In perhaps his most famous tome, Gladwell examines the question of
why some events or subjects tip to the stratosphere while most
things flail around at ground level.
As someone whose job it is to make things resonate with people I
don't even know, this book was pretty revealing of the seemingly
minor subtleties involved in tipping and how the entire success of
a project can rest on the people (mavens, salespeople) who push
your message more than on the message itself.
And having been an editorialist in a past life (and an opinionated
%&% presently), I can very much appreciate how a carefully
chosen word or image can make all the difference in whether a
message sticks with the intended audience.
By the same token, The Tipping Point also highlights how Sisyphian
(Sisyphusian?) advertising and communications can be. With some
messages, I'm afraid, you can push all day and get nowhere. If it
doesn't resonate, it doesn't matter.
Now if I could only figure out how to explain that to my clients."