key to remembrance. Gladwell said, that a commercial has to be seen at least six times before anyone will remember it. We have to make sure that the events are posted out on campus, and placed through many means of communication, like facebook, twitter, the Colonnade, etc. so that the message will have gotten out there. Gladwell also made the point that viewers in the television shows weren’t just an audience, but had become participants. In our campaign, we are implementing crowd participation and that is the right direction towards making our campaign tip. The Power of Context, by Gladwell’s definition is that epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur. He says that you don’t have to solve big problems to solve a crime. Filling seats at the basketball games isn’t a big problem, we are just trying to solve an issue. Our job is to decide what will make students attend, and we created events to ensure this. Now we just have to use these tips to do so.
I think I am a Connector in society. Gladwell defines a connector as a person with a special gift for bringing the world together. I would like to see myself as that type of person. Connectors are known for the number of people, and the kinds of people they know. A connector must know a lot of people, and through many of my life experiences, I think I have embarked myself upon maintaining a large group of acquaintances and friends. I have met many people from being involved in my sorority, Delta Zeta, my church, my previously attended schools, and now my college environment. I feel like I am a very personable person, and I have never had a problem talking to someone I didn’t know or meeting someone anywhere I went. I hope to become a better connector. I also can see myself as being a Salesman. Salesmen are critical to the word of mouth epidemic and are persuaders of the unconvinced. I think I have great influence on my friends to be able to persuade them in a certain way. I think this is a great quality to have because I see great leaders as salesmen and see how they have swayed their crowd in a certain way.
I feel like our class as a whole has tipped regarding the use of twitter. At first we didn’t really understand how it worked or how we were going to implement it in the classroom, but now that we have gotten the hang of it, we have tipped! I think facebook has really “tipped” in the last couple of years, the use of that social media has grown so much and has been sculpted into a great tool. Everyone we know has a facebook and has opened the “connector” world, where some people now have at least 1000 friends to communicate with. I think I need some work on the blog part of our social media. I just haven’t gotten in the groove yet for it to have tipped.
About Me
- Brittany Price
- I am a Mass Communication Major with a Public Relations Concentration and a Marketing Minor at Georgia College & State University!
10 comments:
I definitely agree with your point about people responding better to word-of-mouth messages when they are coming from people they know. I think that most people would say that they are more likely to go to an event or join a social group if they found out about it through friends who are going or joining. Most people are less likely to do something of this nature completely on their own.
Our class overall has tipped on Twitter! We are all doing a good job at using it as a means of communicating with each other, good observation! I am right there with you on the blogs though- I am still waiting on that tip to happen.
You're definitely right that we'll need to have lots of repetition for our campaign to succeed. We really need to utilize absolutely every outlet possible to get the message out to our audience about what's going on with GCSU Basketball.
Salesman is a great quality to have, and it will be a big help when you are interviewing for jobs. Selling myself to people has always been really hard for me.
I am right there with you on the blog thing! I've gotten sort of into the other networks, but blogging somehow just isn't very interesting to me yet!
Good point about not trying to solve the big problem, but start at the base and figure out why people aren't coming to games. I think that this small, but maybe intangible reason, if we find it can open the door to our campaign success. You're lucky to be a connector... I wish I could say the same!
I agree that, with everyone also commmenting, that repition is key. Much like us repeating on each others blogs, ha.
You are most certinaly a connector, and I can see how you are also bits of the others as well. You have a great opportunity to be a connector to DZ and other organizations for our campaign. I feel like that is a challenge our whole class should strive for, because in a way we are all connectors being PR majors.
Your blog was great!
I think as students we sometimes under estimate the word-of-mouth. In a regular city or community people are with their families and are far apart in different housing. We as college student mostly dwell very close to each other and mostly live with our closest friends and not our families. We are our own families and who is more influential than that?
I think that if we excite just a few people enough to get them talking about GCSU sports the tip is in reach. Our goal should be more than just numbers it should be about excitement.
I also agree with your point about using word-of-mouth to help spread information about our campaign. Word-of-mouth is all about a personalized message, and in general, I think most people relate better to people they already know and trust.
Along with Blaire, I believe that in some way or another, we are all Connectors because of our major;however, you can definitely see those characteristics in you! We've all been told, 'it's all in who you know' - now you'll just be one step ahead because you've already made lots of connections.
You know, I completely forgot about the remembrance part of the book that you mentioned. So how do we do it? I know I forget stuff all the time. Then again, I always have a lot going on. But how do we get people to look at a flyer and remember the dates and times? Or even the events? If someone has to see a commercial six times, It seems as though flyers are almost pointless! I feel like there is some way of getting the word out that we haven't tried. There is just some little thing we are missing and your post confirms my belief even more.
And yes, you are definitely a Connector. You probably know twice as many people as I do and I think you are one of the most approachable people i know.
Short, sweet and too the point! Thanks b'Price! I totally agree with the statements that you made about making our campaign more word-of-mouth driven. None of our fellow classmates jsut go to school all of us are heavily involved with various student organizations and that would make a big difference, especially if people feel that they are getting a personal invite to the game. In addition to producing ads and flyers and what not lets see if we can actually give every RSO a personal flyer so things can be announced at chapter meetings and what not, the more we get the word out there the better results we will have.
Good job Britters. I liked that your post was short and to the point. Word of mouth is going to prove to be really important in this campaign. I think you're right about that.
I totally agree with you being a connector. Especially with your involvement with DZ!
I feel that word-of mouth is also our best best to get this campaign tip and I think you are exactly right that it can start with our small campaign team. You bring up a lot of good points that Gladwell mentions. I.e. Commercials having to be seen six times before they are remembered. By making sure that our message gets out there into the different outlets on campus and is used by repetition then our message will begin to get "sticky" and students will react. Then, hopefully, the problem will be solved and students will be in basketball seats!
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