Rafomac News, Tech & Trends That MatterCan a simple pen, a bottle of water, or a packet of chips really go viral without a celebrity endorsement or massive budget? Jonah Berger, a Wharton professor and author of Contagious, cracked the code on turning dull products into hottest talking points for less than $1,000.
Is Virality Just Luck or Is There a Science?
Marketing in today’s noisy and crowded world feels like shouting into a storm—you rarely get noticed, let alone remembered. Jonah Berger has spent almost two decades studying why people share certain products and ideas and ignore others. His research reveals that virality isn’t random luck; it’s governed by clear psychological drivers.
He explains that people don’t share everything—they pick moments and messages that help them look good, feel relevant, or offer practical value. Online sharing is selective, but offline conversations often fill gaps to maintain connection, even if the topic isn’t exciting. The question then becomes, how do you get people talking about your product, especially if it’s boring?
The STEPS Framework to Viral Marketing
Berger’s bestselling book, Contagious, boils down the science of sharing into a simple framework: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories. Each element taps into why people spread ideas and helps marketers harness that power strategically.
For example, social currency leverages a person’s desire to look savvy and in-the-know. Triggers link the product to environmental cues, nudging people to remember and talk about it. Practical value delivers useful information people want to pass along. Emotion creates a connection, and stories give your message legs to travel.
Turning a Blender into a Viral Sensation on a $50 Budget
Take one of the dullest products imaginable: a blender. Blendech, a US blender company, faced this exact challenge. Their breakthrough? The CEO blending crazy items like golf balls, pens, and even an iPhone to showcase the blender’s toughness. A new marketing guy saw genius in this quirky operation and filmed the CEO in a lab coat under safety goggles, posting the video online.
The result was staggering—a video with nearly 20 million views and a 700% increase in sales. All on a marketing budget of $50. It wasn’t flashy ads or celebrity endorsements; it was about showing an extraordinary, surprising aspect of an otherwise boring product. This tactic nails the principle of making products remarkable and giving people social currency—they want to share something cool because it makes them look good.
How Cheetos Used Tazos to Win Over India’s Kids
Social currency doesn’t require high budgets or influencers. Back in the early 2000s, Indian snack brands flooded the market, making it hard to stand out. Cheetos cracked the code by slipping Pokémon tazos into their packets without revealing which one you’d get. This simple idea turned the chips into collectibles, becoming a social currency among kids at school. Those with more tazos were seen as cooler, and kids bought multiple packs just to collect them. This strategy multiplied Cheetos sales several-fold.
This idea of exclusivity and insider knowledge—sometimes through limited edition products or secret menus—is cheaper but immensely powerful. It taps into the human desire to belong and impress peers without yelling about it.
Practical Value: Why People Share Useful Tips
Not all viral content is flashy. Often, it’s incredibly practical, offering tips that make life easier. Berger cites a video of an 80-year-old man sharing a microwave hack to cook corn perfectly, which racked up millions of views. This isn’t glamourous but provides clear value, making viewers want to share it to help others.
Similarly, Truecaller went viral across India not through ads but because it solved a universal pain: spam calls. When people find something genuinely useful, they naturally spread the word.
Triggers: Becoming Part of Daily Routines
Triggers are environmental or habitual cues that remind people of your product. The famous Geico insurance camel ad leverages “Wednesday hump day” to keep the brand top of mind weekly, creating predictable sharing spikes. Similarly, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk linked its chocolates to celebrations and gifting occasions in India, thus securing multiple moments in the year where the brand triggers purchase and conversation.
Understanding when, where, and how your product fits into daily lives enables you to latch onto existing habits without massive budgets. It’s not always about flashy campaigns but smart, subtle positioning.
Selling a Pen with the STEPS Framework
Even something as simple as a pen can benefit from this scientific approach. Focus not on features but on what owning and using the pen says about you. Is it a status symbol? The most reliable tool? Can it be made visible or quirky enough to spark attention? By thinking about social currency, practical value, and public visibility, marketers can craft narratives that push people to share and connect.
Virality Is Within Reach for Everyone
Jonah Berger’s work highlights a liberating idea: you don’t need deep pockets, fancy ads, or the most innovative product to spark word of mouth. You need insight into human behavior, creativity in showing what’s remarkable, and an understanding of when and where your product fits in people’s lives.
This scientific approach transforms marketing from a guessing game into a deliberate strategy. For companies or entrepreneurs struggling to break through, the key lies in creating contagious content that taps into social currency, triggers, practical value, and emotion. The blender that destroyed iPhones, the packet of chips with collectible tazos, and the humble pen all prove it—boring can be brilliant.
