Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction

Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction

NATIONAL BESTSELLERÂ

â€œThis bookÂ picks up where The Tipping Point left off."Â --Â Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKE

Nothing â€œgoes viral.â€Â If you think a popular movie, song, or app came out of nowhere to become a word-of-mouth success in todayâ€™s crowded media environment, youâ€™re missing the real story. Each blockbuster has a secret historyâ€”of power, influence, dark broadcasters, and passionate cults that turn some new products into cultural phenomena. Even the most brilliant ideas wither in obscurity if theyÂ fail to connect with the right network, andÂ the consumers that matter most aren't the early adopters, but rather their friends, followers, and imitators -- the audience of your audience.

In his groundbreaking investigation,Â AtlanticÂ senior editor Derek Thompson uncovers the hidden psychology of why we like what we like and reveals the economics of cultural markets that invisibly shape our lives. Shattering the sentimental myths of hit-making that dominate pop culture and business, Thompson shows quality is insufficient for success, nobody has "good taste,"Â and some of the most popular products in history were one bad break away from utter failure. It may be a new world, but there are some enduring truths to what audiences and consumers want. People love a familiar surprise: a product that is bold, yet sneakily recognizable.

Every business, every artist, every person looking to promote themselves andÂ their workÂ wants to know what makesÂ some works so successful while others disappear.Â Hit MakersÂ is a magical mystery tour through the last century of pop culture blockbusters and the most valuable currency of the twenty-first centuryâ€”peopleâ€™s attention.

From the dawn of impressionist art to the future of Facebook, from small Etsy designers to the origin of Star Wars, Derek Thompson leaves no pet rock unturned to tell the fascinating story of how culture happens and why things become popular.
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In Hit Makers, Derek Thompson investigates:
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â The secret link between ESPN's sticky programming and the The Weeknd's catchy choruses
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â WhyÂ FacebookÂ is the worldâ€™s most important modern newspaper
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â How advertising critics predictedÂ Donald Trump
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â The 5th grader who accidentally launchedÂ "Rock Around the Clock,"Â the biggest hit in rock and roll history
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â How Barack Obama and his speechwriters think of themselves as songwriters
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â How Disney conquered the worldâ€”but the future of hits belongs to savvy amateurs and individuals
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â The French collector who accidentally created the Impressionist canon
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Quantitative evidence that theÂ biggest music hits arenâ€™t always the best
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Why almost all Hollywood blockbusters are sequels, reboots, and adaptations
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Why one year--1991--is responsible for the way pop music sounds today
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Why another year --1932--created the business model of film
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â How data scientists proved that â€œgoing viralâ€ is a myth
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â How 19th century immigration patterns explain the most heard song in the Western Hemisphere
Country USA
Brand Penguin Press
Manufacturer Penguin Press
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2017-02-07
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781101980323

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin Press
Manufacturer	Penguin Press
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2017-02-07
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781101980323

Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction

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