Summary of Jonah Berger's The Catalyst

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In the late 1990s, smoking was the biggest public health crisis facing the nation. Cigarettes were the largest cause of preventable deaths and disease, killing tens of millions of people worldwide.

#2 In early 2018, Procter Gamble had a small PR problem. People were eating their Tide Pods, which were a new detergent compacted into tablet form. The company tweeted a warning not to do it, and celebrity football player Rob Gronk Gronkowski helped spread the word.

#3 The Tide Pod Challenge is an example of how warnings can backfire. When people are told not to do something, they are more likely to do it, rather than less.

#4 People have a need for freedom and autonomy. To feel that their lives and actions are within their personal control. They are loath to give up agency, even when it makes them worse off.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669395966

IRB Media

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Insights on Jonah Berger's The Catalyst

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In the late 1990s, smoking was the biggest public health crisis facing the nation. Cigarettes were the largest cause of preventable deaths and disease, killing tens of millions of people worldwide.

#2

In early 2018, Procter Gamble had a small PR problem. People were eating their Tide Pods, which were a new detergent compacted into tablet form. The company tweeted a warning not to do it, and celebrity football player Rob Gronk Gronkowski helped spread the word.

#3

The Tide Pod Challenge is an example of how warnings can backfire. When people are told not to do something, they are more likely to do it, rather than less.

#4

People have a need for freedom and autonomy. To feel that their lives and actions are within their personal control. They are loath to give up agency, even when it makes them worse off.

#5

The choice study and the nursing home study explain what happened with Procter Gamble and the Tide Pods. When others threaten or restrict people’s freedom, they get upset. They feel as if their ability