I started and finished Made to Stick yesterday. Definitely a book to read if you are interested in how some ideas survive while others fade away. The basic template for an idea to last is for it to fit within the Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Story acronym (SUCCES).
Here's an example, Google's Don't be evil mantra. It's definitely simple and focused, also unexpected since what corporation would ever say something like that. Concrete? Hmm, not really since evil is such an abstract term. Credible? Sure, two grad students from Stanford. Emotional? Not really I don't believe. Story? I'm sure there is one but I can't remember it. So, even though it doesn't fulfill all the criteria, it's still an idea that has stuck around.
Though, Google doesn't really focus on it. The media does though and sometimes that's just as important. Of course, because this idea has stuck around, Google now has to face questions about it whenever they make a decision. That is the possible downside of having your idea stick.
At any rate, it's a great book and one I highly recommend.
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