Become the conversation
with Marcus Collins and Jonah Berger
Available on demand
1-week sprint
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Welcome to the Viral Growth Sprint
You probably roll your eyes when you hear, “Make it go viral.” But who doesn’t want to create things that catch on without buying ads? We’ll teach you to create products, campaigns, and content that people can’t resist sharing.
Module 1
Why is it that some ideas catch on, while others don’t? In this first module, Professor Berger introduces the STEPPS framework to help your products, services, and ideas catch on, and why the terms advocacy and adoption are critical to achieving viral growth. Then, Professor Berger discusses the first component of the STEPPS framework, Social Currency, and how brands can master the art of making their customers look good.
Lesson 1: Advocacy and adoption
Why is it that some ideas catch on, while others don’t? In this lesson, Professor Berger introduces the STEPPS framework to help your products, services, and ideas catch on. Specifically, the framework helps increase the amount of adoption and advocacy your offering receives. Learn about these two related, but distinct, concepts, and why you need both to obtain viral growth.
Lesson 1 case study: Next Door
Nextdoor is a relatively new player in the social media space, and has used a number of strategies from the STEPPS framework to quickly garner both advocacy and adoption. From sending flyers to nearby neighbors to make the app more visible, to including ways for users to share stories, to providing useful information, Nextdoor understands what it takes to bring people to the platform and keep them engaged once they’re there.
Lesson 2: STEPPS: Social Currency
Social currency is like money, but instead of building financial security, social currency builds one’s reputation. Social currency is what people get from looking good, and it’s in brands’ best interest to create social currency for their customers along their customer journey. People are more likely to share their experiences with brands that make them look and feel special. By adding elements of exclusivity and scarcity, incorporating game-like components, and highlighting inner remarkability, brands can offer their customers social currency and increase the likelihood that these people will share.
Lesson 2 case study: Instagram
Instagram and social currency go hand-in-hand: the app drives adoption and advocacy by offering a platform for their users to make themselves look good. By adding features that foster exclusivity and showcase inner remarkability, Instagram offers users a way to package highlights from their life and gain social currency. But Instagram also allows users to sit on the sidelines and spectate if they don’t want to chase after likes or rack up followers, showing how important it is to give customers an out when adding game-like components to your offering.
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Module 2
In this module, you’ll learn the next two components of the STEPPS framework, Triggers and Emotion. Triggers are objects, ideas, and phrases that remind you of a product or service. For example, if you’re speaking with someone on the phone, and they ask you, “Can you hear me now?”, you may think of Verizon. Emotion is also a powerful tool used to increase advocacy and adoption - but not all emotions cause us to share and purchase. Learn more about which emotions increase advocacy and adoption, and how you can infuse those in your customer journey.
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Module 3
The next two components in the STEPPS framework are Public and Practical Value. Public is all about making things more visible -- people tend to imitate what they see, so the more observable your product or service is, the more people will advocate and adopt it. Practical Value can be summed up as news you can use. People love being useful, so if brands offer helpful content that they can share with others, consumers are likely to share.
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Module 4
The final module introduces the sixth component of the STEPPS framework, Stories, which can act like a vessel for brands -- customers tell a story about their experience, and in so doing, mention the brand and increase advocacy in the process. The sprint ends with a lesson that shows how to apply the STEPPS framework within your own organization to allow your ideas and initiatives to catch on.
Sample 1-week Sprint Calendar
Section courses are built around the tight schedules of busy, full-time professionals.
Mon
Tues
Weds
Thurs - Pre Sprint
Meet your TA and cohort
Fri - Pre Sprint
Watch a welcome video from your professor
Mon - Sprint week
Watch your day 1 lesson content
Tues - Sprint week
Watch your day 2 lesson content
Weds - Sprint week
Thurs - Sprint week
Attend a project workshop hosted by your TA
Fri - Sprint week
Mon - Post Sprint
Submit your project
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Professor and TA interaction. Our world-class professors and teaching staff are here to help you make the most of the experience.
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Lifetime network. Connect with professionals from 60+ countries and across industries to gain fresh perspective from like-minded leaders.
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High-impact project. Apply the frameworks and strategies from the sprint to a real problem at work.
