Made To Stick: Book Review 1 (Mercury Return 2009)

The authors of Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath, highlight the current obsession with information distribution and control by identifying six properties of successful communication: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions and Stories. The opening chapter is titled, What Sticks?, and opens with a story–not just any story–one that has been told many times and is notorious as an urban legend. I had even heard the story years ago and remember how I felt when I first heard it from a friend. After the opening story, a short passage from a nonprofit is introduced to show a disproportionate comparison of why the nonprofit’s message is not as effective as the preceding story. The chapters that follow are named after each of the six identified elements of stickiness, and finally ends full circle with, What Sticks. The use of the six “sticky” tactics woven throughout the storyline allow the book to sell its own message in the most effective way by engaging the reader in popular culture and participatory learning exercises.



In these fast times of information overload, it is easy to get lost in the internet bustle. Blogs have spawned microblogs, newspapers and magazines are losing relevance to online alternatives, social networking sites hold students’ and workers’ attention during school and business hours, and email has demolished the use of the postage stamp. It is during this innovative stage of mass communication and chaos that many traditional institutions are being forced to reevaluate their communication strategies. Businesses, universities, hospitals, and nonprofits, among others, have built websites, started blogs, opened twitter accounts, and developed facebook pages in order to keep their clients and customers engaged. But client and customer engagement also demands a “sticky” message to keep them coming back. Made to Stick provides case examples of how the military has used simplicity for missions; how Nordstrom used unexpectedness to improve customer service; why Aesop’s fables endured because of their concreteness; why credibility can be assessed by the “Sinatra Test” of making it anywhere; what emotional messages emanated from the Truth anti-tobacco campaign; and why stories are passed on across cultures and generations. 



Television still remains to serve as the most powerful marketing tool for corporate and government entities. Aggressive ads are constantly thrust upon passive audiences in order to stimulate consumer behaviors and voter activity. Although this strategy has been proven in its continued success, the Heath brothers’ SUCCES model encourages participation from an active audience. Instead of selling by telling, they provide practical guidance on how to identify stickiness and how to create it from everyday scenarios. In the opening chapter of the book, they propose the process of nurturing creativity and invoking message memorability as opposed to bowing to a perceived innovative nature. There are “Idea Clinics” for each chapter, allowing the reader to observe and also create a checklist of each component of stickiness. A motivated individual with an idea can use the examples and exercises in this book to build his or her own strategy in the hopes of making their own message or story stick. Even though the SUCCES of that endeavor is not certain, it’s components can be reevaluated, redesigned, and redeployed using the tools in this book.


An astrologer is born: How it all began

In the summer of 2003, I was wandering about the shops of Main Street in New Hope, PA when I came upon a store with a neon pentagram in the window. It was one of those “bottom-floor” stores, in which you had to descend a small flight of stairs to get to the entrance. Curious and eager to explore the “mysteries” inside, I explored the bookshelves— past titles of Wiccan Magic and Spells galore. I was about to walk out when I saw a book titled, The Complete Book of Astrology. When I removed it from the shelf, I opened the book to the exact page that marked the beginning of the description of Virgo (my sun sign). It was on this day that I began my investigation into the science of astrology. Yes, science, as in “knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.” There are those that would scoff, ridicule, and (in some parts of the country) burn me at the stake for such a statement. However, astrology is a valid and reliable system of knowledge that reveals an accurate picture of individual human psychology and societal patterns.

A popular argument against astrology is that it is so general anyone can write a horoscope for any sign from which any reader will glean whatever truth they want from its generalizations and vagaries. This argument is usually supported by citing examples of the horoscope columns found in tabloids or pop culture magazines. Dear Abby’s advice is held in higher esteem than “Anastasia the Astrogazer” or any number of quacks that make a quick buck from writing the dailies. Another argument I’ve heard comes from people who read about their sun sign (solely based on the day they were born) and complain that the description is way off the mark. An even better argument is in the case of two people who share the same birthday and they are nothing alike. The hardcore skeptics of astrology always bring up the case of twins: those born within minutes or hours of each other and live totally different lives.

Many people fail to realize that astrology is more than just your sun sign— that is, the sign and degree the sun occupied at the moment of birth. For example, the sun was at 26 degrees Virgo when I was born; therefore, common knowledge would label me “Virgo.” However, upon further examination, you would also discover that the zodiac sign on the horizon at 10:54pm EST on September 19th, 1979 in Norristown, PA, was Gemini at 18 degrees. Furthermore, the Moon was at 12 degrees Virgo, the planet Mercury at 2 degrees Libra, the planet Venus at 3 degrees Libra, and the planet Mars at 27 degrees Cancer. Astrologers who cast detailed horoscopes will note not only the placement of planets in the sky but also the aspects made between them, in order to give a more accurate reflection of the energies these positions might imply. In the case of two individuals having the same birth date, the difference of an hour can change not only the rising sign at the moment of birth but also the house positions which give each horoscope its distinct “flavor.” And let’s not forget free will—the various internal and external factors and the responses to those factors that influence each human being which contribute to his or her outlook on life. It is important to note that astrological counsel has been sought throughout the ages by royalty, political figures, and the church, as a means to gain and maintain power. The Italian renaissance is rife with evidence of consultations and readings from astrologers such as Ptolemy, Marsilio Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa, and William Lilly. The foundations of American government and the planning and construction of the Capitol city of Washington, DC are steeped in astrological significance. There is compelling evidence that our founding fathers waited until certain planets occupied a certain degree in the sky before scheduling any important ceremonies related to the birth of the United States.

Moon in Gemini, Mars in Gemini, and 9th house focus

So, I just finished my writing class and realized that I have a collection of essays that are just sitting around waiting for something to do. Well, I’ve decided to post them here so that they don’t get buried in my hard drive, never to be read by anyone. Please feel free to offer your point of view- that really helps me to realize that my way of thinking isn’t the be-all, end-all of the universe.