You know a business book is good when you are compelled to read it on vacation. And that's just what I did recently when I went to the Sea of Cortez and couldn't put down
Made to Stick by brothers Chip and Dan Heath (who by the way were each nice enough to personally respond to my fan mail). Citing fascinating real world examples – from how the Jared campaign for Subway became a huge hit to how NBA couches engineered an unforgettable experience to make the dangers of AIDS hit home with players – the book dives into the six key qualities that make an idea "sticky"... simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional, and stories. Made to Stick articulates so much of what
Eat My Words believes about what makes a name powerful and memorable. For instance, here's how the name
Cake that we came up with for a new financial services company maps back to the 6 sticky traits:
- Simplicity - it's a short, easy to spell word with layers of meaning
- Unexpectedness - a fun, original name for a stuffy industry
- Concreteness - it's easy to remember because we've heard it before
- Credibility - the official company name is Cake Financial, which gives it credibility
- Emotional - the name Cake is connected to birthdays, weddings, and parties - everyone loves Cake
- Stories - there's story behind the name (and it's not the last name of the owner of the company)
There are so many inspiring examples and lightbulb moments in the book. Let me know when you finish it so we can talk about the awesome exercise on page 52, which sheds light on why the women's energy drink we named
Bloom is a much more memorable name than Enviga (which BTW we think you might need a perscription for). And if you're jonesin' for more sticky ideas, check out the
Made to Stick blog.
You know a business book is good when you are compelled to read it on vacation. And that's just what I did recently when I went to the Sea of Cortez and couldn't put down Made to Stick by brothers Chip and Dan Heath (who by the way were each nice enough to personally respond to my fan mail). Citing fascinating real world examples – from how the Jared campaign for Subway became a huge hit to how NBA couches engineered an unforgettable experience to make the dangers of AIDS hit home with players – the book dives into the six key qualities that make an idea "sticky"... simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional, and stories. Made to Stick articulates so much of what Eat My Words believes about what makes a name powerful and memorable. For instance, here's how the name Cake that we came up with for a new financial services company maps back to the 6 sticky traits: 
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