Perhaps the problem with viral marketing is that the disease metaphor is misleading. Watts thinks trends are more like forest fires: There are thousands a year, but only a few become roaring monsters. That's because in those rare situations, the landscape was ripe: sparse rain, dry woods, badly equipped fire departments. If these conditions exist, any old match will do. "And nobody," Watts says wryly, "will go around talking about the exceptional properties of the spark that started the fire."
Duncan Watts posits:
1. "Influentials" can't infect people with memes, if those people aren't already susceptible to infection.
2. But if people want to be infected, any old joe can infect them.
3. Influentials amplify epidemics but they can't start them at will.
4. Therefore: target influentials, but sow your seeds as broadly as possible.
X. For extra credit, google [the parable of the sower]. Jesus was right!
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