Ideas to steal – Why some ideas survive and others die

One of our readers forwarded an article to me that was first published in The McKinsey Quarterly (free registration required) a little over a year ago. It’s chock full of great ideas on ideas and is a must read.

Crafting a message that sticks: An interview with Chip Heath discusses how to create and deliver messages that make people think and, better yet, act.

I suspect it’s just a coincidence the article hit my in box the same day I was scanning the current issue of Psychology Today and discovered another take on why some ideas go viral and others die. The 8½ Laws of Rumor Spread focuses mostly on false rumors that seemingly circle the world endlessly. It’s an entertaining read that quotes, among others, Chip Heath.

Taken together, these articles inspired and mortified me. When it comes to the messages attached to our brands and products, both those we put out and those created by the marketplace, Sergeant Phil Esterhaus said it best. “Hey, let’s be careful out there.”