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Fifth Annual Just a Book Welcomes Jonah Berger, Best-Selling Author of “Contagious”

Courtney Beasley

Courtney Beasley

2019 marks our fifth year hosting our annual Just a Book event, where Chicago marketers gather together to read and learn from a prominent industry book, followed by a Q&A and meet and greet with the author. In the past, we’ve been fortunate to host incredible marketing and content experts like Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley and more. This year, I’m very excited to announce that we will be welcoming Dr. Jonah Berger, best-selling author of “Contagious: Why Things Catch On,” as our guest at the American Writers Museum on November 6.

Already a favorite read throughout our office, “Contagious” talks about how to strategically create infectious content. As a marketer, getting your content or ideas to actually spread can often feel like a guessing game. Some pieces of content you publish may never leave the ground, while others will unexpectedly circulate at an unprecedented rate. “Contagious” offers six clear-cut, actionable techniques that you can leverage to consistently design messages, advertisements and content that people will be compelled to share. Though it may be tempting to continue to invest in traditional marketing methods in hopes of generating conversions, Jonah draws on decades of research to explain why social influence and word-of-mouth transmission are the secret essential drivers of viral content.

Receiving his Ph.D. in marketing from Stanford, Jonah has spent over 15 years examining the behavioral science underlying how people make decisions, how ideas diffuse and how social influence shapes behavior. Not only has he published dozens of articles in top-tier academic journals and popular outlets like NPR, but he has also consulted for a variety of Fortune 500 and small start-up companies to develop effective messaging strategies. Jonah is a world-renowned expert on consumer behavior, and we can’t wait to hear from him first-hand on how we can become more influential marketers.

If you’re a Chicago-based marketer interested in hearing Jonah speak, we’d love to have you join us at Just a Book on November 6! Click here for more details and to RSVP.